Public Relations Fundaments  (22206)

Degree/study: Bachelor's Degree of Advertising and Public Relations 
Year: First.
Term: First.
Number of ECTS credits: 6 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 150 hours
Teaching language or languages: catalán
Teaching Staff: Mónika Jiménez-Moralas ([email protected]). Office 52.807.

1. Presentation of the subject

The main objective of the course is to offer a first immersion in the public relations basic concepts, from a theoretical and a practical perspective.

It aims at enabling students to acquire the capacity for understanding the theories, systems and essential processes in public relations, as well as the professional profiles and the roles most demanded by public relations agencies.

Public Relations Fundaments is the starting point to lay the knowledge basis and student's capacities, which are to be transversally extended through the different courses studied along the Bachelor's Degree

 

2. Competences to be attained

 

         Communicative skills.

      Capacity for putting knowledge into practice.

      Autonomous work skills.

    Team working and group debating skills.

      Knowing the basic vocabulary and applications.

      Paying attentions to the presentations and interventions by other students.

    Critical and self-critical capacities.

 

2.1. Specific competences

 

Minimum degree competences

 

1. Understanding public relations as a communication process: valuing public relations in the social science context. Contextualizing the concept of public relations in the public and private organizations' framework.

2. Capacity for contextualizing public relations in the economic and social environment. Understanding the 360º communication concept.

3. Capacity for understanding the client's needs.

4. Capacity for identifying the different audiences and suggesting public relations strategic solutions suitable to the needs of every audience.

5. Capacity for communicating strategies defined in a public relations plan.

6. Capacity for identifying the processes and phases in a public relations campaign development: briefing, strategy and communication plan.

 

3. Contents

 

First part: Introduction to public relations

 

Unit 1. Definition and concept: public relations. Philosophy, concept and definition. Company and institutions. The multiple disciplines connections. Social functions and professional profiles.

Unit 2. Historic evolution of public relations. Public relations' origins. Public relations' evolution throughout the 20th century. The 9/11 effects on the 21st century public relations. The public relation's origins in Spain.

Unit 3. Public relations as a theory and as a profession. Public relations schools and models: Europe and the US. Ethics and deontology in the public relations field. Public relations as a strategic process.

 

Second part: The public relations process

 

Unit 4. Research and diagnosis. Client. Audiences. Research methods.

Unit 5. Accomplishments and objectives definition. Patterns, procedures and characteristics.

Unit 6. Public relations strategy. Line of argument. Tactics. Introduction to the public relations techniques. Strategy writing patterns. 

Unit 7. Evaluation and objectives control.

 

4. Assessment

 

4.1. General evaluation criteria

 

·     The course's assessment comprises the competences acquired by students through the work done in and outside the classroom.

 

·     More specifically, students must take a written exam at the tend of the term, as a final assessment method.

·     The exercises that must be done during the seminars will also be assessed.

 

Although they don't have a specific weight in the global assessment of the course, formal elements such as written and oral presentation and argumentation skills and the active participation of students in master classes, debates and workshops, will be taken into account for the final grade.

 

 

 

 

4.2. What will be assessed?

 

-     Knowledge acquired throughout the term.

-     Implication in the course.

-    Participation in classes/ seminars.

-    Fulfillment of the requirements expounded for every session (previous readings, information research, etc.).

-    Individual and group presentations.

-     Good attitude in the classroom.

-    Expression capacity (grammatical correctness, spelling errors, etc.).

 

 

4.3. How will the course be assessed?

 

      Final exam (55%). Written test.

      Final project, in groups.(25%).

      Individual exercises (10%).

     Attendance and participation in seminars (10%).

In order to pass the course it is necessary to pass all the assessed elements. Otherwise, the average grade will not be calculated and the course will be failed. Should that be the case, students will have to take an exam of the failed parts only during the second call of exams. If applicable, students will then have to hand in the projects they had not done before.

If the failed part is the attendance and seminar participation part, students must take a test that will evaluate different aspects worked upon in the seminars.

 

5. Bibliography and teaching resources

5.1. Basic bibliography

CUTLIP, S.; CENTER, A., y BROOM, G. Relaciones Públicas eficaces, Barcelona: Gestión 2000, 2000.

GRUNIG, J. -HUNT, T. (2000): Dirección de Relaciones Públicas. Barcelona: Gestión 2000.

XIFRA, J. (2011): Manual de Relaciones Públicas e Institucionales. Madrid: Tecnos.

XIFRA, J. (2003): Teoría y estructura de las Relaciones Públicas. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.

WILCOX, D. L. - CAMERON, G. T. - XIFRA, J. . Relaciones Pública. Estrategias y Tácticas. 8ª Ed. Madrid, Pearson 2006.

 

5.2. Complementary bibliography

 

BERNAYS E. (2011): Crystallizing Public Opinion. New York: Ig Publishing.

                   (2004): Public Relationes. New York: Kesinger.

El ETANG J. (2007): Public relationes: concepts, practice and critique. London: Sage.

SEITEL, F. (2002): Teoría y Práctica de las Relaciones Públicas, Madrid: Prentice Hall.

XIFRA, J. (2007): Técnicas de las Relaciones Públicas. Barcelona: UOC

 

Tripodos 24: "Global Public Relationes; Trends and Challenges/ Les Relacions Públiques Globals: tendències i reptes" Barcelona: Facultat de Comunicació Blanquerna, 2009

 

5.3. Teaching resources

All the information and didactic resources are managed through Aula Global:

-        Summaries and class notes.

-        Occasional support materials for master classes.

-        Additional readings.

-        Readings for the debates preparations.

-        Online debate among students for the discussion prior to the face-to-face debates.

-           Continuous follow-up by the professor through Aula Global

 

6. Metodology

The course presents two activity levels for students:

Master classes: Attending master classes (big group) for the reinforcement of the course theoretical framework. They will be illustrated with practical cases and readings uploaded on Aula Global.

Seminar sessions: Attending working sessions in small groups according to calendar. A practical case will be solved in every session, where the students' work will be monitored as well. Attending the seminars implies a previous preparation outside the classroom through the recommended readings