Course syllabus for Effective Advocacy within Boards and Committees

Effektivt påverkansarbete i styrelser och kommittéer

Specific entry requirements

At least 120 credits within health care or medicine. English and Swedish language skills equivalent to Swedish B and English A at Swedish upper secondary school are also required.

Outcomes

The aim of this course is for the student to strengthen his or her ability and possibilities to influence processes and development within public authorities, companies, organisations and the society in general.

The student should upon completion of the course be able to:

Regarding knowledge and understanding
- Understand and explain the basics in board and committee work.
- Clearly describe how effective advocacy can occur within an organisation and to external decision makers.
- Express understanding of how to create a message and convey it through an effective advocacy plan.

Regarding skills and abilities
- Writing an article or other opinion making-text
- Using the methods of argumentation and advocacy.
- Independently and in groups be able to plan, write and implement an advocacy plan.

Regarding judgement and approach
- Reflect on how their own opinions are formed and expressed.
- Argue the pros and cons of advocacy.

Content

The course covers a variety of tools that can be useful in both committee and board work, as well as general advocacy both inside and outside the university and college. Basic rhetoric and reasoning techniques. The skills are trained with the help of practical examples how to negotiate and debate orally. The course will also deal with externally focused lobbying for the student to understand and know how to influence decision-making processes.
The course deals with following areas:
- Board and committee work
- Internally and externally influence work
- Advocacy
- Argumentation

Teaching methods

The course consists of lectures, seminars and workshops. During the course an advocacy plan will be developed and an individual project implemented.
Compulsory attendance: Attendance in seminars, workshops and presentations are compulsory. The course director assesses if and, in that case, how absence can be compensated.

Examination

Examination will be by:
- an individual written advocacy plan and presentation of this
- oral presentation of the project work

The various components are assessed as follows:
Advocacy plan: Fail/Pass/Pass with distinction
Oral presentation of the advocacy plan: Fail/Pass
Oral presentation of project work: Fail/Pass

To get a pass with distinction on the whole course, a pass with distinction is required on the advocacy plan.

Transitional provisions

Examination will be provided for a period of two years following the possible closure of the course. Examination may be done according to previous literature list for a period of one year from the date of the renewal of the reading list has been made.

Other directives

The language of instruction is Swedish.

Literature and other teaching aids

• Petersson, Olof, Opinionsbildning, 1. uppl. : Stockholm : SNS förlag, 2010 - 279 s. ISBN: 978-91-86203-30-6, LIBRIS-ID: 11711539, *