MSC3217

Description

In the past decade the proliferation and growing relevance of social media have sparked a global discussion about their effects on human communication. From their role in political revolution to their influence on the social lives of teenagers, digital communication technologies have precipitated heated debates. Public relations (PR), or the practice of managing the flow of communication between a corporation, organization, individual and the wider public, has not been an exception. This course explores PR through a critical perspective that focuses on the changes and continuities the field experiences in the age of digital communication. The course approaches both PR and new media from an ethical angle that investigates how they work together and the moral and political dilemmas that their unity engenders. Course participants will engage in a critical conversation that examines the place of PR in our contemporary world as well as the role of critical citizens in an age of electronic communication. With its ethical rather than marketing focus this course raises questions that often remain underexplored in journalistic and everyday discussions of PR and emergent media. Some of the topics that "Public Relations in the Digital Age" examines are the formation of online identities, social media policies, corporate social responsibility (CSR), government PR and political campaigns. The class material will consist of lectures, discussions, and film screenings. Formerly MSPC 3217