MCOM 2193 Principles of Public Relations
Spring 2017 – Section 23461
Tuesday/Thursday 12:30-1:45 p.m.
Communications Building, Room 213
Department of Mass Communication, College of Liberal Arts
University of Central Oklahoma
Instructor: Adrienne Nobles, APR
Email: anobles@uco.edu
Office Phone: 974-2103 (forwards to
cell, leave a message if you’d like a
response)
Office: Lillard Administration Building,
Room 201
Office Hours: By appointment
MCOM Dept. Phone: 974-5303
MCOM Fax: 974-5125
IMPORTANT NOTE:
This syllabus is subject to revisions throughout the semester with verbal notice to the
class. Deadline dates are most vulnerable to revisions based on class progress. All
syllabus revisions will be announced in class.
Course description
Principles of Public Relations provides an overview of the public relations profession
from its historic beginnings to its contemporary role in society. The course provides a
foundation for the public relations sequence by exploring its definitions, history, theories,
principles, strategic planning, management practices, and career possibilities.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 1113 and ENG 1213 and sophomore standing or above.
Course objectives
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
• Define public relations
• Outline and demonstrate use of the public relations four-step process
• Explain common public relations legal and ethical concerns
• Outline the strengths of public opinion and factors that influence opinion
• Describe career opportunities in public relations
• Explain how public relations practitioners influence and interact with internal and
external publics, including the media
• List communication tools used by practitioners
• Outline qualities that contribute to professionalism
Textbook/Resources: Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics (11th Edition) by Dennis
Wilcox, Glen Cameron and Bryan Reber. Students should also find and use resources to
stay informed of current events locally, nationally and internationally. Example resources
will be provided in class. Students should also take notes during class to supplement
the information in the textbook.
Supplies: None required, but a laptop, notebook or other note-taking method advised.
Please note that electronic devices are welcome for class participation, but should be set
to silent.
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Grading Criteria and Information
SCALE: Letter scoring for the class is based on the following scale 90-100% = A, 8089% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, 59% and below = F. The final course points are
subject to change as they will reflect the amount of classroom activities assigned during
the semester. Therefore, the final grading scale will be determined by the total possible
points. Changes in the final grading scale near the end of the semester will be posted.
Item
Tests
Class Participation
Group Project
Final Exam
Description
Four tests will be given throughout the
semester based on text readings,
lectures, class discussion, guest lectures,
online discussions, class group activities,
current events, etc. Anything discussed in
class, in the assigned reading or
presented as noted above could be
included in the test.
Class participation is expected and will be
evaluated in two areas:
1) In-class participation (10% of final
grade) – Each time a student
meaningfully participates in class
(demonstrating he/she read the required
text, asking thoughtful questions,
participating in discussions/activities), the
student will receive points in this area.
Students who DO NOT participate could
lose all points in this area. Attendance
does not equal participation.
2) Online discussion (10% of final grade)
– Students are required to set up a free
LinkedIn profile and join the “UCO
Principles of Public Relations” group.
Each time the student contributes to the
group – posting a relevant article,
question or comment (emphasis on
“relevant”), etc. – the student will receive
points in this area. Students who DO NOT
participate could lose all points in this
area. The instructor will “like” the post to
indicate credit.
After learning about the “four-step
process” and tactics/strategies, students
will participate in a group project requiring
students to create a mock PR plan for an
approved client/event. Details will be
provided in class.
A comprehensive final exam will be given
at the end of the semester, testing
Impact on final grade
200 points or 40% of final
grade
100 points or 20% of final
grade
100 points or 20% of final
grade
100 points or 20% of final
grade
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Attendance
knowledge of course readings, lectures,
discussions, etc. throughout the term.
Students are allowed four unexcused
absences without penalty. Additional
unexcused absences will cause the
student’s grade to decrease as follows:
- Fifth absence – final grade
reduced by one letter
- Sixth absence – final grade
reduced by two letters
- Seventh absence – final grade
reduced by three letters
- Eighth absence – final grade
reduced by four letters (meaning
the student fails regardless of
quality of work submitted)
The quality of work submitted does not
make up for poor attendance.
Lateness: Class begins as scheduled.
Every three unexcused late arrivals will
count as one unexcused absence. A
student that is more than 15 minutes late
will be counted as absent unless prior
arrangements have been made.
