Registry

Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2012 - 2013
Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title	Press & Public Relations
Module Code	CM310
School	School of Communications
Online Module Resources
Module Teacher	Martin Molony
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	10
Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

Description

To enable students to define key concepts of public relations;To explain the distinction between public relations and advertising and marketing;To familiarise students with the workings of press relations and public relations campaigns;To encourage critical thinking in relation to the practice of public relations.

Learning Outcomes

1. Recognise public relations activities within an organisations affairs;
2. Define the nature of public relations within a range of organisations;
3. Differentiate between public relations, advertising and marketing;
4. Deconstruct a public relations plan into its constituent elements;
5. Evaluate the success, or otherwise, of a public relations campaign;
6. Demonstrate a knowledge of professional codes of ethics for public relations;
7. Identify appropriate public relations plans for specific publics;
8. Create a public relations campaign for a given situation;
9. Communicate a public relations plan in a clear manner.

Workload	Full-time hours per semester
*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Lecture	25	Weekly class contact and tutor consultation
Assignment	30	Case Study Assignment
Assignment	35	Group Project
On-line learning	40	Use of course-related material on Moodle
Independent learning	90	General research and reading
Library	30	Accessing academic and PR industry journals
Total Workload: 250

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

What is Public Relations?.
Perceptions of Public Relations;Best practice in Public Relations;Forms of Public Relations;Functions of Public Relations;Defining publics;Public Relations & Advertising;Public Relations & Marketing;Public Relations & Journalism;Measuring the effectiveness of PR..

Public Relations Activities.
Media kits;News releases;Photocalls;Video news releases;News conferences:Expert sources;Public service announcements;Reputation advertising;Endorsements;Op-Ed articles;Audience opportunities;Media tours;Public consulation;Crisis management;Corporate Social Responsiblity;Sponsorship;PR, new media and social media..

The News Release.
What is a press release?;Effective news releases;Understanding a news story;News angles;Inverted pyramid structure;News release common mistakes;The care and feeding of the press..

Crisis Communications.
What is a crisis?;Issues management;Case studies in crisis communications (Tylenol, Exxon, NatWest, Virgin Rail, Brian Cowan, BP);Lessons from 9/11..

Social Media for Public Relations.
The World Wide Web; Web 2.0 & PR 2.0; Channels for online presence; Social Media revolution; RSS; Blogs; Wikis; Facebook; LinkedIn; Twitter; You Tube; Effective Social Media campaigns; Key strategies in using social media for Public Relations..

Toxic Sludge is Good For You.
Worst PR practices;Analysis of poor professional standards;Discussion of unethical PR activities..

Ethics in Public Relations.
"Good day to bury bad news";Ambush Marketing;What are ethics?;Myths to avoid ethics;Ethics - duty to whom?;Ethical issues in Public Relations;PRII code of practice;Code of Lisbon;PRSA code of ethics;Decision-making (Potter, Sims);Parson's Pillars;The Four-Way Test;Common ethical issues;Case studies in unethical PR..

The Journalist & the PR Professional.
Understanding the role of a journalist;Understanding the environment in which a journalist works;Motivations of a journalist vs. serving a PR client;Churnalism;Labelling PR content in news;The newsroom environment;Targetting the right journalist;The newsroom of tomorrow..

Public Relations for Non-Profits.
The third sector;Volunteerism and philanthropy;Role of PR in non-profit organisations;Case studies..

Public Relations Planning and Evaluation.
What constitutes a plan?;Key elements of a PR plan;Strategic planning;Ten step planning process;Goals and objectives;PR campaign evaluation..

Industry Guest Speakers.
Steven Conlon (The Irish Times);Pat O'Connor (Irish Defence Forces);Jane Curtin (Irish Cancer Society);Laura Wall (Drury Communications)..

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Course Work Breakdown
Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Essay	An individual case study of a chosen public relations campaign	60%	Week 7
Project	Conceive, develop, present and submit a viable (group based) public relations campaign for a given scenario	40%	Sem 1 End

Reassessment Requirement
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; 1 = A resit is available for all components of the module 2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module 3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

Breakenridge, Deirdre: 2008, PR 2. 0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences., FT Press, Upper Saddle River, N.J., 978-0-32-151007-5
Broom, Glen M.: 2008, Cutlip & Center's Effective Public Relations, 10th edition, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey,
Carty, F. X.: 1992, Farewell to the Hype – the Emergence of Real Public Relations in Ireland,, Abel Press, Dublin,
Carty, F. X.: 1995, From John Paul to Saint Jack, Public Relations in Ireland, Able Press, Dublin,
Colley, Michael: 1993, The Communicators: The history of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland 1953 - 1993, Public Relations Institute of Ireland, Dublin,
Cooney, John & McGarry, Tony (Eds): 1994, Spin-Doctors: A threat to Democracy?, Humbert Publications, Dublin,
Duignan, Sean: 1994, One More Spin on the Merry Go Round, Poolbeg Press, Dublin,
Finlay, Fergus: 1998, Snakes and Ladders,, New Island Press, Dublin,
Gilmore, Noel: 2005, Clearing the Air: the battle over the smoking ban, Liberties Press, Dublin, 0-9545335-6-9
Gunning, Ellen: 2007, Public Relations – a practical approach, 2nd edition, Gill & McMillan, Dublin,
Phillips, David & Young, Philip: 2009, Online public relations, Second edition, Kogan Page, London, 978 0 7494 4968 1
Watson, Tom: 2007, Evaluating Public Relations: a best practice guide to public relations planning, research and evaluation, Kogan Page, London,