• Inactive for Year: 2026/27

• Module Leader(s): Dr Bethany Usher

• Owning School: Arts & Cultures
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

Global Approaches to Strategic Communication develops your ability to critically engage with and apply strategic communication theory and practice within diverse international contexts. The module explores how communication strategies are shaped by regional, cultural and political differences, and examines their implications for effective global practice. You will engage with key theories of strategic communication, management and leadership to address contemporary organisational, stakeholder and societal challenges, while considering approaches such as influence, diplomacy and intercultural engagement, alongside the role of nation building and soft power in shaping global narratives.   

The module places emphasis on global issues including corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental, social and governance (ESG) agendas, and sustainability, and their impact on communication strategies. Through applied learning, you will develop and justify strategies for diverse audiences, informed by research and audience insight. You will also critically evaluate ethical frameworks, legal considerations and professional standards across different regions. Practical components, including event planning and strategic content development, support the creation of responsible and professional communication outputs.  

By the end of the module, you will be equipped to design, critique and deliver strategic communication responses to complex global challenges with confidence and cultural intelligence. You will complete the module with a portfolio of applied work that reflects industry expectations and demonstrates your ability to operate effectively across international communication environments.

Outline Of Syllabus

Indicative topics may include: 

- Foundations of strategic communication theory and practice  
- Global communication environments and contextual influences  
- Cultural dimensions of communication and intercultural competence  
- International public relations and stakeholder engagement strategies  
- Soft power, nation building, and global reputation management  
- Strategic communication in diplomacy and international relations  
- Influence, persuasion, and narrative construction in global contexts  
- Philanthropy & Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in global communication strategy  
- Environmental, social and governance (ESG) communication frameworks including legal and regulatory frameworks affecting global communication practice  
- Sustainability communication and global climate messaging  
- Ethical considerations in cross-cultural and international communication  
- Crisis communication in multinational and transnational organisations  
- Audience research, insight generation, and data-informed strategy 
- Event planning and integrated strategic content development  
- Challenging global communications through reflective practice and addressing ethnocentric assumptions

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Encounters with the Leading Edge

This module is designed in line with Newcastle University’s Encounters with the Leading Edge, engaging students directly with contemporary, globally situated, and research-informed strategic communication practice. It positions students at the intersection of international communication theory, professional practice, and societal change, with emphasis on cultural complexity, ethical responsibility, and global strategic influence. 

Students are introduced to leading-edge developments in global strategic communication, including soft power, nation branding, intercultural communication, CSR, ESG agendas, sustainability communication, and international stakeholder engagement. These topics are explored through current academic research, professional discourse, and global case studies to ensure engagement with contemporary theory and practice.

Learning is delivered through a blended, inquiry-led approach. Students engage with digital materials prior to lectures and seminars in a flipped learning model. This supports active engagement with emerging ideas and global communication challenges before in-class discussion, enabling deeper critical analysis and applied problem-solving. Students are positioned as active contributors to knowledge development within complex global contexts. 

Lectures primarily support MLO1 and MLO2 by introducing advanced theories of strategic communication, leadership, and management in global contexts, including influence, diplomacy, intercultural engagement, and strategic narrative. Content draws on current scholarship and professional practice, enabling critical analysis of how communication strategies operate across diverse cultural and geopolitical environments. 

Seminars support MLO2, MLO3 and MLO4 through collaborative, case-based learning focused on real-world international communication challenges. Students analyse scenarios involving ethical issues, regulatory differences, stakeholder complexity, and cultural variation, developing evidence-based and theoretically informed strategic responses. This enables them to critically evaluate global communication contexts and apply appropriate strategic approaches informed by theory and practice. 

Independent study supports all MLOs through engagement with academic literature, industry reports, policy frameworks, and professional standards. Students critically reflect on global challenges such as sustainability, digital transformation, governance, and intercultural ethics, developing research-informed perspectives on contemporary communication practice. 

Overall, the module integrates advanced theory, global professional practice, and real-world communication challenges. Students progressively develop from theoretical understanding to applied strategic capability, enabling them to design, critique, and deliver communication strategies that are ethically grounded, culturally informed, and globally relevant.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Module Learning Outcome Mapping

Assessment 1: Reflective Portfolio Planning Activity (Formative) 

Programme Learning Outcomes: PLO2, PLO5, PLO7, PLO8. 

Module Learning Outcomes: MLO2, MLO3. 

A formative reflective portfolio planning activity designed to support the development of the final individual reflective portfolio submitted as part of Assessment 2. Students will submit an outline proposal identifying the intended focus of their reflective portfolio, including preliminary reflections on collaborative working, intercultural communication, professional development, and engagement with Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) activities embedded throughout the module. 

The formative activity will support students in: 

- Developing a coherent reflective focus linked to professional practice and employability; 
- Identifying appropriate examples and evidence of collaborative working and participation; 
- Critically engaging with intercultural communication and COIL learning experiences; 
- Applying reflective frameworks to communication practice and professional development; and
- Preparing for the final individual reflective portfolio submission. 

Assessment 2: Client-Facing Global Strategic Communication Presentation and Reflective Portfolio (100%) 

Programme Learning Outcomes: PLO2, PLO5, PLO7, PLO8. 

Module Learning Outcomes: MLO1, MLO2, MLO3, MLO4. 

Students work collaboratively to develop a client-facing global strategic communication proposal in response to an international industry-style brief focused on a global organisation, campaign, crisis, policy issue, or communication challenge. Students are required to provide evidence of participation and contribution, including group evaluation sheets completed by all team members and supporting evidence of collaborative engagement, project development, and participation in group processes. 

The assessment consists of two components: 

1. Component One (50%): A professionally designed client-facing strategic communication presentation consisting of presentation slides, a creative verbal pitch, and a group-produced executive summary in response to a live international strategic communication brief.
2. Component Two (50%): An individual reflective portfolio (1,000 words) critically evaluating the student’s contribution to the group project, presentation development, and collaborative working practices within global strategic communication contexts.

The assessment is marked against the following task specific criteria: 

Group Strategic Communication Presentation:
- Evidence of critical engagement and application with contemporary global strategic communication issues, debates, and professional practices to provide solutions to problems.
- Critical analysis of audience insight, stakeholder engagement, cultural adaptation, and localisation strategies using appropriate evidence, examples, and case studies. 
- Professional quality, persuasiveness, creativity, and strategic coherence of the client-facing presentation, executive summary, and verbal pitch, including appropriate ethical and legal considerations.
- Coherence, structure, and quality of critical and professional communication, including the effective integration of research, scholarly sources, and appropriate presentation conventions. 

Individual Reflective Portfolio:
- Critical reflection on collaborative working, contribution to the project, and professional development and processes,
- Evidence of engagement with collaborative and intercultural working practices, including participation in COIL related activities. 
- Clear connection between module learning, applied communication practice, and future employability within strategic communications industries. 
- Quality, relevance, and critical use of supporting evidence, including group evaluation sheets and evidence of participation.

Reading Lists

• MCH8113's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• MCH8113's Timetable