Students are responsible for the accuracy
of their attendance record. For example, a
student who is late should check with the
instructor after class to ensure they are
not marked absent that day. Appeals for
lateness will only be considered the day
they occur. Appeals for marked absences
should be made within two weeks of the
date in question.
Attendance is taken seriously, as
lectures, discussions and activities are a
key component of the class. However, a
student may be excused if he or she has
a legitimate reason for an excused
absence – serious illness, out-of-town
family emergency, death in the family,
jury duty, interview for internship/postgraduate job, participation in a universitysponsored activity, etc. – and can provide
valid documentation to the satisfaction of
the instructor. The student should consult
with the instructor as soon as possible
(preferably in advance, when possible).
The instructor’s decision in these matters
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is final. Note that car trouble, weddings,
honeymoons, vacations, alarm clocks not
going off, etc. are NOT grounds for
excused absences. The four allowed
unexcused absences are to allow for
these situations.
Late/failure to
submit
assignments
An absence of any kind does not excuse
the student from the
reading/lecture/discussion presented in
class. Students should consult with
classmates to review material missed in
class. Quizzes can be made up at the
discretion of the instructor.
Failing to submit assignments and
missing deadlines is unacceptable in the
workforce, as it is in this class.
Please review and keep this syllabus as
your guide and consult the instructor
immediately should you have any
questions regarding assignments and
deadlines.
Extra Credit
Misc.
Enclosed with the syllabus is a Syllabus
Receipt, which each student is expected
to sign and return to the instructor
indicating he/she had read and
understands the syllabus. This is due no
later than the second Thursday of class.
Failure to return the receipt will result in a
two-point penalty to the student’s final
grade for each clad period that passes
without submission.
- Attendance at another industryrelated event or activity (requires
pre-approval of instructor)
- Participation in activities that
involve the use and development
of skills related to Public
Relations. Requires pre-approval
of the instructor and a written
reflection by the student.
- Instructor may add opportunities
throughout the year.
The instructor may “bump up” a final
grade by one letter if a student final
numerical score is within five points of the
next letter grade if the instructor
determines the student’s overall effort
merits an increase.
Points vary
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General Notes and Requirements
- Communication is key – if there are questions, issues, concerns, etc. do not hesitate
to speak with the instructor.
- Students are responsible for everything that is discussed in class. Accordingly, note
taking is strongly encouraged.
- STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LEARNING WHAT THEY MISS DURING
ANY ABSENCE, regardless of whether the absence is excused or not.
- In one’s professional career, sloppy presentation, misspelled words, poor grammar
and late work will be unacceptable. The same applies in this class. Use online tools
and have a trusted friend or classmate proofread.
- Email will be the primary form of communication outside of class. All email
communications from the instructor will be sent to the student’s uco.edu email
address (not D2L) Accordingly, students need to check their preferred email daily. “I
didn’t see the email” is not an acceptable excuse for failing to meet class
requirements.
- Students who desire to protect their online privacy may use a pseudonym for their
required LinkedIn profiles and supporting email addresses. In such cases, students
should coordinate this with the instructor during the first week of class.
- The instructor will be happy to go over grades and attendance/punctuality records
with any student at any time during the semester. HOWEVER, the student is
responsible for asking the instructor to do so. Any grading complaints or concerns
should be immediately addressed with the instructor.
- UCO subscribes to the Turnitin.com plagiarism prevention service. Students, by
taking this course, agree that all required assignments may be subject to submission
for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All
submitted assignments will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com
restricted access reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such
assignments. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to terms and conditions of
use posted on the Turnitin.com website. Turnitin.com is just one of the various
plagiarism prevention tools and methods that may be utilized by the instructor during
the semester. The UCO Student Handbook describes the process for contesting
allegations of plagiarism.
Transformative Learning Outcomes
UCO is a learning-centered organization. Learn more about the university’s focus on
transformative learning at www.uco.edu/tl. The following learning outcomes from the
Central Six are expected:
- Discipline Knowledge – History, terminology, current theories and practices, and
case studies of the PR industry will be provided in this course.
- Problem solving (research, scholarly and creative activities) – The group project,
class discussions and in-class activities (case studies) will offer development in
this area.
- Leadership – Provided through group projects.
- Global and Cultural Competencies – Lectures, news stories, and case studies in
the areas of diversity and global communication will be present in this course.
