Course

Risk and Societal Safety (SAM505)

Facts

Course code SAM505

Credits (ECTS) 10

Semester tuition start Autumn

Language of instruction Norwegian

Number of semesters 1

Exam semester Autumn

Time table View course schedule

Literature Search for literature in Leganto

Introduction

The course introduces students to key concepts in the field of societal safety. It is grounded in foundational theories of administration, regulation, and societal safety and security. The course will provide an overview of how societal safety and security (Samfunnssikkerhet) as a concept and administrative practice has evolved in Norway, and how these developments are connected to prevention, preparedness, and crisis management.

Content

The course is based on fundamental theories of governance, regulation, and societal security and safety. It provides an introduction to how societal security as a concept and administrative practice has developed in Norway, and how societal security and safety is linked to prevention, preparedness, and crisis management. The course emphasizes that societal security involves managing both natural events and human-made threats, including climate change, digitalization, and malicious actions. It also introduces organizational theory, explaining why accidents happen and how they can be prevented in complex organizations and technological systems, as well as how this is addressed in theories of risk management at both organizational and societal levels.

Learning outcome

After completing the course, the student will have achieved the following learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

  • Understand what societal safety and security is, how it is managed in Norway, and how it has developed and is practiced in the country.
  • Recognize that societal safety and security involves prevention and preparedness against both natural events and man-made threats.
  • Be familiar with key concepts and theories related to risk management at the societal level (risk governance) and societal safety and security.
  • Comprehend how societal safety can be managed through authorities’ risk assessment, risk communication, and risk management.
  • Understand how authorities gather knowledge about public perceptions of risk.
  • Know theories of organizational accidents and risk in complex technological systems.
  • Identify the conditions that contribute to accidents and how to prevent unwanted events in organizations and society.

Skills

  • Discuss and reflect on key concepts and theories within the field of societal safety.
  • Apply these concepts and theories in practical exercises, such as project assignments.
  • Acquire a basic understanding of the relationship between theory, method, and analysis within the subject area.

General Competence

  • Gain a solid general understanding of risk management and societal safety and security.
  • Acquire sufficient competence to pursue specializations in the master’s program in societal safety and security.

Required prerequisite knowledge

None

Exam

Project assignment and written exam

Written exam

Weight 3/5

Duration 5 Hours

Marks Letter grades

Aid None permitted

Exam system WISEflow

Project assignment

Weight 2/5

Duration 12 Weeks

Marks Letter grades

Aid All

Exam system WISEflow

The course assessment consists of a group project and a written exam. Both components must be passed to receive an overall grade in the course.

The project must be completed as group work, with each group typically comprising five members. Each member of the project group signs a contract to guide the collaboration.

The project topic is developed in collaboration with the course instructor and must be approved by early September. The submission deadline is early December (excact date TBA at the beginning of the semester).

Group guidance will be provided outside of regular class hours.

When artificial intelligence is used in the project assignment, each member of the group must document this by completing and submitting the self-declaration form. If you submit text, calculations, or otherwise, that are directly copied from an AI writing tool, without a declaration, this will be regarded as presenting the work of others as your own and therefore constitutes cheating.

There is no retake exam for the project assignment. Students who do not pass the project assignment can retake this component the next time the course is offered.*

The mandatory coursework is only valid in the same semester as the examination is taken. Students who fail or wish to improve their grade must complete the project assignment again the next time the course is offered with regular teaching.

The written exam is digital and conducted as a school exam.

*Provided there are no changes to the syllabus or assessment format.

Method of work

Lectures, seminars and group work. Parts of the course literature is in English, and some of the teaching will be given in English.

Overlapping courses

Course Reduction (SP)
Risk and societal safety (MSA115_1) , Risk and Societal Safety (SAM505_1) 10

Open for

The course is only open to students admitted to the University of Stavanger's regular master's programme (not UiS-Lifelong Learning, EVU).

Admission requirements

Must meet the admission requirements of one of the study programmes the course is open for.

Course assessment

The faculty decides whether early dialogue will be held in all courses or in selected groups of courses. The aim is to collect student feedback for improvements during the semester. In addition, a digital course evaluation must be conducted at least every three years to gather students’ experiences.
The course description is retrieved from FS (Felles studentsystem). Version 1