58116 The Ecology of Public Communication
UTS: Communication: Communication and LearningCredit points: 8 cp
Result Type: Grade, no marks
Handbook description
Students explore the field of public communication and the major areas of practice. They gain an understanding of the role of communication in the public sphere, of audiences, environments and contexts of communication, including professional communication practices and issues around integration and convergence. Students learn how public communication, public relations and advertising are conceptualised and practised in various types of organisations and interest groups including organisational communication and marketing communication. They explore issues and controversies in the field such as social representations, agendas and advocacy. Students also begin to produce their own work in advertising, public relations and organisational communication including using new media.
Subject objectives/outcomes
At the completion of this subject, students are expected to be able to:
- recognise, analyse and incorporate the social, economic, political and professional contexts for public communication practice
- identify current controversies in the literature
- critically reflect on practice
- communicate concepts and debates to a defined public
- strategically plan and design a creative communication product
- write clearly and effectively for identified tasks and publics
- communicate using new media
Contribution to graduate profile
This subject makes a major contribution to the students' capacity to apply their knowledges and skills in practising public communication. It contributes to their capacity to inquire critically, think analytically about practice, and communicate effectively
Teaching and learning strategies
Students develop their understanding of the environments for public communication practice by exploring debates in practice and in the literature. They engage with ideas and issues for practice in a combination of workshops, lectures, discussions and case studies. Video and audio resources are used when appropriate. Students go into the field to interview public communication professionals. They incorporate their findings into their work, demonstrating how they understand the relationship between theory and practice.
Content
- What is public communication?
- Notions of the public sphere – advocacy, agendas, social representations
- Roles of public relations and advertising in society
- Major areas of practice in public communication
- Relationships among marketing, public relations and advertising
- Publics, stakeholders, consumers, audience
- Contemporary issues and questions for professional practice
Assessment
Assessment item 1: Contemporary Issues Essay
| Objective(s): | a, b, c |
| Weighting: | 30% |
| Length: | 1500-1800 words |
| Task: | For this assignment students select two journal articles to review related to one of the contemporary issues nominated by the lecturer. This review assesses each article's contribution to the debate. Both articles need to relate to the same issue. Students discuss an overview of the issue as it appears in the literature citing at least six other academic sources and review each article's contribution to the debate. Students should adopt a critical stance. |
| Assessment criteria: |
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Assessment item 2: Theory to Practice report
| Objective(s): | a, b, c |
| Weighting: | 50% |
| Length: | 1800-2000 words |
| Task: | Students interview two practitioners, each operating in a different sector of either public relations or advertising. Students then integrate their findings with their understanding of the issue addressed in the first assignment and consider its implications for the different contexts for practice. |
| Assessment criteria: |
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Assessment item 3: Digital flyer and brief report
| Objective(s): | d, e, f, g |
| Weighting: | 20% |
| Length: | 750 words maximum |
| Task: | This assignment has two components. Students produce a persuasive digital communication product to attract professionals to a seminar on the issue addressed in the earlier assignments. They also provide their rationale for its design and execution for their chosen public in a brief report. |
| Assessment criteria: |
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Minimum requirements
Attendance is essential in this subject. Classes are based on a collaborative approach which involves workshopping and interchange of ideas. Students are required to attend a minimum of ten classes.
Required text(s)
E-Readings will be provided for each week. Go to UTSOnline, Course Documents, Weekly Readings. Students are expected to read the articles/chapters before class for that week.
Indicative references
Arens, W.F, Weigold, M.F., & Arens C. 2008 Contemporary advertising, Boston, McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Botan, C. & Hazleton, V. (eds.) 2006, Public relations theory II, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, NJ.
Butsch, R. 2007, Media and public spheres, Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire.
Butterfield, L. (ed.) 1999, Excellence in advertising: The IPA guide to best practice, Butterworth Heinemann, London.
Cappo, J. 2003, The future of advertising: New media, new clients, new consumers in the post-television age, McGraw-Hill, Chicago, Ill.
Coombs, W.T & Holladay, S, 2007, It's not just PR: public relations in society, Blackwell Pub, Malden, MA.
Courtright, J.L. & Smudde, P.M. (eds.) 2007, Power and public relations, Hampton Press, Inc., Cresskill, NJ.
Hackett, R.A. & Carroll, W.K. 2006, Remaking media: The struggle to democratize public communication, Routledge, New York & London.
Heath, R. (ed) 2005, Encyclopedia of public relations, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Heath, R.L. & Vasquez, G.M. (eds.) 2001, Handbook of public relations, SAGE, London.
Jamieson, K.H. & Campbell, K.K. 2005, The interplay of influence: News, advertising, politics, and the internet, 6th edn, Thomson Wadsworth, Belmont, CA.
Jenkins, H. 2006, Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide, New York University Press, New York and London.
Jones, J.P. 1999, The advertising business: Operations, creativity, media planning, integrated communications, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California.
L'Etang, J. 2008, Public relations: concepts, practice and critique, Sage, London.
Livingstone, S. (ed.) 2005, Audience and publics: When cultural engagement matters for the public sphere, Intellect Books, Bristol, GBR.
Mickey, T.J. 2003, Deconstructing public relations: Public relations criticism, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, Mahwah, NJ.
Moloney, K. 2006, Rethinking public relations: PR propaganda and democracy, 2nd edn, Routledge, London, New York.
Nair, B. 2004, From main street to cyber street: A series on changes in the practice of communication, Marshall Cavendish Academic, Singapore.
O'Shaughnessy, J. & O'Shaughnessy, N.J. 2004, Persuasion in advertising, Routledge, New York & London.
Percy, L., Rossiter, J.R. & Elliott, R. 2001, Strategic advertising management, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Sheth, J.N. & Sobel, A. 2000, Clients for life. Simon & Schuster, New York.
Spence, E. & Van Heekeren, B. 2005. Advertising ethics: Ethics in action, Prentice Hall Upper River, NJ.
Toth, E. (ed.) 2007, The future of excellence in public relations and communication management: Challenges for the next generation, Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ.
Tremayne, M. (ed.) 2007, Blogging, citizenship, and the future of media, Routledge, New York & London.
Wells, W., Spence-Stone, R., Moriarty, S. & Burnett, J. 2008, Advertising principles & practice, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest.