- Service learning and civic engagement – Not applicable for this course, but
students are encouraged to participate in service activities both on and off
campus.
- Health and Wellness – Not addressed in this course other than the instructor’s
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encouragement to take care of yourself through a healthy lifestyle so that you
may succeed in the class…and in life.
Class Schedule: The class schedule is subject to changes and revisions.
Week
1 – Jan. 10, 12
2 – Jan. 17, 19
3 – Jan. 24, 26
4 – Jan. 31,
Feb. 2
5 – Feb. 7, 9
6 – Feb. 14, 16
7 – Feb. 21, 23
8 – Feb. 28.
March 2
9 – March 7, 9
Class material/dates and deadlines
T – Introductions, syllabus review, class
expectations and overview
R – What is Public Relations? Lecture,
discussion and case activity
T – The Evolution of Public Relations –
Lecture and discussion
R – Ethics and Professionalism –
Lecture, discussion and case activity
T – PR and the Law – Lecture,
discussion and case activity
R – TEST 1 (Ch. 1-3, 12)
T – Research – Lecture, discussion
R – Research – Lecture, discussion,
activity
T – Planning – Lecture, discussion
R – Planning – Lecture, discussion,
activity
Required reading
- Text – Ch. 1 “What is
Public Relations?”
-
T – Implementation/Communication –
Lecture, discussion
R – Implementation/Communication –
Lecture, discussion, activity
T – Evaluation; group project details
R – TEST 2 (Ch. 5-8) Group project time recommended after test
T – Public Opinion/Persuasion – Lecture, discussion, activity
R – Conflict and Crisis Management –
lecture, discussion and activity
T – Group project client proposal due;
Reaching Diverse Audiences – lecture,
discussion, activity
R – GROUP PROJECT WORK DAY –
no class, meet with group at another
location
-
Text (for Tues.) – Ch. 2
“The Evolution of
Public Relations”
Text (for Thurs.) – Ch.
3 “Ethics and
Professionalism”
LinkedIn group post
Media (current events)
Text (for Thurs.) – Ch. 12
– “Public Relations and
the Law”
LinkedIn group post
Media (current events)
Text – Ch. 5 “Research”
LinkedIn group post
Media (current events)
Text – Ch. 6 – “Program
Planning”
LinkedIn group post
Media (current events)
Text – Ch. 7
“Communication”
LinkedIn group post
Media (current events)
Text – Ch. 8 “Evaluation”
LinkedIn group post
Media (current events)
Text – Ch. 9 “Public
Opinion and Persuasion”
Text – Ch. 10 “Conflict
Management: Dealing
with Issues, Risks and
Crises”
LinkedIn group post
Media (current events)
Text – Ch. 11 “Reaching
Diverse Audiences”
LinkedIn group post
Media (current events)
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10 – March 14,
16
11 – March 21,
23
SPRING BREAK – make good choices
12 – March 28,
30
T – Mass Media – lecture, discussion,
activity or speaker
R – Meetings and Events – lecture,
discussion, activity
13 – April 4, 5
T – TEST 3 (Ch. 9-11, 13-16), Group
Project Time
R – Careers: PR Firms and
Departments; Corporations
14 – April 11,
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T – Careers: Entertainment, Sports,
Tourism; Politics and Government
R – Careers: Global PR; Nonprofit,
Health and Education
15 – April 18-20
T – Career Panel
R – TEST 4 (Ch. 4, 17-21)
T – Group Project Work Time – inclassroom time available for final preps
R – Group Project Presentations and
Portfolios Due
T - Final Exam is 1-2:50 p.m.
16 – April 25-27
17 – May 2
T – Internet and Social Media – lecture,
discussion, speaker
R – Mass Media – lecture, discussion
- Text – Ch. 13 “Internet
and Social Media”
- Text – Ch. 14 “Preparing
Materials for Mass
Media”
- LinkedIn group post
- Media (current events)
- Text – Ch. 15 “Radio and
Television”
- Text – Ch. 16 “Meetings
and Events”
- LinkedIn group post
- Media (current events)
- Text – Ch. 4 “Public
Relations Firms,” Ch. 17
“Corporations”
- Text – Ch. 18
“Entertainment, Sports
and Tourism” and Ch. 19
“Politics and
Government”
- Text – Ch. 20 “Global
Public Relations” and Ch.
