Thomas F. Patterson, Jr., Ph.D.
208D Morrill Hall
(802) 656-0042 (w), (802) 658-7496 (h)
tpatters@uvm.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays, 8:30 – 10:30 AM
Overview
The field of Public Communication is the practice of understanding, designing,
implementing, and evaluating successful communication campaigns within a framework
of public service. It is used to inform & persuade, to build relationships, and to
encourage open dialog in the public interest. This is accomplished by crafting successful
messages through the application of research, theory, technical knowledge, and sound
design principles.
Public Communication Media gives students an up-to date insight into mass media, the
public as its audience, and the messages and issues that dominate the media today. In
addition, the concept of social marketing and its relationship to social polling and media
will be explored through readings, discussions, activities, polling, and service learning.
This course introduces students to oral, visual and written forms of communication
involving media, public relations, issue management, and social marketing. It will
provide you with a unique blend of theory and practice that will help build your baselevel skills and expertise in public communication.
Objectives
Students will:
1. be able to define, analyze and contrast mass media, to include: books, magazines,
newspapers, recordings, movies, advertising, TV, radio, world wide web.
2. be able to define, analyze and contrast mass media messages, to include: news, public
relations, advertising, entertainment, media research.
3. be able to define, analyze and contrast mass media issues, to include: mass media
effects, mass media and society, global mass media, mass media and governance, mass
media law, ethics and mass media.
4. be exposed to values of the CALS Core Curriculum (Citizenship and Social
Responsibility, Environmental Stewardship and Personal Growth) and how they apply to
public communication.
5. become familiar with the term and utilize the concept of social marketing
6. understand and be able to conduct social polling
7. increase your writing skills and video production skills
8. increase your group/team skills
8. increase your oral communication skills and, specifically, be able to give an advanced
oral presentation
9. develop a foundation of public communication knowledge, skills and values that will
serve as a basis for advanced courses in public communication
Required Books
Vivian, John, The Media of Mass Communication. 10th edition. (Allyn and Bacon:
Boston) 2009.
Religious Holidays
Students have the right to practice the religion of their choice. Each semester students
should submit in writing to their instructors by the end of the second full week of classes
their documented religious holiday schedule for the semester
Activities
In this class you will learn knowledge, skills and values that are essential to the Public
Communication major. You will develop and create a social marketing group video,
learn about media, practice and improve personal communication skills and become
involved in the UVM/Burlington community through a Service Learning project. We
will learn about public communications through an exhaustive study of the Vivian
textbook, and completing chapter quizzes. You will have the opportunity to practice and
improve your writing skills by composing short, essays, assigned for each Vivian chapter.
You will have the opportunity to improve your oral communication skills by helping to
conduct the Vermonter poll and facilitating and participating in individual and group
class discussions. And you will get involved in being part of a team that assesses the
social marketing, conducts social polling, and develops a special project for a local
organization. To help Public Communication majors and minors develop your electronic
portfolio, students must put at least one of the projects from this class on to your website.
1. Vivian Text Quizzes and Essays/Final Exam /Student Participation/ Group and
Class Facilitation (40%) Students must complete the Vivian chapter quiz and essays
before the class begins (2:30 PM) on the due date as indicated on the course Blackboard
calendar and the calendar below. Essentially, the Tuesday class will be devoted to
media. Students will come prepared to facilitate and participate in class discussions of
the chapter topics. The Thursday class will focus on the Service Learning and group
work of the class. This will give you time to work with your group. Weekly reflection
on the Reflection Journal on Blackboard of your Service Learning experience that will
help you learn throughout the semester.
2. Group Social Marketing Video (10%). The semester will start with students put into
groups to create a social marketing video. The SL Video partner will come to the second
class to give an overview of the agency and, specifically, what the video is to socially
market. The third class will be a Video Workshop in which students will learn how to
create and edit a digital video. The fourth class, representatives from the groups will do
the social market interview of the partner in front of the class. Then groups will have two
weeks in which to decide their video marketing strategy, the objective of their video,
storyboarding and scripting, shooting and editing the digital video and, finally, presenting
on February 11.
