Principles of Strategic Communication JMC:1300:0001 Fall 2019 Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:30 to 4:45 pm 109 English-Philosophy Building (EPB) Instructor: Rachel Young, PhD, MPH Office: W333 Adler Journalism Building Drop-in hours: Wednesday 2:00-3:00 pm; Thursday 12:30 pm-2:30 pm; or by appointment Email: rachel-young@uiowa.edu Course website: icon.uiowa.edu The term “strategic communication” covers a lot of territory: public relations, advocacy/activism, health communication, marketing communication, investor relations, fundraising, media relations, lobbying, content marketing. All have at their core the planned effort to influence others by providing information and developing relationships. Throughout the class we’ll balance two perspectives: as students, you will read academic research and journalistic accounts and ask critical questions about the role of public relations and strategic communication; as potential practitioners, you will read textbooks and industry publications to become familiar with the field. You’ll practice applying the concepts and strategies we discuss in class to case studies. You’ll also adopt one of most important habits of successful strat comm pros – curiosity, keeping up with news from a variety of sources. Course Goals

• To introduce the field of strategic communication • To develop the concepts and skills needed for advanced coursework.

Course Objectives The specific objectives of this course are to increase students’ awareness and understanding of:

• The scope and structure of the strategic communication industry • Strategic communication concepts, terms, and practices in a variety of settings • How organizations and causes use strategic communication to achieve goals • The history of strategic communication as a practice and profession • Regulatory and ethical considerations in strategic communication • The role of planning, research, and evaluation in strategic communication campaigns • The impact of new technologies on strategic communications • How to analyze strategic communication problems • The interdependence of strategic communication practices and media content

Learning Outcomes The School of Journalism and Mass Communication is committed to your academic and professional success. In line with this commitment, we have identified particular learning outcomes that every student should obtain by the time they earn a JMC degree. You can find more information about these learning outcomes here http://clas.uiowa.edu/sjmc/undergraduate-programs/assessment. This course, which is a foundation course for majors, contributes to the following areas:

• Understand the principles of media literacy and develop the skills necessary to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media messages across multiple media domains. Much media content is strategic communication.

• Understand that clear, concise, correct writing is at the heart of journalistic expression and that reporting and communicating it effectively requires a knowledge and achievement of the highest, professionally-accepted standards in all work. You’ll practice some professional writing formats.

• Understand the diversity of groups (including communities defined by gender, race, ethnicity, age, religion and sexual orientation) in a global society in relationship to communications. Effective strategic communication is audience-based.

• Understand and apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press in real space and cyberspace, and demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and their historical development. Public relations and strategic communication have guidelines similar to—but different from—journalism.

• Understand the history of media in the context of industries and identify transformations in audiences, engagement, and business practice over time. What we know as public relations and strategic communication developed to meet communication needs of organizations

Reading Tom Kelleher: Public Relations. 2018, Oxford University Press. This book is required. (ISBN 978-0190201470) Available at Iowa Book, used, new, and as rental. Also check online sources. Ebook available through Oxford University Press. One copy is available on reserve in Journalism Resource Center. We’ll add to it in class and through reading in other books, journals, and the web as posted on ICON. I may update or change these readings as the semester goes on to make sure they’re as current as possible, so be sure to check ICON each week rather than relying only on the syllabus. It’s important for people in strategic communication industries to keep up with local, national, and international news and current events. You need to anticipate how what’s happening in the world affects your clients or organization. This semester, plan to spend some time every week reviewing news and current events. I suggest that you regularly read the Daily Iowan, Cedar Rapids Gazette, or Iowa City Press-Citizen for local and university news and one of the following two newspapers for national and international news. Both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal are high-quality, rigorously reported publications. Access to most New York Times articles is free for Iowa students. Go to http://AccessNYT.com to register for free access. The Wall Street Journal has very affordable student subscriptions, $1 a week for digital, click here. Quizzes will include a few current event questions each week, and you’ll also need to be up-to-date on current events to complete your environmental scanning report.