21 “Nonprofit, Health and
Education”
- LinkedIn group post
- Media (current events)
- Media (current events)
- Media (current events)
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Department of Mass Communication Policies – Spring 2017
College of Liberal Arts
University of Central Oklahoma
Departmental Phone: (405) 974-5303
Website: http://www.uco.edu/la/masscomm/
UCentral Student Media has an app! Go to iTunes to download it for free!
Follow the department Twitter account @UCO_MCOM
“Like” the UCO - Department of Mass Communication Facebook Page!
MCOM Majors Email: The department, the college, and the university utilize the UCO email
address assigned to each UCO student. Official information will be emailed through the UCO
system. Students have the option of forwarding their UCO email to a personal email account if
preferred. For information, go to http://www.uco.edu/technology/student/email/index.asp. If
students do not check their UCO email, they risk missing vital information. If you do not use your
UCO email account, please forward your UCO email to an email account you check frequently.
Student Advisement
MCOM has two Student Success Advisors for MCOM majors. Each student is responsible for
seeking advisement information each semester in order to graduate in a timely manner.
• Mr. Gary Parsons
o Office: COM 103A
o Phone: 974-5140
o Email: gparsons2@uco.edu
•
Ms. Laura Donner
o Office: COM 103
o Phone: 974-5108
o Email: ldonner@uco.edu
UCentral Student Media: http://www.uco.edu/la/masscomm/ucentral/index.asp
UCentral is the student media network at the University of Central Oklahoma, featuring traditional
media (television, radio, newspaper) and new media (web, netcasts, social networking) created
by students majoring in professional media. UCentral is located within the Mass Communication
Department on the campus of UCO.
Spring Events
• Monday, January 9th: First Day of Spring Classes!
• Monday, January 16th: Martin Luther King Day – UCO Classes Dismissed
• Friday, February 17th: Fusion Conference
• Wednesday-Thursday March 1-2: MCOM Faculty Mentoring Days
• March 12-18: Spring Break
• Wednesday, March 29th: Liberal Arts Symposium
• Saturday, April 1th: Mass Communication Awards Ceremony
• Friday, April 28th: Last Day of Regular Classes
• Monday-Friday, May 1-5: Finals Week
• Saturday, May 6th: Graduation (Probable date for MCOM/CLA Graduation Ceremony)
Expectation of Work
Full-time college students are expected to spend approximately 40 hours each week in class
attendance and study outside of class. According to Regents’ policy, for each hour in class a
student is expected to spend two (2) to three (3) hours studying for the class (OSRHE II-2-34).
For each three-credit hour course, the Regents expect students to study/prepare 6-9 hours per
week.
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UCO Student Code of Conduct
Students are responsible for all information in the Student Code of Conduct 2015-2016. This can
be accessed on the Student Affairs Publications website at http://www.uco.edu/studentaffairs/conduct/index.asp.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM:
The UCO Student Code of Conduct describes Academic Dishonesty and outlines the steps for
disciplinary action in the Guidelines for Alleged Academic Dishonesty. This information can be
found in Section III, C, 3 & 4.
Academic dishonesty: Includes but is not limited to the “giving” and “taking” of improper
assistance in examinations and assignments; not adhering to correct procedures for identification
of sources in reports and essays and all creative endeavors; intentional misrepresentation;
cheating; plagiarism; and unauthorized possession of examinations. The UCO Student Code of
Conduct provides further details. Additionally, any work submitted as an assignment for one
class may not be submitted for credit in another class, without prior permission of the professor.
Any work so submitted will receive an automatic "0."
Plagiarism: When a student submits any assignment for a course (written, oral, videotape,
audiotape, photograph or Web Site), the student will submit entirely original work or will properly
cite all sources utilized in the preparation of the assignment. Without proper citation, the student
is guilty of plagiarism, which is not tolerated at UCO. As a student, you are responsible for
understanding what constitutes plagiarism. You should talk to your professor to ensure that you
can recognize and avoid all types of plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs in two primary ways:
1. Word-for-word copying, without acknowledgement, of the language or creative work of
another person. Having another person complete all or part of your assignment is plagiarism
and is clearly forbidden. But, in addition, the student should include NO written, video, audio,
or photographic material from an existing source, no matter how brief, without acknowledging
the source. When using the written words of an existing source in your assignment, either
place the borrowed words in quotation marks or set the quotation aside as a block quotation.
