COMM 2337
Public Relations
St. Edward’s University • Department of Communication
Section 01 • Fleck Hall 108 • Spring 2011 • M/W 3:30 – 4:45 p.m.
Instructor: Andrea Genevieve Michnik
Email: andream@[Link]
Cell Phone: 716.432.1024
Skype: [Link]
Twitter @AndreaGenevieve
Office Hours: Tuesday 9- 10 am & Friday 5-6 pm (by appointment only)
UNIVERSITY WELCOME
Our vision is to educate students for the opportunities and challenges of a 21st
century global world. The Strategic Plan 2015 for St. Edward’s University
concentrates all the resources of the university on achieving that vision by
focusing on four elements:
• Academic challenge
• Global preparedness
• Resource development
• Holy Cross, Catholic heritage
The St. Edward’s mission statement notes distinguishing characteristics given by
the Holy Cross founders: the courage to take risks, an international perspective
and the commitment to provide educational opportunities for students of varied
cultural, religious, educational and economic backgrounds.
REQUIRED RESOURCES
1. There is no required textbook, all of the readings will be handed out in
class or posted to the course blog. It is the student’s responsibly to read
these prior to the start of class.
2. Students will need to periodically check the course blog located at
[Link]
3. Each student will need to create a username at [Link] and
submit blog posts throughout the semester to their own blog.
4. Students will also need to subscribe to Ragan Communications’ PR Daily
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Welcome to Public Relations! This survey course will help you gain an
understanding of the public relations profession and of the key issues related to
the practice of public relations. In this course we will focus on the basic
principles, practices, and theories of public relations. We will explore the history
of public relations, the importance of ethical PR practice, and the future of PR
paying special attention to emerging technology.
COMM 2337.02 Spring 2011
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students who complete this course will be able to:
1. Define public relations and the role it plays in multiple sectors.
2. Be able to identify and describe an organization’s various publics.
3. Apply theories and principles of public relations to solve PR challenges.
4. Develop a thorough understanding of the various public relations activities,
tactics and tools.
5. Use theory and strategy to create and implement some basic PR techniques.
6. Be able to explain how globalization and new technologies are shaping
contemporary PR practice and creating a need for intercultural
communication.
7. Understand the importance of research, strategic planning, and writing in
public relations.
8. Solve public relations problems in an ethical, legal, and creative manner.
9. Create and present projects to peers in a professional manner.
PORTFOLIO OBJECTIVES
This class fulfills the following communication portfolio objectives:
Leadership - you will have an opportunity to assume a leadership role in
your team.
Presentational skills – you will prepare a fictional media kit as a group
and present it to your peers.
Written communication – you will learn to write news releases. You will
also write a critical case study analysis paper to show your mastery of
course concepts.
Communication history – you will examine the historical roots of public
relations and how it relates to modern day PR practice.
Use of technology – you will learn about new social media technologies
impacting the practice of PR. You will also develop a professional quality
presentation using presentational software and/or other multimedia
resources.
Theoretical perspective – you will examine a variety of PR and media
theories and apply them to real world PR examples.
Group communication – you will work together in a team, hold each
other accountable and you will be evaluated on your group’s
cohesiveness.
Communication and Culture – you will learn about PR practice in other
countries and cultures and hopefully gain a more global understanding of
PR practice.
Professionalism – you will be evaluated on the degree of professionalism
with which you handle the class presentation & on the extent to which your
COMM 2337.02 Spring 2011
news releases could successfully generate media exposure in the real
world.
COURSE POLICIES
1. Attendance
Number of Absences
Attendance at each class is required. Each time you are absent from class
counts as one absence. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late to class,
you will be marked absent for that day. Each student is allowed two (2)
free absences during the course of the semester. After your second
unexcused absence you will lose three (3) points from your final course
grade. Accruing more than six (6) unexcused absences (including the two
(2) free absences you receive) will result in Withdrawal or Failure of the
class.
Excused Absences
If you have a valid and unavoidable reason for missing class, you may
submit a completed Excused Absence Request along with a two page (at
least 500 words) chapter summary / discussion for the material you
missed. Your excused absence request and chapter summary must be
turned in within a week after your return to class. The request form is
available on Blackboard under Course Documents. A separate request
form and additional chapter summary / discussion must be submitted for
each absence. You will also need to provide me with proper
documentation for your absence (such as a doctor’s note, a hospitalization
record, a university excuse, or an athletic excuse). All documentation must
to be turned in by the last day of class for the excuses to be considered.
