COMM 2322 - Spring 2010 - 1 -

PPLICATIONS

· C

OMM

2322· S

PRING

2010

Professor: Barbara B. Nixon, Ph.D. (ABD)Office: Lakeland, FL



Office Hours: TBAPhone: 901-BNIXON4 (Google Voice, for text or voice mail) or barbara.b.nixon on SkypeBlog:http://publicrelationsmatters.com Twitter:BarbaraNixonE-mail:bbnixon@seuniversity.edu

UNIVERSITY MISSION STATEMENT:

Southeastern, a dynamic, Christ-centered university, fosters student success by integrating personalfaith and higher learning. Within our loving Pentecostal community, we challenge students to a lifetimeof good work and of preparing professionally so they can creatively serve their generation in the Spiritof Christ.

REQUIRED RESOURCES:

Wilcox, D.L., & Cameron, G.T. (2009).

Public relations: Strategies and tactics

(9th Ed.). Boston: Allyn &Bacon.At least one USB drive (minimum 1G)Pack of multi-color markers

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Students who complete this course will be able to:1. Define public relations and identify instances of public relations in multiple contexts2. Apply theories and principles of public relations to solve PR challenges3. Use theory & strategy to choose appropriate and ethical PR tactics4. Use theory and strategy to create and implement some basic PR techniques

COMM 2322 - Spring 2010 - 2 -

GRADINGCourse Grading:

Your grade for this course will be based on the activities listed in the table below.Points by assignments for each activity are listed to the right.Blog Posts 30% or 300 pointsInterview of a PR Professional 5% or 50 pointsIn-Class Exercises/Instructor Discretion 15% or 150 pointsRATS (Online Quizzes) 25% or 250 pointsFinal Exam 15% or 150 pointsEngagement & Participation 10% or 100 points

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

Blog Posts:

Each student will create and maintain a blog at Wordpress.com. Detailedinstructions about the content and layout of your blog will be available athttp://publicrelationsmatters.com by the end of Week 2.

Readiness Assessment Tests (RATS):

Readings are designed to provide you with knowledgeregarding public relations basics. Readiness assessment tests

will be given over each readingassignment from the

Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics

textbook. The open-book,multiple-choice RATS will be administered via BlackBoard prior to you coming to class, so thatour class time can be more focused on discussion and application, rather than lectures. Youmay take each of the RATS twice, and the higher of the two scores will count. Most RATS willhave fewer than 10 questions. RATS grades will be averaged and will comprise 25% of yourgrade in the class. Students missing no more than one day of class (for any reason) may droptheir lowest individual RATS grade.

More details on the remaining assignments will be provided by the end of Week 2.

COURSE POLICIES:

1. Responsibilities of Students:

Each student is expected to commit to the following guidelines:a.

Preparation

—

the class discussion will mean little if text material is not read and theassignments are not prepared in advance.b.

Presence

—

unique thoughts and insights cannot be contributed to group discussions, or tostudent learning, if you are not present. The SEU attendance policy should be yourguide and is a minimum attendance policy.c.

Promptness

—

late arrivals disrupt the class and adversely impact the decorum of theprocess. This is unprofessional.

Note: Three times late equals one absence for evaluationpurposes

.d.

Participation

—as part owner of the discussion, it is each student’s responsibility to share in

the advancement of th

e group’s collective skills and knowledge

Academic Honesty

—

Any instance of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, will be

COMM 2322 - Spring 2010 - 3 -

handled in accordance with the Student Handbook.f.

Specific Policies

—

If you cannot be present for a class, you are responsible for contacting afellow student by using email in order to find out what was covered in class the day youwere absent and what will be covered in the next class.

Material will be covered in class that is not presented in the textbook. This material may includeinformation included in lectures, additional readings, and in-class exercises. Exams will include thismaterial as well as material assigned in the textbook.

Material

not turned in when due will NOT be accepted and will earn a grade of zero.

Unlessotherwise specified, all assignments must be submitted using either a Microsoft Office product (Word,PowerPoint, etc.) or Adobe PDF; if I cannot open an assignment or the file is corrupt, you cannot earncredit on the assignment.

4. Attendance is important.

Any absences in excess of what is allowed by the SEU policy set forthabove will result in an appropriate grade reduction.

It is your job to keep track of your total absences; Iam not responsible for reminding you about your total absences.

On speech days, if you are tardy youmust wait to enter the class until the speaker has completed her or his speech; you will be able to tellwhen speeches end by listening for the applause. Under no circumstances should you enter the classduring a student speech. This is distracting to the speaker and is considered a violation of violation of the statements regarding classroom decorum and speech day behavior found below.

5. Failure to take a exam or quiz on the assigned

date

will result in a ZERO for that exam

unless theabsence is

approved in advance

by the instructor or is an emergency that is excused by the Dean of the College of Fine Arts.

If you travel with an athletic team or are a member of another SEU approved club or group, you are responsible for submitting assigned material prior to your departure or via email while traveling.

6. Cell Phones and Electronic Devices:

Because your friends and family may not know your classschedule, turn off your cell phones in class. Ringing cell phones are annoying and disruptive, especiallyduring speeches.

Furthermore

, because of the advance technology of text messaging and digitalimaging, the use of any personal electronic devices (cell phones, PDAs, iPods, headphones, etc) isprohibited during examinations. The use of any such item during an examination will result inimmediate dismissal from the classroom and the examination.

7. Agreement with Syllabus Content:

This syllabus is an agreement between the professor and thestudent, between me and you, to respectively provide and complete a worthy learning experience. Byremaining a registered student in this course, you have identified your understanding of andagreement to the obligations set forth in this syllabus for satisfactory completion of this course,including the course policies as well as the assignments. The professor reserves the right to modify thissyllabus during the term.All other academic policies are described in the Student Handbook.

IMPORTANT SEU POLICIES