Additionally, you must include the citation for the material in your assignment. This applies to
even the briefest of phrases if they are truly distinctive.
2. The unacknowledged paraphrasing of an author’s ideas. The student should no more take
credit for another person’s thoughts than for another person’s words. Any distinctive, original
idea taken from another writer should be credited to its author. If you are not sure whether or
not an author’s idea is distinctive, you should assume that it is: no fault attaches to overacknowledgement, but under-acknowledgement is plagiarism. Most style manuals (e.g.,
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association) provide information
concerning how to paraphrase and cite the ideas and writings of existing sources.
Students may be dismissed from the university for plagiarism. University guidelines provide
a range of disciplinary action dependent upon the severity of the offense including but not limited
to: requiring a substitute assignment, awarding a reduced grade, awarding a failing grade for the
assignment, awarding a failing grade for the course, or expelling the student from the university.
Acknowledging that instances of plagiarism may range from minor to severe, the Department of
Mass Communication allows the course professor to determine the severity and the disciplinary
action for the first instance of plagiarism committed by a student in the professor’s course.
However, if that student commits plagiarism a second time in the course, departmental policy
requires that the student receive both a failing grade (“F”) for the course and a referral to the UCO
Student Conduct Officer. Students should make sure they understand professor expectations for
sources and content to be cited.
Turnitin.com Plagiarism Syllabus Statement: UCO subscribes to the Turnitin.com plagiarism
prevention service. Students agree that by taking this course, all required assignments may be
subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism.
All submitted assignments will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com restricted
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access reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such assignments. Use of
the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com
website. Turnitin.com is just one of various plagiarism prevention tools and methods which may
be utilized by your faculty instructor during the terms of the semesters. In the UCO Student
Handbook, there is a process for contesting any plagiarism allegations against you.
ADA Statement Regarding Special Accommodations:
The University of Central Oklahoma complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special
accommodations must contact Sharla Weathers, B.S., C.S.R. in Disability Support Services
[sweathers2@uco.edu] in room 309 of the Nigh University Center, (405) 974-2549. It is the
student’s responsibility to contact the instructor as soon as possible after DSS has verified the
need for accommodations to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely
fashion.
Transformative Learning: http://www.uco.edu/central/tl/
“At the University of Central Oklahoma, we help students learn by providing transformative
experiences so that they may become productive, creative, ethical and engaged citizens and
leaders contributing to the intellectual, cultural, economic and social advancement of the
communities they serve. Transformative learning is a holistic process that places students at the
center of their own active and reflective learning experiences. All students at UCO will have
transformative learning experiences in five core areas: leadership; research, creative and
scholarly activities; service learning and civic engagement; global and cultural competencies; and
health and wellness.”
Class Attendance: (Taken from the Faculty Handbook)
The university expects students to regularly attend classes in which they are enrolled. Faculty
members are expected to establish specific attendance policies governing their classes.
Attendance policies must appear in the course syllabi. Faculty members may require appropriate
documentation to verify absences. Students are responsible for work missed due to absences. It
is the student’s responsibility to initiate a request to make up class work or examinations missed.
Individual policies must allow for a reasonable but not unlimited, number of excused absences,
for legitimate reasons. Excused absences approved by faculty members should be consistently
applied to all students. An excused absence means that an instructor may not penalize the
student and must provide a reasonable and timely accommodation or opportunity to make up
exams or other course requirements that have an impact on course grade. Excused students
should be allowed the same opportunities as students who were present in class.
Faculty members are obligated to honor the following circumstances as excused absences:
a. travel considered part of the instructional program of the university and requiring absence
from class (e.g. field trips, research presentations, etc.);
b. invited participation in activities directly and officially sponsored by and in the interest of
the university (e.g. athletic teams, debate teams, dance company, etc.); in cases of
student athletes, refer to UCO Compliance Policy Manual for Athletics or contact the
Faculty Athletic Representative;
c. jury duty;
d. military obligation (See Appendix K in Faculty Handbook.)
e. serious illness, medical condition, pregnant and parenting students’ rights (as outlined in
Title IX), accident, or injury; and
f. death or serious illness in immediate family
Additional policies for this course are included in the Fall 2016 UCO Student Information
Sheet and Syllabus Attachment that can be accessed at
http://www.uco.edu/academic-affairs/files/aa-forms/StudentInfoSheet.pdf
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