The aim of the course is to adopt the inter/cross-cultural perspective in teaching of applied crisis communication, and to stimulate the development of students’ intercultural competence by providing them with examples of real crisis events from the United States, Western and Eastern Europe. A comparative (multimodal) analysis of case studies, conducted in class, will provide students with the perception of culture as a complex phenomenon, and will illustrate cultural similarities and differences between companies with regard to crisis communication. Students will carry out own research studies in order to increase their cultural awareness and apply the gained knowledge and skills in intercultural business communication. As a result, they will be able to anticipate the impact of cultural differences on various spheres of life, and will manage to rank their cultural preferences in a relevant context.

This course introduces students to the field of crisis communication by offering a review of important terms (i.e. crisis, crisis management, crisis responsibility, etc.), documenting the history and development of crisis communication models and research, and describing dominant streams of theory and research methodology. Within the scope of this course, it will be illustrated how crisis communication fits with the allied fields of risk communication, issues management, and reputation management. Furthermore, this course provides a discussion of the three-stage approach to crisis communication and highlights the increased importance of social media to crisis management.

After successful completion of the course, students will be able to diagnose crisis vulnerabilities and differentiate different crisis types across cultures. Moreover, they will acquire skills, which are necessary for developing a crisis communication plan and reviewing the crisis communication system. Additionally, they will learn how to demonstrate effective spokesperson skills, and will be able to assess the appropriateness of a crisis response as well as information needs and resources of a crisis situation.

Attendance and active participation is obligatory in order to pass this course. You may miss up to 2 meetings. Absence is to be agreed upon with the course instructor in advance.

You will receive further details approximately one week prior to the start of the course.

• input
• discussion of case studies
• presentation
• a response paper

• active participation (20%)
• a presentation (40%)
• a response paper 2500-3000 words (40 %)                                                        

Grading scale:

90 – 100 (1) sehr gut / excellent
80 – 89   (2) gut / good
70 – 79   (3) befriedigend / satisfactory
60 – 69   (4) genügend / sufficient
< 60        (5) nicht genügend / fail

by appointment

iryna.wehr@wu.ac.at