3. Polling (10%). Students will help conduct the Vermonter Poll through the Center for
Rural Studies. You are expected to attend training in class and then spend a minimum of
four hours at the Center for Rural Studies polling Vermonters. You need to complete
fours hours of polling for this class alone, regardless of other classes. To receive full
credit for this project, you are to submit a 2 to 3 page paper, reflecting on your experience
in polling Vermonters and detailing what you learned. Note: learning often takes place in
the most uncomfortable of situations. Do not use this as a “complaint” session.
4. Service Learning Team Project (40%). Students will be part of a team that conducts
a service-learning critique of a local non-profit social marketing plan and then develops a
social marketing project as an outcome of the critique. The Blackboard course site has
plenty of information on social marketing. Individual students should write a weekly
Reflection Journal on Blackboard, concerning your learning through the Service Learning
experience.
5. Guest Speaker (10% additional grade). If you know a local person who is involved
in media and would be a good guest speaker, work your instructor to invite this person to
come speak to the entire class. You introduce the speaker, keep this person on pace
throughout the class, field questions from the class, thank the speaker and lead a round of
applause. You then write him/her a “thank you” letter on behalf of the class, complete
with an addressed, stamped envelope and present it to your instructor for review before
sending. The last part is to write a two to three page reflection document summarizing
what you learned from this experience, both in terms of your experience in working with
the guest speaker and in terms of the media content you learned from your guest speaker.
Grades
Doing your work on time and not procrastinating is a major key to success in this class.
Coming to class with your quizzes completed and your essays written on Blackboard,
actively participating in class; working with your group to create a social marketing
video; conducting four hours of the Vermonter poll and reflecting on it; and being an
active and positive member of your Service Learning group – all will earn you a top
grade in this class. Failure to do so, will result in a poor or failing grade.
Vivian Quizzes and Essays/ Final
Exam/Student Participation/Group and
Class Facilitation
Group Social Marketing Video
Polling
Service Learning Team Project
Guest Speaker
40%
10%
10%
40%
10% +
CDAE 124 Spring 2012 Calendar Summary
JANUARY 17 1st Class. Overview of
semester
JANUARY 24
Video Workshop in class, Hope
Greenberg, instructor
JANUARY 31 Vivian Ch. 1 due
Vermonter Polling Instruction
FEBRUARY 7 Vivian Ch. 3. due
FEBRUARY 14 Vivian Ch. 5. due
FEBRUARY 21 Vivian Ch. 7. due
JANUARY 19 Kevin Veller of Green Mt. Care
in class
JANUARY 26
Green Mt. Care Social Marketing Interview in
class, Kevin Veller
FEBRUARY 2 Vivian Ch. 2. due
FEBRUARY 9 Vivian Ch. 4. due;
Green Mt. Care Video Presentation in
class
FEBRUARY 16 Vivian Ch. 6. due
SL Partner Meeting; SL MOU due
FEBRUARY 23 Vivian Ch. 8. due
Social Marketing Questionnaire due
FEBRUARY 28 Vivian Ch. 9. due
SPRING BREAK
MARCH 13 Vivian Ch. 11. due
MARCH 20 Vivian Ch. 13. due
MARCH 27 Vivian Ch. 15. due
APRIL 3 Vivian Ch. 17. due
APRIL 10 Finalize Social Marketing
Project
APRIL 17 Prepare Final Paper and
Group Presentation
APRIL 24 SL Group Social Marketing
Presentations
MARCH 1 Vivian Ch. 10 due
SPRING BREAK
MARCH 15 Vivian Ch. 12. due
SL Client Social Marketing Survey due
MARCH 22 Vivian Ch. 14. due
MARCH 29 Vivian Ch. 16. due
APRIL 5
APRIL 12 Social Marketing Project due
APRIL 19 Prepare Final Paper and Group
Presentation
APRIL 26 SL Group Social Marketing
Presentations
Social Marketing Final Paper due
MAY 1 Group Experience Reflection in
class
Final Exam