| Semester 1, 2021 On-campus Toowoomba | |
| Short Description: | This is Public Relations |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts |
| School or Department : | School of Humanities & Communication |
| Student contribution band : | Band 4 |
| ASCED code : | 080509 - Public Relations |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Other requisites
Students will require access to e-mail and have internet access to UConnect for this course.
Rationale
Governments, industry and not-for-profits all rely on public relations practitioners to deliver their message and to maintain relationships with their publics – this course introduces the student to the key concepts of organisational communication in the modern workplace and teaches the processes used in contemporary communication. Fundamental skills learned through this course include advocacy writing, understanding of public relations campaign planning and the role of public relations across the various sectors. With its practical focus PRL1002 provides the student with the knowledge they need to progress through the major with confidence and begin to plan their entry into the public relations industry.
Synopsis
This course is designed to provide students with a sound foundation of knowledge on the nature of and application of public relations as a business tool. The course provides insights into how public relations works, some of the theoretical and practical models that underpin practice, and examination of the different ways public relations is used by organisations in specialist fields of practice. Topics covered within this foundation public relations course include: definitions of public relations and other key terms and concepts: the importance of internal and external publics; descriptions of core public relations processes; the tools of public relations, and the range of options for public relations specialisations in practice. The student is also introduced to programme design encompassing research, goals, objectives, strategies, tools and tactics and evaluation. Upon successful completion of the course students should be well positioned to continue with the public relations major with a sound foundation in the academic and discipline (or industry) skills required.
Objectives
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- define and describe public relations;
- explore the foundations of public relations practice and its development to the present day;
- demonstrate academic and professional literacy skills by describing and applying the core theories underpinning contemporary public relations practice;
- demonstrate problem-solving skills appropriate to the discipline by integrating those theories into the analysis of a public relations case study;
- identify and differentiate the internal and external publics associated with an organisation;
- identify a range of different areas of practice within public relations
- communicate in writing at a foundational level by planning and submitting an essay that conforms to disciplinary conventions;
- communicate orally at a foundational level by planning and delivering a short oral presentation;
- demonstrate ethical research and inquiry skills by comprehending and applying foundational principles of academic integrity.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Definitions of Public Relations | 5.00 |
| 2. | The foundations of Public Relations practice | 10.00 |
| 3. | Understanding and integrating core theories | 15.00 |
| 4. | Understanding internal and external publics | 8.00 |
| 5. | Developing the campaign | 12.00 |
| 6. | PR tools: digital communication | 10.00 |
| 7. | PR tools: community engagement | 10.00 |
| 8. | PR tools: crisis communication and issues management | 10.00 |
| 9. | PR tools: events | 10.00 |
| 10. | PR tools: media relations | 10.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2021&sem=01&subject1=PRL1002)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Reference materials
(International edition.)
(Global Edition.)
Student workload expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Directed Study | 39.00 |
| Independent Study | 126.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESSAY | 100 | 40 | 30 Mar 2021 | |
| PRESENTATION | 100 | 20 | 07 May 2021 | (see note 1) |
| OPEN EXAM - ONLINE | 100 | 40 | End S1 | (see note 2) |
Notes
- Times and dates for presentation for on campus students will be allocated during the semester and made available on Study Desk.
- This will be an online exam. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the exam by their course examiner via StudyDesk. The examination date will be available via UConnect when the Alternate Assessment Schedule has been released.
Important assessment information
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Attendance requirements:
Students must attend and complete the requirements of the Workplace Health and Safety training program for this course where required.
External and Online:
There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students’ responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
On-campus
It is the students’ responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2021 are: To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item.
Requirements after S1, 2021:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2021 are: To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Requirements after S1, 2021:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course. -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course. -
Examination information:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2021 are: An Open Examination is one in which candidates may have access to any printed or written material and a calculator during the examination.
Requirements after S1, 2021:
Candidates are allowed to bring only writing and drawing instruments into the Closed examination. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Normally Deferred and Supplementary Examinations are held in the next Examination period. In S1 2021 selected courses will pilot an early Deferred and Supplementary Examination period held within 30 business days of results release. The list of courses involved can be found at . -
University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
Other requirements
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Students can expect that questions in assessment items in this course may draw upon knowledge and skills that they can reasonably be expected to have acquired before enrolling in the course. This includes knowledge contained in pre-requisite courses and appropriate communication, information literacy, analytical, critical thinking, problem solving or numeracy skills. Students who do not possess such knowledge and skills should not expect to achieve the same grades as those students who do possess them.