Trust, Communication and Expertise (HPSC90012)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

Availability
Semester 2
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Questions of trust, effective communication, and judging credibility, are integral to the assessment of knowledge claims both within science and in the context of public debate. Questions about trust and legitimate communication consequently arise every day in a range of professional contexts, for example in scientific research and the dissemination of scientific knowledge, in journalism and media, public relations, and in police, accounting and development work, etc. But what makes one trustworthy? How do we pick out who the experts are? This course will interest students in a wide range of careers.

Questions to be covered:

Trust

  • What is trust? What makes one trustworthy?
  • Is there a decline in trust, in the media, in politicians, or in scientists for example?
  • Do we need to trust our sources of information, and do they need to trust us?
  • How do we manage conflicts that arise in relationships of trust?

Communication

  • What indicators do people rely on when communicating with others?
  • How do communication patterns vary from context to context, such as face-to-face, in broader media, and in ethically and politically contested public spaces?
  • What makes someone a credible source of information?
  • What role does the conveyance of quality information play in contested social debates, and what role should it play?
  • Are public debates about communicating information or voicing substantive differences?

Expertise

  • What makes someone an expert?
  • What role do ‘experts’ play in public debate?
  • Should we defer to experts?
  • What if even the experts disagree?
  • Can lay people contribute expertise?

Intended learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this subject should be able to: 

  • Evaluate recent approaches to trust, communication, and expertise in the social sciences and humanities
  • Apply these approaches to problems involving one or more of the three topics that arise in their area of professional specialisation
  • Analyse the role of communication in shaping public perceptions and understandings of expertise
  • Critically examine the role of expertise in modern societies including its ethical and political aspects within democracies.

Generic skills

Students who successfully complete this subject should be able to:

  • Display effective communication and written presentation skills, and the ability to collaborate constructively
  • Synthesize complex and abstract information and apply these insights to real world ideas and problems
  • Develop high level research skills
  • Form defensible judgements based on a critical evaluation of arguments. 

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Eligibility and requirements

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Non-allowed subjects

None

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.

Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Assessment

DescriptionTimingPercentage

An essay covering the discussion topics from weeks 1-6 of the course

  • 1500 words
Week 730%

An essay covering the discussion topics selected from one week of the course

  • 3500 words
During the examination period70%
Hurdle requirement: 1. Attendance hurdle requirement: This subject has a minimum requirement of 80% attendance at tutorials, seminars, or workshops. Throughout the teaching periodN/A
Hurdle requirement: 2. Late Penalty and Assessment hurdle requirement: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at five per cent (5%) of the possible marks available for the assessment task per day or part thereof. All pieces of assessment must be submitted to pass the subject. Each submitted assessment must be complete, constitute a genuine attempt to address the requirements of the task and will not be accepted after 20 University business days from the original assessment due date without written approval. Throughout the semesterN/A

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Dates & times

  • Semester 2
    CoordinatorsMartin Bush and Darrin Durant
    Mode of deliveryOn Campus (Parkville)
    Contact hours24 hours: 1 x 2-hour seminar per week for 12 weeks.
    Total time commitment170 hours
    Teaching period28 July 2025 to 26 October 2025
    Last self-enrol date 8 August 2025
    Census date 1 September 2025
    Last date to withdraw without fail26 September 2025
    Assessment period ends21 November 2025

    Semester 2 contact information

    ddurant@unimelb.edu.au
    martin.bush@unimelb.edu.au

Time commitment details

170 hours

What do these dates mean

Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:

  • Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
  • And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
       -  Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
     

    Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.

Additional delivery details

This subject is for students admitted to Master of Journalism or Executive Master of Arts or Master of Public Policy and Management, or graduate diploma (advanced) or fourth year Honours in History and Philosophy of Science.

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Further information

Last updated: 4 March 2025