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MCOM345: Public Relations Writing is Being Held T-H This Term From 2 to 3:20 p.m. in Phelps 101
Professor: John N. Weis ˇ Office: Phelps 113-D
Text: PR Writing…Form and Style, Newsom, D. and Haynes, J. Wadsworth Publishing. 9th Edition.
It’s amazing how much this course has changed in the last few years because of changes in the mass media themselves and mass communication in general. There’s a much greater emphasis on “alternative media,” although they are becoming the new mainstream. Assignments reflect this. There is also a much greater emphasis on integrating the various communication vehicles, with particular emphasis on directing members of your various publics via social media. Also please note that I put you through your paces in this class in a way that prepares you for Campaigns next term. Everything you have heard about Campaigns being challenging is true. Then Campaigns serves as a final “dress rehearsal” for the real world. Please approach this class as a major investment in your future, therefore, academically and professionally. This upper-division course is designed to provide Public Relations students with exposure to concepts and principles involved in effective Public Relations writing. It also provides hands-on experience through writing assignments involving activities common to PR professionals, including increasingly important communication using the new media. The course encourages open discussion of real-world applications of PR techniques, problem-solving, decision-making and, perhaps most importantly, planning. Students work with actual businesses/organizations in the Winona area. Each will develop, on her/his own, a working relationship with one of these organizations for the duration of the term. Generally, Tuesdays will be dedicated to discussions of theory, principles and techniques and to a review of completed assignments. Because of the significant amount of outside time and work required, including client contact ,individual work and project review and approval, Thursdays will normally be used as lab days for students to work on writing assignments and/or to meet with their clients. A major emphasis will be on the integration of public relations planning as a key element of the writing process and reflected in the writing assignments themselves. Grades will be determined based on the following relative value of class activities:
Grading Scale: A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = <60 The Assignments: Students will have eight practical writing assignments. They will become part of the ninth course assignment, a Public Relations Writing portfolio, which, in addition to fulfilling course requirements, is designed to have value in the future to students seeking an internship or employment in the Public Relations field. The eight assignments will be:
Each assignment must also be accompanied by a separate, written planning synopsis outlining the audience for each of the assigned projects, its purpose, how it will be used, where it will be placed, etc. Remember: Planning precedes creativity. You must also post each planning synopsis to your blog. Planning and products will vary depending on the medium used. In some assignments, there are multiple media. The résumé portfolio will consist of the eight planning synopses and the assignments, some of which, remember, involve multiple media. However, it should also include supplementary material outlining the client(s) involved, rationale behind how you wrote each assignment, what resulted from the work, what you learned, etc. This portfolio should be approached as a single collection of works, not just the eight previous assignments put together in a binder. Any corrections or improvements made as a result of your growth as a PR practitioner since the assignment was first turned in should be reflected in the final portfolio. Do not include original, graded assignments. That would cause you to fail the portfolio assignment; you cannot pass the course without an accepted portfolio. You will be developing PR writing skills for real-world application. As a result, you will be selecting/recruiting a local business or agency to serve as a "client" for your assigned writing. You can then submit the assignments for the purposes of the class only or, preferably, offer the completed materials to the "client" organization for its own promotional uses should it so desire. Prof. Weis will explain the department’s “Intellectual Property” policy in this regard. But your work may, in fact, be the property of the business with which you are working. Making your work available provides an opportunity for the projects to have educational, experiential and community service value. Remember to approach "clients" openly as students involved in a PR class; represent yourself and the university professionally and honestly in all your dealings. Leave your client with a positive feeling. Most businesses in town routinely work with our students because they have had good experiences with our students and this course. Active participation is mandatory, as reflected in the grading criteria, and you can’t participate if you’re not in class. Good participation can earn up to 10 percent of your grade; lack of participation, however, can result in the loss of a greater percentage, theoretically up to 100 percent of the grade. Being in class is particularly important since so much lab time is provided so you can meet/work with your client organizations on assignments and write. Do not underestimate how much time and effort is necessary outside of class. Present all written assignments in final form with no punctuation, spelling, style or grammar errors; it is assumed that all draft efforts will be completed and refined outside of class and in the labs and that what I receive is the final product. Materials submitted are considered a final version on behalf of your client, as the public would see it. Errors are, therefore, not acceptable. In the past I’ve just taken points off for things like typos, especially in larger type. Now I fail the assignment; in the real world it could cost you your job. I think it’s much better for you to learn the hard lessons here. Grades will be based on the accompanying planning synopsis and the overall quality and effectiveness of your work in relation to the purpose of each assignment. I am the final arbiter is this regard, of course, but I will be fair and I will view your work as an employer would. You have a great deal of information-gathering and writing lab/comp time; quality expectations, therefore, are extremely high. Consequences of late work in the "real world" can also be the loss of a job. A penalty of 20 percent will be deducted from the grade for each day an assignment is late here. It is assumed that you are well-versed in the concepts and application of journalistic writing, information gathering and the AP stylebook. A sound working knowledge of journalistic writing is fundamental to this course. You will not be taught those fundamentals in this course. That’s why News Writing and News Gathering are prereqs. Please understand that journalistic writing is important to PR because AP, journalistic style has evolved into a wonderful, consistent method of communicating in writing. You won’t be reporters, but journalistic writing will make accurate “decoding” by your target audience much more likely. By her/his attendance, each participating student understands and agrees that his/her work will be discussed in class and other students will comment on it as part of the shared learning experience. This will include what was done correctly in the assignment as well as incorrectly. But the instructor makes every effort to ensure that students are not identified by name when assignments are reviewed in class discussions. PR students will find this one of their most valuable university courses. It was designed to provide the equivalent of 16 weeks of on-the-job training and experience and should complement any internship(s) a student may undertake as well. As such you can ethically include this experience with a “real” client on your resume and in your portfolio in the future. The weekly schedule will be discussed in class and posted on the D2L virtual classroom for this course.
Additional caveat: This syllabus is intended only as an outline of the tentative class schedule and assignments. It probably will be changed to meet the specific needs of this particular class and its members. If you are in class, you will be aware of any changes and that is the only place changes will be discussed. Students involved in cheating will immediately fail the course and the professor will recommend further action directly to the Dean of CLA. Prof. Weis will explain the department’s “Intellectual Property policy and the policy on plagiarism and cheating in detail in class. References are also on D2L.
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