After review of your request I will determine whether the excuse will be
granted.
If you are involved in athletics or another school-sanctioned activity that
requires you to miss this class, please give me appropriate supporting
material signed by the sponsor. Please underline or highlight the specific
dates that involve this class. If changes occur throughout the semester
after you have given me a schedule, please keep me updated.
Withdrawal for Absences
I reserve the right to “WA” any student with more than six (6) absences.
Please note that this does not mean that I will automatically “WA” you if
you risk failing the class. It is your responsibility to initiate drop procedures
if you are in danger of failing this class.
COMM 2337.02 Spring 2011
2. Academic Integrity
Academic dishonesty includes cheating on exams as well as plagiarizing
(presenting another’s work as your own). Cheating comes in all different
shades—ranging from blatant copying off another’s exam/bringing a
`cheat sheet’ to class to more subtle forms of `borrowing’ a few ideas and
not citing your sources—all of which will be treated with the same level of
seriousness in this class. The St. Edward's University Undergraduate
Bulletin and the Student Handbook state that a student who is dishonest in
any work may receive the maximum penalty of a mark of F for that course.
Withdrawal from a course is not allowed when an F in the course for
academic dishonesty has been imposed. Students caught committing
academic dishonesty in this course will be subject to the full range of
penalties as described in the Undergraduate Bulletin and in the Student
Handbook.
SPECIAL ACOOMODATIONS
If you have a medical, psychiatric or learning disability and require
accommodations in this class, please let me know early in the semester or as
soon as you are eligible. You will first need to provide documentation of your
disability to the Student Disability Services Office located in Moody Hall 155 in
Academic Planning and Support Services. Please note that special
accommodations cannot be made retroactively.
GRADING
Weekly Blog Post 10% of final grade
Weekly PR Daily News Quiz 5% of final grade
Assignments 30% of final grade
Case Study Mid-Term Assignment 20% of final grade
Media Kit Final Group Project 30% of final grade
Participation 5% of final grade
Extra Credit PR Professional Interview is worth one (1) point added to your
final course grade. You can submit up to two (2) interviews for a total of two
points added to your final course grade.
The grading scale is as follows:
ASSIGNMENT GRADE COURSE GRADE
A+ = 100 A 90 - 100%
A = 95 B 80 - 89%
A- = 92 C 70 - 79%
B+ = 88 D 60 - 69%
B = 85 F 59% or below
COMM 2337.02 Spring 2011
B- = 82
C+ = 78
C = 75
C- = 72
D+ = 68
D = 65
D- = 62
F = 50
Please track your own grades throughout the semester. If at any point you feel
you aren’t doing as well as you anticipated, please don’t hesitate to come talk to
me so that we can discuss how you might improve your performance on the
remaining assignments. *Please note we will also have some in-class
assignments that are NOT graded throughout the semester. You are
expected to perform your best on these assignments as if they were being
graded.
Assignment Weight Your Grade Multiply By: Total:
Blog Posts 10% 1.0
(15)
PR Daily 5% .5
Quizzes
(10)
Assignments 30% 3.0
(4)
Case Study 20% 2.0
Mid Term
Final Media 30% 3.0
Kit Group
Project
Participation 5% .5
Multiply total
by 100 then
divide by 1000
for your grade
Extra Credit Add 1 or 2 Total Course
Interview points Grade:
BLOG POSTS (15)
As the PR field changes and evolves, it will be important to keep up with current
news and emerging trends, especially in technology. Each week students will be
required to submit one blog post on their own personal Wordpress blog. These
blogs are for educational purposes and can be deleted after the semester. We
COMM 2337.02 Spring 2011
will go over the Wordpress platform in class, but please note the following
instructions about blog posts:
• Each post will be no longer than three (3) paragraphs. (Ideally1-2
paragraphs.)
• Each post will contain at least two (2) links to outside
sources/websites/blogs (the original material should you choose to review
a piece of news.)
• Each post should be written from the students personal perspective.
• All posts should pertain to the PR industry or what we are covering in
class. Some suggestions include special event recaps, article reviews, PR
news or things students discover on their own time. This does NOT mean
blog posts will be celebrity gossip or political rants. If students chose to
write about Tiger Woods, please present ideas using a Public Relations
lens. Helpful sources include PR Week, Wall Street Journal, PR Squared,
[Link], PRNewser, Marketing Daily or PRSarah Evans. Hint:
check the AndreaGenevievePR Delicious account for more interesting
articles.
