Introductory description

What is Public Relations? How are various PR disciplines (e.g., media and social media relations, internal and crisis communications) implemented across countries? How can PR specialists address diversifying target groups? These are some of the questions you and your peers will explore in this module. Moreover, you will use these insights to develop and pitch your own strategic global communication concept as part of a competition. By the end of this module, you will have gained excellent group presentation skills and a strategic mindset to employ PR tools in a global context.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

• Introduction to Global PR
• Situation Analysis
• The Pitch, the Public, & Opinion Leaders
• Strategies and Tactics
• Persuasion Theories: Think, Feel, and Act
• Persuasive Language Use, Rhetoric, and Discourse
• PR in a Globalised World
• PR in the Age of Social Media and Algorithm
• Group Presentations

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Upon successful completion of this module, students will be able to communicate ideas effectively in both oral and written form, use appropriate planning, dramaturgy, and rhetoric, work collaboratively in teams, communicate clearly and contribute effectively to discussions, as well as plan and manage time and workload to meet deadlines.

Indicative reading list

Edwards, L. (2018). Understanding Public Relations: Theory, Culture and Society. Sage.
Smith, R. D. (2024). Strategic Planning for Public Relations. Routledge.
Grunig, J. E. (2013). Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management. Routledge.
Coombs, W. T. (2022). Ongoing Crisis Communication: Planning, Managing, and Responding. Sage.
Brown, R. E., St John III, B., & Hou, JZ. (2021). The Global Foundations of Public Relations. Routledge.
Edwards, L. (2014). Power, Diversity and Public Relations. Routledge.
Grunig, J. E., & Hunt, T. T. (1984). Managing Public Relations. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Smith, R. (2013). Public relations: The basics. Routledge.
Theaker, A., & Yaxley, H. (2017). The Public Relations Strategic Toolkit: An Essential Guide to Successful Public Relations Practice. Routledge.
Theaker, A. (Ed.) (2016). The Public Relations Handbook. Routledge.

Research element

In this module, students will undertake secondary research to evaluate the situation of an organisation of their choice, with the goal of developing a small-scale global Public Relations campaign project to enhance its profile. Additionally, students are expected to deliver a self-reflective analysis of their campaign project development, which will help them develop a professional identity and inform their future practices within the sector.

Interdisciplinary

The teaching content of this module draws on a diverse array of theoretical and conceptual frameworks from various subject areas, including Public Relations, Persuasive Communication, Intercultural Communication, Social Psychology, Sociology of the Media, Globalisation, and New Media Studies. This approach aims to equip students not only with the practical skills needed for a career in Public Relations but also with the ability to critically reflect on current industry practices and drive future changes within the sector.

International

The module emphasises the global and intercultural dimensions of Public Relations communication. Through assessments centred on developing a global Public Relations campaign project, students will gain the ability to understand and critically reflect on executing campaign projects in various sociocultural contexts. These skills are essential for today's PR professionals.

Subject specific skills

To understand and critically assess the main theoretical approaches of global Public Relations.
To understand key challenges relating to the different Public Relations disciplines in a global context.
To develop fundamental Public Relations skills including strategic conceptualisation, effective presentation and writing skills with a particular focus on the global Public Relations context.
To design and present a small-scale global Public Relations campaign project.

Transferable skills

To creatively develop a small-scale global Public Relations campaign project to inform future practices in the PR industry.
To critically reflect on the design of a small-scale global Public Relations campaign project to inform the development of a professional identity in the sector.