Public Relations 161
Introduction to Public Relations
Instructor:
Stephen D. Bruning, Ph. D., 236-6323 (w), 338-1715 (h)
Office Hours: M, W, F: 10-11:00
Course Objectives:
This course is designed to help you understand:
1. Public Relations as relationship management.
2. Public Relations at both the tactical and strategic
levels.
3. How to utilize various communication vehicles to
effectively implement a strategic plan.
4. How to utilize critical thinking skills when
analyzing, planning, implementing, and evaluating
Public Relations activities.
5. The organizational structure in which Public
Relations is practiced (corporate structures, agencies,
and consultants).
6. Public Relations as a profession.
7. The history of Public Relations.
8. The function and type of publicity.
9. Media relations and dealing with the media.
10. Basics of writing a press release.
11. Development.
12. Special events.
13. Crisis management.
14. Public affairs.
15. Community relations.
16. Reputation management.
17. Investor relations.
18. Media-related Internet search strategies.
19. Large public relations firms.
20. The public relations activities of large corporate entities.
Course Requirements
1. Read the readings conscientiously so that you may
gain insight into the philosophy and practice of
Public Relations.
2. Read newspapers and magazines. Listen to
the radio and watch television programs. Think
about how organizations handle both
good and bad news.
3. Attend class regularly. Excuses are in order for any absence.
4. Information covered on the examinations will be
derived from lectures, the text, outside readings,
and through interaction with Public
Relations professionals.
5. All work submitted must be the student's
own. Cheating in any form (see below for definitions and
examples) will not be tolerated and
will result in disciplinary action.
What is Academic Integrity?
"Academic Integrity" is the
expectation that all Capital students are to be honest in their academic
endeavors, and that the work one submits for academic evaluation
must be his/her own, unless an instructor
expressly permits certain types of collaboration. Instructors are
expected to make this Academic Integrity Policy known,
in writing, at the beginning of a course.
A non-exhaustive list of behaviors which constitute academic misconduct and subject one to sanction(s) includes:
Cheating -- deceiving/misrepresenting information submitted on a paper/test/project
e.g.
-- using materials/notes not permitted by the instructor during an examination
-- collaborating on a test/project when not authorized to do so by the instructor
-- receiving, giving or stealing parts of, or an entire test which has not yet been administered
-- substitution of one student for another during an examination
Plagiarism -- submitting work that is not expressly one's own as one's own
e.g.
-- quoting verbatim or paraphrasing excessively another person's words (published or unpublished) without acknowledgment of the source
-- including facts, statistics, or other illustrative materials that are not common knowledge without acknowledgment of the source
-- submitting another's term paper, essay test answer, computer program, or project as one's own
Fabrication -- using "invented" information or falsifying research, data, or other findings with the intent to deceive
e.g.
-- citing information not taken from the source indicated; failure to document a secondary source material
-- listing sources in a bibliography not directly used in the academic exercise
-- submitting lab reports or clinical data which contain fictitious/falsified information; concealing/distorting the true nature, origin, or function of such data
Evaluation of Student Progress
Course grades are based on a total of 500 points. The value of each assignment is as follows:
Exam
1
100 points
Exam
2
150 points
Final
150 points
Total: 400 points
Grades will be assigned as follows:
93-100% A 90-92% A-
88-89% B+ 83-87% B 80-82% B-
78-79% C+ 73-77% C 70-72% C-
68-69% D+ 63-67% D 60-62% D-
Below 59% F
Note to Each Student
Capital is located in suburb within a larger urban setting. Capital is
a 10 minute drive from the center of
Columbus, and Public Relations firms, agencies, and electronic outlets are
easily available. This affords
numerous opportunities for campus visits by Public Relations practitioners, as
well as off-campus
visitations to local Public Relations firms.
The curriculum is designed to help interested students become practitioners
with the knowledge and
research skills necessary to correctly analyze a situation, the perspective
needed to put together
appropriate plans to solve situational problems within a larger strategic
framework, the skills to
implement those plans through a campaign design, and the training necessary to
accurately evaluate the
impact of their programs.
Students are encouraged to go beyond requirements to fit their specialized
interest. Those with an
interest in a career in account management, for example, will want to complete
additional courses in the
areas of management and marketing, while those with an orientation for creative
efforts will want to
pursue additional writing and graphics courses with the guidance of their
advisor.
Schedule of Weekly Assignments
The following pages contain the tentative semester schedule. There
will be ample time for class
discussion of public relations principles. You are urged to follow the
syllabus regularly and to note the
specific dates upon which examinations and presentations are scheduled.
|
Date |
Activity |
|
|
1-9 |
Introduction and overview |
|
|
1-11 |
Defining public relations |
|
|
1-13 |
Defining public relations |
Chapter 1 & 3 |
|
1-18 |
History of public relations |
|
|
1-20 |
Axioms of public relations |
|
|
1-23 |
Axioms of public relations |
|
|
1-25 |
Dimensions of organization-public relationships |
Chapter 2 |
|
1-27 |
Types of organization-public relationships |
http://www.prsa.org/_Resources/profession/careeroverview.asp?ident=prof2 |
|
1-30 |
Organization-public relationship development |
Chapter 4 |
|
2-1 |
Organization-public relationship decline |
http://www.prsa.org/_About/ethics/pdf/codeofethics.pdf?indent=eth10 |
|
2-3 |
Organization-public relationship decline |
Chapter 5 |
|
2-6 |
Wrap-up and review for exam |
|
|
2-8 |
Exam I |
|
|
2-10 |
Publicity in public relations |
Chapter 8 |
|
2-13 |
Publicity in public relations |
|
|
2-15 |
Publicity in public relations |
|
|
2-17 |
Media relations in public relations |
Chapter 10 |
|
2-20 |
Media relations in public relations |
|
|
2-22 |
Media relations in public relations |
|
|
2-24 |
Special Events |
|
|
3-6 |
Special Events |
|
|
3-8 |
Reputation management |
|
|
3-10 |
Reputation management |
|
|
3-13 |
Crisis management |
Chapter 6 |
|
3-15 |
Crisis management |
|
|
3-17 |
Crisis management |
|
|
3-20 |
Public affairs |
|
|
3-22 |
Community relations |
|
|
3-24 |
Community relations |
Chapter 16 |
|
3-27 |
Community relations |
|
|
3-29 |
Investor relations |
|
|
3-31 |
EXAM II |
|
|
4-3 |
Public Relations Terms |
Chapter 15 |
|
4-5 |
Public Relations Terms |
|
|
4-7 |
Public Relations Terms |
|
|
4-10 |
Writing a Press Release |
|
|
4-12 |
Pet Peeves of the Media |
|
|
4-19 |
Pet Peeves of the Media |
|
|
4-21 |
Finding and determining company "core values" |
Chapter 11 |
|
4-24 |
Finding and determining company mission and vision |
|
|
4-26 |
Finding and determining key constituent needs |
Chapter 12 |
|
4-28 |
Wrap-up and prepare for the final |
|
Final Exam: 8-10:00, May 1, 2006