• On a weekly basis you will also comment on another student's blog entry.
This means at the end of the semester there will be 15 original blog posts
and 15 comments per student. Comments are due before the end of the
school week (Friday.)
• Comments should be constructive additions to the original post or
feedback related to the post. A comment stating “Great post! I really liked
your ideas.” will not be counted. The goal of commenting is to create a
dialogue with the author. Blogs are intended as two-way communication.
• Blogs are due by Monday and commenting is due by Friday. This portion
of the course is worth 10 percent of your final grade.
PR DAILY QUIZZES (10)
In class each Wednesday there will be a five-question quiz regarding articles
from the previous weeks PR Daily newsletter. Pay attention and read the entire
article. PR Daily news quizzes are worth five (5) percent of your final grade.
ASSIGNMENTS (4)
Assignments will be given throughout the semester and are due the Monday after
they are assigned. There will also be some additional in class assignments that
are not graded but should be treated as if they would count for a grade. This
portion of the course is worth 30 percent of your final grade.
ASSIGNMENT 1 Creating a Personal Bio and Mission Statement
As a PR professional students will need to understand client background, history
and mission to properly present messages to publics. For this assignment
students will create their own bio and personal mission statement. The class will
also examine examples of good and bad professional biographies. More details
will come in class.
COMM 2337.02 Spring 2011
ASSIGNMENT 2 Writing A News Release
Writing news releases will be an integral part of any PR internship or entry-level
job. A news release is a basic PR tactic and for this assignment students will be
given sample scenarios and expected to write a release based on the given
information. More details will come in class.
ASSIGNMENT 3 Evaluating a Media Kit
Knowing how to find correct corporate information through research is key in
today’s professional world. Most companies will use press kits or media kits to
control a corporate message or position. For this assignment students will break
up into pairs and select a well-known business, non-profit or public figure to
evaluate. Since most press kits are located online, students will be asked to print
off a selected media kit and evaluate based on a given set of criteria compiled by
fellow classmates. In the event that a hard copy of a press kit is needed, this
assignment will be assigned a few weeks prior to the deadline rather than the
previous class meeting. More details will come in class.
ASSIGNMENT 4 PR and Emerging Technology #JOURNCHAT
Through this assignment students will learn one example of how to use social
media to accomplish PR goals. Each Monday Sarah Evans, a highly regarded
PR professional hosts a virtual chat on Twitter using the hashtag #journchat. This
is a time for journalists, communicators, bloggers and PR pros (or students) to
gather and talk about the industry. The chats run between 7 - 10 p.m. CST and
students should expect to participate for one hour. A one-page single-spaced
typed summary of the chat should be brought to the next class in addition to a
500 word write up of the pros and cons of using social media as PR tool. To learn
more about #journchat visit [Link] More details will
come in class.
MID - TERM: PR CASE STUDY ANALYSIS (1)
There will be 11 case studies assigned to the 22 students enrolled in this course.
Students will be required to read all 11 and write an analysis of one out of those
11 that is assigned to them. Students should look for the basic steps in any PR
campaign and talk about those R-research A-action C-communication E-
evaluation. This is a professional analysis but should include evidence to back up
claims based on theory, strategy and tactics learned throughout the course. The
paper will be a minimum of three pages double-spaced and is due before the
Mid-term break. This portion of the course is worth 20 percent of your final grade.
More details will come in class.
FINAL GROUP PROJECT: MEDIA KIT (1)
The class will divide up into assigned teams of three (and two groups of 2) for the
final project for this course. Each assigned team will then create a fake small
business, non-profit, public figure or corporation. The type of client will be
COMM 2337.02 Spring 2011
assigned, but the details of the client history, situation, etc. are left up to the
group. Each group will divide up duties and conduct a peer review at the end of
the project. Each group will be expected to give a 30-minute professional
presentation on their client explaining the thought process behind the project and
outlining each piece of the media kit. Students will dress accordingly and
conduct a professional presentation as if they were meeting with the client.
All media kits will include at minimum:
• Company History/Overview
• Company Mission and Vision
• Important Biographies
• Company logo and branded imagery
• Contact information
• Awards and Recognition
• List of publics/target audience
• One press release
(You may also want to include photos, product information, important
upcoming dates, audio sound bites, stickers, bookmarks, print collateral,
video clips etc.)
