READ AND HEED! Course description

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1 Syllabus MCOM 2193 Principles of Public Relations Department of Mass Communication College of Liberal Arts University of Central Oklahoma Fall 2015 CRN MWF 1-1:50 p.m. COM 213 Instructor: Mike Breslin Office: COM 207A Office/cell: / Office Hours: MWF Noon to 1 p.m. mbreslin@uco.edu MW 2-3 p.m. MCOM Dept phone number MCOM Fax READ AND HEED! 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 1

2 Textbook/packets: None. A course packet will be distributed electronically early in the semester. As noted later in this document, it is imperative that students take notes during class to supplement the information in the course packet. Supplies: None required, but laptops and other electronic devices are welcome and encouraged in class. Grading criteria and information Item Description Impact on final grade Grading scale Letter scoring for the class is based on the following scale: =A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, 60-69=D, 59 and below=f. N/A Quizzes Class participation Quizzes throughout the semester based on lectures, discussions in class, guest lectures, videos, postings in the class LinkedIn group, class group projects and current events will be given throughout the semester. Quizzes will be multiple choice, fill in the blank, and true/false. See class schedule for details. Anything discussed in class or noted above is fair game for a quiz. Class participation will be evaluated in two areas: In-class participation (10% of final grade): For each time a student contributes to the class in a meaningful way demonstrating they read the required readings for the week, posing thoughtful questions, participating in class discussions, etc. 2 points will be credited to their score in this area. Students are required to do this at least five times during the semester to score the maximum 10 points. Students who do not participate will lose all 10 points in this area. Class participation will be tracked and evaluated using the paper tokens distributed on the first day of class. Each student will receive five tokens, worth 2 points each. A token will be collected when a student participates in class in a meaningful way. Instructor discretion applies in determining when tokens are earned. A maximum of one token (2 points) per class session can be earned. LinkedIn (10% of final grade): As discussed in class during week one, all students are required to set up a free LinkedIn profile and join the UCO Strategic Communications Group, where topics relevant to the class will be discussed. For each time a student contributes to the group in a meaningful way posting a relevant article, posing thoughtful questions or comments about what others post to the group, etc. 2 points will be credited to their score in this area. (NOTE: Simply liking an item is not enough to score points.) Students are 60% of final grade 20% of final grade, as detailed in middle column 2

3 Final exam Attendance and punctuality required to do this at least five times during the semester to score the maximum 10 points. Students who do not participate on LinkedIn will lose all 10 points in this area. The instructor will note when a student activity on LI receives two points by liking the item. The last day of regular classes is the deadline for activity in this area. A comprehensive final exam will be offered at the end of the semester, testing students knowledge of course readings, lectures, and discussions in class and on LinkedIn during the term. Anything discussed in class or noted in the Quizzes section above is fair game for the final exam. Absences Students can incur four unexcused absences during the semester without penalty. After four unexcused absences, additional unexcused absences will cause the student s grade to decrease as follows: Fifth absence final grade reduced by one letter grade Sixth absence final grade reduced by two letter grades Seventh absence final grade reduced by three letter grades Eighth absence final grade reduced by four letter grades (student receives F) The quality of work you submit during the course is absolutely no excuse for poor attendance and punctuality. Latenesses Class starts promptly at the top of the assigned hour. Being a little late for class is no different than being late. Also, any student more than 10 minutes late for class will be marked as absent for the day. Up to 10 minutes late = Student is marked as late 10 minutes or more late = Student is marked as absent Leaving class more than 10 minute before class ends = Student is marked as absent Every three (3) unexcused latenesses will be treated as one (1) unexcused absence. Please note that penalties for excessive absence et al cannot be cancelled out by extra credit points. Accuracy and appeals Students are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their attendance record. For example, any student showing up late to class should check with the instructor that day to 20% of final grade As noted in middle column 3

