Persuasion in Consumer Communication for Sustainability

This course focuses on persuasive communication in various contexts and in relation to consumer communication for sustainability as a present-day problem context in science and society. Processes underlying persuasion and influence will be studied from a communication sciences perspective and related fields. We will go into questions such as: How does persuasion work, and are people always aware of this? How can persuasive communication influence attitudes and behaviors? How are people influenced by their social environment, both online and offline? The course aims to increase your understanding of persuasive communication, by analyzing and revising persuasive strategies in consumer communication for sustainability using theoretical accounts and empirical evidence.

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:

• classify different types of persuasion strategies in the context of consumer communication for sustainability;
• compare different theoretical accounts of persuasion;
• argue why particular persuasive strategies are effective in specific contexts;
• evaluate existing persuasive strategies in terms of theoretical accounts of persuasion;
• revise existing persuasive strategies in terms of theoretical accounts of persuasion.

Assumed Knowledge:
Students have knowledge that at least cover the content of two of the following courses: CPT-12306, CPT-25306, MCB20806 or MCB30306.