PRL1002 Principles and Practice of Public Relations

Contents

• Staffing
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Assessment notes
• Other requirements
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

SYNOPSIS

Public Relations* focuses on understanding and developing the relationship between an individual or more often, an organisation, and the "public" or "publics" with which that organisation must effectively co-exist. This course is designed to introduce students to Public Relations, the nature and history of the profession and the theoretical foundations of contemporary public relations practice. Within this framework, topics covered within the course include: definitions of public relations and other key terms and concepts; the identification of internal and external publics; descriptions of core public relations processes; and the tools of public relations. Finally, through the use of case study analysis, the student is introduced to programme design encompassing research, goals, objectives, strategies, tools and tactics and evaluation. * Public Relations remains a commonly used term, however, in many ways of business and government terms such as Corporate Communication and Public Affairs are perhaps more frequently used. We have elected to adhere to the more traditional term for the sake of simplicity and effective communication.

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course students will be able to:

1.

define and describe public relations;

2.

describe the foundations of public relations practice and its development to the present day;

3.

describe the core theories underpinning contemporary public relations practice;

4.

integrate those theories into the analysis of a public relations case study;

5.

identify and differentiate the internal and external publics associated with an organisation;

6.

identify the methods and approaches used most frequently by public relations practitioners in designing and planning public relations initiatives;

7.

develop an understanding of how to develop a simple public relations campaign proposal incorporating the core elements of research, goals, objectives, strategies, tools and tactics and evaluation.

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Course PRL1002 Book of Selected Readings

Lattimore, D, Baskin, O, Heiman, S & Van Leuven, J 2004, Public relations: the profession and the practice, McGraw-Hill, New York.
(NB: Students who already have or wish to purchase the 1997 text are advised that this is acceptable, and all study notes will refer to both issues.)

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Black, S 1993, The Essentials of Public Relations, Kogan Page, London.

Broom, GM & Dozier, DM 1990, Using Research in Public Relations: applications to program management, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Capper, A & Cunard, P 1990, The Public Relations Case Book: Major Campaigns in Action, Kogan Page, London.

Cutlip, SM 2006, Effective Public Relations, 9th edn, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Cutlip, SM 1995, Public Relations History: From the 17th to the 20th Century: the antecedents, Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, New Jersey.

Gregory, A 2000, Planning & Managing a Public Relations Campaign: a step-by-step guide, 2nd edn, Kogan Page, London.

Grunig, JE & Hunt, T 1984, Managing Public Relations, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, New York.

Hunt, T 1994, Public Relations Techniques, Harcourt Brace College Publishers, Fort Worth, Texas.

Jefkins, FW 1994, Public Relations Techniques, 2nd edn, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.

Kendall, R 1999, Public Relations Campaign Strategies: Planning for Implementation, 3rd edn, Addison Wesley Longman, New York.

Lesly, P 1997, Lesly's Handbook of Public Relations and Communications, 5th edn, NTC Business Books, Lincolnwood, IL.

Newsom, D, Yurk, J & Kruckeberg, D 2000, This is PR: The Realities of Public Relations, 7th edn, Wadsworth, Belmont, California.

Quarles, J & Rowlings, B 1993, Practising Public Relations: A Case Study Approach, Longman Cheshire, Melbourne.

Seital, FP 2003, The Practice of Public Relations, 9th edn, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New York.

Tymson, C & Sherman, B 1996, The New Australian and New Zealand Public Relations Manual, Millennium Books, Alexandria, NSW.

Wilcox, DL et al 2007, Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics, 8th edn, Pearson Allyn & Bacon, Boston, Mass.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

Students will be advised of this assessment requirements at beginning of semester. This assessment item relates to Objectives 1-6.

2.

This assessment item relates to Objectives 1, 2 & 3.

3.

Scheduled date of examination to be advised. This assessment item relates to Objectives 1, 4, 5, 6 & 7.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   It is the student's responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. For this course, normal attendance consists of one one-hour lecture and one two-hour tutorial per week.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To successfully complete an individual assessment item, a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. This statement must be read in conjunction with Statement 4 below.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without prior approval, then a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the assignment will apply for each of the first FIVE working days late, after which a zero mark will be given.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade, a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   The exam for this course is a CLOSED EXAMINATION, and candidates are allowed to bring only writing and drawing instruments into the examination.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   Any deferred or supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6 Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm

ASSESSMENT NOTES

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

1. Students can expect that questions in assessment items in this course may draw upon knowledge and skills that they can reasonably be expected to have acquired before enrolling in the course. This includes knowledge contained in pre-requisite courses and appropriate communication, information literacy, analytical, critical thinking, problem solving or numeracy skills. Students who do not possess such knowledge and skills should not expect to achieve the same grades as those students who do possess them.
2. Students will require access to email and have internet access to USQConnect for this course.

This version produced 28 Aug 2009.