Each kit will need to be assembled and intact on presentation day. Students
are encouraged to be creative and think outside of the box. Media kits are not
limited to paper or print materials and use of technology is highly encouraged.
This portion of the course is worth 30 percent of your final grade. More details
will come in class.
EXTRA CREDIT (2)
For extra credit students have the option to interview a current professional
working in the public relations industry. The interviews must be at least five
pages, typed and doubled spaced OR three minutes of video. Students must
include a copy of the interview notes and also write a blog post about the
interview in order for it to be considered. Students who choose to do extra credit
will need to schedule a time to present their findings informally to the class. (DO
NOT wait until the last four weeks of class to present extra credit. Interview must
be conducted and presented prior to the 14th week of class or MAY 18, 2011.)
Students may conduct up to two interviews per semester and each interview may
result in ONE (1) extra point added to the final course grade.
COMM 2337.02 Spring 2011
SCHEDULE
Week 1
W 1.19 Syllabus and Introductions
Week 2
M 1.24 What is Public Relations?
Introduction to Wordpress
Blog 1 due by WEDNESDAY 1.26
go over PR Daily RSS
LAST DAY TO ADD
W 1.26 PR vs. Marketing vs. Advertising & IMC
Assignment 1 Assigned: Biography & Mission Statement due next
class
PR Daily Quiz 1
Week 3
M 1.31 Careers in PR
Blog 2 due
W 2.2 Growing Trends in the PR Profession
PR Daily Quiz 2
LAST DAY TO DROP
Introduction To Twitter
Week 4
M 2.7 The History of PR
Blog 3 due
LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW
W 2.9 PR Today
Assignment 2 Assigned: Writing a Press Release due next class
Guest Speaker TBA
Week 5
M 2.14 Researching and Planning a Campaign
Blog 4 due
W 2.16 Researching and Planning a Campaign (Continued)
Case Study Assigned
PR Daily Quiz 3
COMM 2337.02 Spring 2011
Week 6
M 2.21 Measurement
Blog 5 due
Go over Mid-Term Case Study
W 2.23 Public Opinion
Guest Speaker TBA
PR Daily Quiz 4
Week 7
M 2.28 Persuasion
Blog 6 due
W 3.2 Ethics and Law
PR Daily Quiz 5
Week 8
M 3.7 Diversity and PR
Blog 7 due
*Talk about Assignment 3
W 3.9 MID TERM CASE STUDY DUE
*Everyone will read all 11 cases. You will be assigned one of those 11
to analyze and we will discuss these after the break.
Week 9
M 3.14 NO CLASS
W 3.16 NO CLASS
Week 10
M 3.21 Case Study Review
Blog 8 Due
W 3.23 PR and Social Media
Assignment 3 Assigned: Press Kit Evaluation due next class
PR Daily Quiz 6
Week 11
M 3.28 PR and Social Media Cont’d
Blog 9 due
Talk about #journchat #prstudchat #entprchat #internchat
W 3.30 Tactics of PR
PR Daily Quiz 7
COMM 2337.02 Spring 2011
Week 12
M 4.4 Special Events
Assignment 4 assigned: PR and Social Media #journchat
Blog 10 due
W 4.6 Global PR
Guest Speaker: Jessica Manocchio from Rich Products, Buffalo NY
PR Daily Quiz 8
Week 13
M 4.11 Corporate PR
Guest Speaker: Andrea Meier from Blackboard, Washington DC
Blog 11 due
W 4.13 Non-Profit PR
FINAL PROJECT ASSIGNED / GROUPS ASSIGNED
PR Daily Quiz 9
Week 14
M 4.18 Entertainment and Sports
Blog 12 due
W 4.20 IN CLASS WORK DAY
PR Daily Quiz 10
#PRstudChat optional sessions for those who missed PR chat
Week 15
M 4.25 NO CLASS
Blog 13 due
W 4. 27 FINAL PRESENTATIONS GROUP 1 & 2
Week 16
M 5.2 FINAL PRESENTATIONS GROUP 3 & 4
Blog 14 due
W 5.4 FINAL PRESENTATIONS GROUP 5 & 6
Week 17
M 5.9 FINAL PRESENTATIONS GROUP 7 & 8
Blog 15 due
W 5.11 LAST DAY OF CLASS
COMM 2337.02 Spring 2011