4 Failure to submit assignments/ lateness in submitting assignments/ incomplete assignments ensure that they are not mistakenly marked absent. Appeals of lateness will only be considered on the day they occur. Also, appeals of any absences as being inaccurate must be made within two weeks of the date in question. For example, challenges regarding the accuracy of a marked absence on Sept. 9 (e.g.) will not be considered after Sept. 23. In other words, students need to track their attendance throughout the term. Excused absences As noted above, attendance and punctuality are taken seriously. Of course, if a student has a legitimate reason for an excused absence/lateness/early departure serious illness, out-oftown family emergency, death in the family, jury duty, interview for an internship or postgraduate job, participation in/travel for a university-sponsored activity, etc. and can provide valid documentation of said emergency to the satisfaction of the instructor, they should consult with the instructor ASAP about the possibility of such an absence being excused. The decision of the instructor in such matters is final. Cars breaking down, weddings, honeymoons, getting stuck at work, vacations, alarm clocks not going off, etc. are NOT grounds for excusals. The four free unexcused absences are provided to allow for such contingencies. If a student is called to active military duty as part of a national emergency, accommodations can be made for them. In such a case, they should consult with the instructor immediately. Documentation for any excused absence during the semester must be submitted by the last day of regular classes. Not submitting (NOS) assignments and missing deadlines is unacceptable in the work force. The same standard applies in this class. Each missed/late assignment can result in up to 5 points off the final grade, at the instructor s discretion. One unique item in this regard is the syllabus receipt, located in the course packet, which is due the first Friday in class. As explained on day 1 of class, failure to hand it in will result in a 2-point penalty to a student s final grade for every class period that passes without its submission. Note: Handing in any assignment that is incomplete (INC), or which significantly fails to follow instructions (FFI), can be treated as a failure to submit. Accordingly, a penalty of up to five points can be assessed in such cases at the discretion of the instructor. Up to 5 points off the final grade for each instance, at the instructor s discretion, except as noted in the middle column 4

5 Extra credit Misc. Spelling errors in course materials: Students who are the first to point out an error (typos, missing words, grammatical mistakes, etc.) in course materials prepared by the instructor (syllabi, course packets, quizzes, etc.) will receive 1 point for each error they point out. Again, only the first student to point out an error receives a point for that error. The instructor has the discretion to bump up a final grade up if a student s final numerical score is within 2-3 points of the next higher letter grade, AND the instructor determines that the increase is warranted by the student s overall effort during the semester. As noted in middle column As noted in middle column General requirements and notes Students are responsible for everything that is discussed in class. Accordingly, note taking is strongly encouraged and recording lectures is allowed. STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LEARNING WHAT THEY MISS DURING ANY ABSENCE, regardless of whether the absence is excused or not. All assignments are due in writing, double spaced, at the beginning of the assigned class period unless otherwise noted by the instructor. o Assignments cannot be submitted by to the instructor without prior approval. Documents submitted that are three or more pages in length must have page numbers. Documents of two or more pages must be stapled. In one s professional career, sloppy presentations, misspelled words and late work will be unacceptable. The same applies in this class. o Students are strongly encouraged to bookmark Dictionary.com on their computers, and download the free Dictionary.com app for their mobile devices. In the event that a word has more than one spelling, the first spelling of the word on Dictionary.com will be considered the correct one. All communications from the instructor will be sent to (not their D2L ). Accordingly, students need to check their UCO daily. I didn t see the 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 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. Further, the instructor is willing to take any/all steps to help each student achieve a good grade (B or better) in this class. HOWEVER, each student is responsible for being proactive and asking the instructor for assistance in these regards. o Any grading complaints or concerns should be immediately addressed with the instructor. 5

6 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. Central 6 At the University of Central Oklahoma, we are guided by the mission of helping 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. This course experience will support the following aspects of the Central 6: Discipline knowledge. Problem Solving (Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities): The term project in this class will involve significant research. Details will be provided during the semester. The complete Central Six can be found at 6

7 Schedule As noted earlier, the following class schedule, like the entire syllabus, is subject to change. Week Week of Material covered/relevant deadlines and dates Required reading(s) for week no. 1 Aug. 17 Introductions Module 1: What is public relations? Class administrative issues o Syllabus review & receipt Key elements of grade Course packet appendix b A&P issues ( LinkedIn instructions ) o Key elements of grade o LinkedIn o Current events o Tracking class participation 2 Aug. 24 Module 1: What is public relations? (cont.) 3 Aug. 31 Module 1: What is public relations? (cont.) Quiz 1 - Module 1 4 Sept. 7 Monday, Sept. 7 Labor Day (no classes) Module 2: Communications research 1 Quizzes are at the end of class Friday for each week noted, unless otherwise announced. 7

