Risk and Societal Safety (SAM505)

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.

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.

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.

Ingen

Lectures, seminars and group work. Some of the teaching will be given in English.

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

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

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.

Article Aktiv informantintervjuing Andersen, Svein S., Universitetsforlaget, 278-298, Norsk statsvitenskapelig tidsskrift, 03, 2006, 278-298, View online Article Was Three Mile Island a ‘Normal Accident’? Hopkins, Andrew, Oxford, UK and Boston, USA, Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 65-72, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 2, 9, 2001-06, 65-72, View online Book Chapter Complexity, Coupling and Catastrophe Perrow, C., Perrow, Charles, , Complexity, Coupling and Catastrophe, Princeton, NJ :, Princeton University Press , 1 online resource (779 p.), [2011], isbn:1-4008-2849-X; 9786613379801; 1-283-37980-5, View online Book Managing the risks of organizational accidents Reason, James, Aldershot, Ashgate, XVII, 252 s., cop.1997, isbn:9781840141054; 9781840141047; 1840141050; 1840141042, Online utgave av samme bok over. Kap 1-5, og 9-10 View online Article Complexity, Tight–Coupling and Reliability: Connecting Normal Accidents Theory and High Reliability Theory Rijpma, Jos A., Oxford, UK and Boston, USA, Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 15-23, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 1, 5, 1997-03, 15-23, View online Article High Reliability Organizations: Unlikely, Demanding and At Risk La Porte, Todd R., Oxford, UK, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 60-71, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 2, 4, 1996-06, 60-71, View online Article Societal Safety: Concept, Borders and Dilemmas Olsen, Odd Einar ; Kruke, Bjørn Ivar ; Hovden, Jan, Oxford, UK, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 69-79, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 2, 15, 2007-06, 69-79, View online Article The Conceptual and Scientific Demarcation of Security in Contrast to Safety Jore, S., Cham, Springer International Publishing, 157-174, European Journal for Security Research, 1, 4, 2019048, 157-174, View online Book Media og krisehåndtering : utfordringer i en ny mediehverdag Olsen, Odd Einar, Mathiesen, Espen Reiss, Oslo, Cappelen Damm akademisk, 265 s., 2019, isbn:978-82-02-52101-1, Book Governing the Pandemic: The Politics of Navigating a Mega-Crisis Boin, Arjen ; McConnell, Allan ; t Hart, Paul, Cham, Springer Nature, 2021, isbn:9783030726805, View online Book The Risk Society Revisited Social Theory and Risk Governance Rosa, Eugene A., Aaron M McCright, Philadelphia :; Baltimore, Md. :, Temple University Press; Project MUSE , 1 online resource (265 p.), [2013]; 2014; ©[2013], isbn:1-4399-0260-7, View online Article Things are different today: the challenge of global systemic risks Renn, Ortwin ; Lucas, Klaus ; Haas, Armin ; Jaeger, Carlo, ABINGDON, Routledge, 401-415, Journal of risk research, 4, 22, 2019-04-03, 401-415, View online Article Systemic risks - concepts and challenges for risk governance Schweizer, Pia-Johanna, ABINGDON, Routledge, 78-93, Journal of risk research, 1, 24, 2021-01-02, 78-93, View online Book Perspektiver på samfunnssikkerhet Engen, Ole Andreas, Kruke, Bjørn Ivar; Lindøe, Preben; Olsen, Kjell Harald; Olsen, Odd Einar; Gould, Kenneth Arne Pettersen, [Oslo], Cappelen Damm akademisk, 474 sider, 2021, isbn:9788202670498,

The course description is retrieved from FS (Felles studentsystem). Version 1