AL AKHAWAYN UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

COMMUNICATION STUDIES

Version 1.0

(Last Updated Monday, 1. September 2008)

CONTACT DETAILS:

Class time: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 09.00 to 90.50

Class place: 8/001

First class Monday 1^st September 2008

Last class Wednesday 10^th December 2007

Total 45 classes

Supervisor: Mohammed Ibahrine

Office: Building 6, Room 9

Tel.: (212) 35 86 24 42

Email: publicrelationsauifall2008@googlemail.com

OFFICE HOURS: Monday: 11.00-12.30 am

Tuesday: 08.00-09.30 and 11.00-12.30 am

Wednesday: 11.00-12.30 am

Thursday: 08.00-09.30 and 11.00-12.30 am

Friday: 11.00-12.30 am

Saturday: 15.00-17.00 per Phone (3213) for Capstone students

THE AIM OF THE COURSE

The course focuses on the roles and responsibilities of public relations professionals, theories and principles of public relations. The goal is to help learning communities develop theoretical foundations and professional competence in the field. In addition, the course will help you understand what public relations communications is. We will study the thinking involved in communicating on behalf of an organization to significant publics such as media institutions, corporate settings, governments and non-profit organizations and consumers. The course also aims at developing students’ writing skills for public relations in the areas of offline and online news releases, media kit, the pitch letter, the by-liner, the Op-Ed, the roundup article, and public service announcements.

THE COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course guides you in dealing with public relations problems and opportunities, including employee relations, community relations, investor and consumer relations, public issue campaigns and debates, and crisis management. The course attempts to bridge the gap between theory and practice by devoting much space to case studies. Students are expected to report on one organization or government agency of their choice and follow its strategy of public relations (through the media, interviews of PR staffers, and public opinion standing). Being aware that the news release is the most fundamental public relations document and is still the foundation of media relations, students will be asked to write a press release correct in form, content, grammar, and spelling.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

The lecturer will follow lectures, seminars format and group discussions. The student’s participation in class and seminar discussions is expected and encouraged and will be considered in final course evaluations (20%). Broad understanding of participation includes the preparation of outline before the class and a detailed content outline after the class, the maintenance of an individual blog and contribution to the Wikipeida. Each student has to present two required chapters of the textbook (25%) and one public relations project (20%). Video production is highly encouraged. Six tutorial quizzes (12%), mid-exam (10%) and final exam (13%). The deadline for the group project is October 30^th 2007.

We will work in these two projects.

1. The promotion of SHSS in Morocco and abroad?

2. The promotion of Ifrane City for national and international tourists?

ACADEMIC HONESTY:

If you expect others to respect you, please respect yourself. So if you feel desperate, don’t make things worse by acting out of desperation: please come and talk to me about your problems before you do anything foolish. We will find a way.

READINGS:

In the practice of public relations, professionals do not skip meetings; therefore, consider yourself a professional and our class a meeting. Do not come unprepared. Do the readings before class and come to class. You will come to class having completed and submitted the outline of the chapter and participate fully in the co-creation of the class. I expect you to be a fully contributing member of the class by being prepared, taking responsibility for having productive discussions, helping yourself and others understand the material, and generating interesting ideas. I want to avoid the “professors teach, students learn” view of this enterprise.

Please note: The course requires a minimum of 4-6 hours of outside work per week (e.g., reading, analysis, group meetings, writing assignments, posting on the blog, the wikipedia and production of videos).

REQUIRED READINGS

There are TWO sources of reading for this course:

Wilcox, Dennis and Cameron, Glen, Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics, Ninth Ediion. Prentice Hall, 2009

Seitel, Fraser, The Practice of Public Relations, 10th Edition. Prentice Hall, 2007

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE AND READINGS