8 5 Sept. 14 Module 2: Communications research (cont.) Course packet section 1b ( Research ) 6 Sept. 21 Module 2: Communications research (cont.) Quiz Module 2 7 Sept. 28 Module 3: Goals and evaluation Friday, Oct. 2 Strategic Communication Fusion conference o Students will report to conference session in MCOM building during class time; details TBA in class 8 Oct. 5 Module 3: Goals and evaluation (cont.) Quiz Module 3 9 Oct. 12 Module 4: Messaging and persuasion Friday, Oct. 16 fall break (no classes) Course packet 1c ( Goals and evaluation ) 10 Oct. 19 Module 4: Messaging and persuasion (cont.) 8

9 11 Oct. 26 Module 4: Messaging and persuasion (cont.) Quiz Module 4 12 Nov. 2 Module 5: Strategy development and planning Friday, Nov. 6 Class cancelled for Dallas agency trip o Contact Sandy Martin for details on participating, if interested 13 Nov. 9 Module 5: Strategy development and planning (cont.) Quiz Module 5 14 Nov. 16 Module 6: Tactics and timing 15 Nov. 23 Module 6: Tactics and timing (cont.) Wednesday and Friday, Nov. 25 and 27 Thanksgiving holiday (no classes) 16 Nov. 30 Module 6: Tactics and timing (cont.) Final exam review Quiz Module 6 17 Dec. 7 Final exam week Final exam session is from 1-1:50 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 o Exam session to be held in normal class setting unless otherwise announced. Per the final exam review 9

10 Department of Mass Communication Policies Fall 2015 College of Liberal Arts University of Central Oklahoma Departmental Phone: (405) Website: UCentral Student Media has an app! Go to itunes to download it for free! Follow the department Twitter Like the UCO - Department of Mass Communication Facebook Page! MCOM Majors The department, the college, and the university utilize the UCO address assigned to each UCO student. Official information will be ed through the UCO system. Students have the option of forwarding their UCO to a personal account if preferred. For information, go to If students do not check their UCO , they risk missing vital information. If you do not use your UCO account, please forward your UCO to an 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. Ms. Heather Peck o Office: COM 103 A o Phone: o hpeck3@uco.edu Mr. Gary Parsons o Office: COM 103 o Phone: o gparsons2@uco.edu UCentral Student Media: 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. Fall Events Monday, August 17: First Day of Fall Classes! Monday, September 7: Labor Day Friday, September 25: TEDxUCO, 9:00am-4:00pm, Constitution Hall, UCO@125 Event Friday, October 2: Strategic Communications Fusion Conference Wednesday-Thursday, October 7-8: Media Ethics Conference: Reporting & Living Through Life-Changing Stories Thursday-Friday, October 15-16: Fall Break Thursday, October 22: UCO@125 End of Year Gala Saturday, November 7: Homecoming Football Game Wednesday-Sunday, November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break Monday-Friday, December 7-11: Finals Week Saturday, December 12: Graduation (Probable date for MCOM/CLA Graduation Ceremony) 10

11 Grade Information Grades Submitted by Faculty Grades Posted to Transcript, Available to Students after 5:00pm Undergraduate Degrees Posted on Transcripts, Available to Students 16-Week Session: Aug 17-Dec 11 Block I: Aug 17-Oct 7 Block II: Oct 8-Dec 11 No Later than Noon on No Later than Noon on No Later than Noon on December 15 October 12 December 15 December 15 October 12 December 15 December 18 December 18 December 18 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. UCO Student Code of Conduct Students are responsible for all information in the Student Code of Conduct This can be accessed on the Student Affairs Publications website at 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 over-acknowledgement, 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. 11

12 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 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 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) 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: 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 2015 UCO Student Information Sheet and Syllabus Attachment that can be accessed at 12