Course Work Exams. You will have three exams (Exam A 150 points, Exam B 150 points, Final 200 points) that will cover lecture, reading, and class discussion. The typical exam format will be a mix of multiple choice, definition and matching, and short answer. The exams at the end of Sections A and B will cover those sections, while your final exam will be cumulative, ie, it will cover the whole class. Reading Checks. Before class every Tuesday we have assigned reading, you will be required to complete a short, untimed quiz (combination of multiple choice, true/false). These reading checks (10 points each) will cover key concepts you need to know for class, as well as current events. Please note: Reading checks will be due before the start of class on Tuesday. It is your responsibility to pay attention to ICON and/or the syllabus to determine when reading checks are due – I will not remind you about them. READING CHECKS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED LATE. While you cannot make up Reading Checks, I will drop your lowest two scores at the end of the semester. In-Class Exercises. Throughout the semester, we will have activities, such as one-minute papers, practice quizzes, and discussion questions, that will help you analyze and apply the key concepts and definitions for the corresponding module. In-class exercises will be graded as Present/Absent. Please note: In-class exercises will generally be due end of class (4:45 pm) either via hard copy or through ICON – it is your responsibility to make sure you turn your exercise in on time. IN-CLASS EXERCISES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED LATE. While you cannot make up in-class exercises, I will drop your lowest three scores at the end of the semester. Environmental Scanning Report. You will produce a three-page environmental scanning report, outlining how a particular event can have an impact on an organization and how (if at all) you should react to it. To complete the report, you’ll identify a relevant and recent situation or event, read at least five relevant news stories or reports from official sources, summarize the situation in relation to your organization, and recommend how (if at all) your organization should react. Group Campaign Report. In strat comm, you will rarely find yourself working on a project solo. In fact, you will often find yourself assigned to work with a group which may have varied – and at times opposing – approaches to a problem. This assignment is designed to help you build group work skills. In this assignment, you will apply the concepts and definitions you have learned throughout the class to analyzing a campaign. Your group will produce a five-page paper that includes a situation analysis, secondary research, goals and objectives, and strategy. You’ll present your report the last week of class. More details will be provided in class and via ICON. Professionalism. Part of this class is introducing you to the strategic communication profession, so part of your grade comes from practicing acting professionally. You all start with 100% for professionalism. I’ll deduct points for: distracting your classmates with technology use or talking in class, coming late, poor email etiquette, asking questions answered on the syllabus, lack of equal participation for group work, and any other lapses in professionalism. I’ll send you one email as a warning if I see something I’d subtract points for. After that, I’ll keep track of points deducted from your final grade.

Grading Criteria Final course grades will be assessed based on your performance in the following areas: Points Possible Exams 500 points In-class Exercises 100 points Reading Checks 100 points Environmental Scanning Report 100 points Group Report 150 points Professionalism 50 points Total 1000 points

Grading Guidelines Final grades will be computed using the scale below (Please note: No A+). An A grade is reserved for exceptional work, B is above average, and C is acceptable. I will round up if (and only if) you are at the next 0.5%. So, a 59.5% is rounded up to a D minus, for example.

95%-100% A 90%-94% A- 87%-89% B+ 83%-86% B 80%-82% B- 77%-79% C+ 73%-76% C 70%-72% C- 67%-69% D+ 63%-66% D 60%-62% D- Below 60% F

Course Policies Class Discussion: Occasionally, we may discuss sensitive and/or controversial issues in class. While I do encourage disagreement and discussion, I ask that we remain civil and respectful. Due Dates and Missed Deadlines: Assignments are due at the time specified on ICON. If due dates change during the semester, those changes will be announced in class. Unless otherwise specified, you will upload your work to the assignment folder provided on the course ICON site. Assignments will go down by a full letter grade each day that they’re late. An A assignment due at the start of class that’s received at 5 pm that day will earn a B, a C the day after, etc. A note on exams. Vacation plans, long weekends, and other absences not related to illness or emergencies do not qualify as excused absences for exams. If you must miss an exam due to an emergency or illness, you must contact Professor Young via email prior to the exam. Make-up

exams must be taken within a week of the scheduled exam. Exams will not be handed back in class, but you can view your exam during Professor Young’s office hours or by appointment. Plagiarism: I run all assignments through plagiarism detection software available through ICON. Students may unintentionally copy others’ work. However, since I cannot assess whether plagiarism is intentional or unintentional, all work that copies others’ words without proper attribution will be considered plagiarized and will receive an automatic zero. If you still have questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please make an appointment to meet with me. Lecture notes: I do not post slides from class. The outline of the week’s lectures will be posted on ICON by the following Monday and remain posted for a week. The outline will not contain all information discussed in the lecture, however, so you should not assume that skipping the lectures will allow you to earn a desirable grade on exams. You must retrieve the notes within the week they are posted – after they are removed, they will not be e-mailed or otherwise provided. The lecture notes will serve as your study guide for exams, so download them each week. Attendance: Class attendance is imperative. I will not take attendance in this class. However, for many classes you will complete in-class exercises (one-minute responses, group work, etc.) that will be turned in at the end of class. If you miss class, you will miss the opportunity to turn these in (see In-Class Exercises above for more details on the grading). If you miss a class and/or are out of town, you are still responsible for completing the Reading Check for that class. Technology in Class: Research shows that the use of laptops and other electronic devices in class leads to reduced knowledge retention, poorer learning outcomes, and worse grades for students. For this reason, I ask that you refrain from using electronic devices during the lecture portion of class. You will be able to use laptops, etc., for in-class exercises. Workload: You are also expected to spend enough time outside of the classroom on the readings and assignments. The CLAS student workload guidelines advise that each semester hour of class time should entail around two hours each week of outside preparation for the average student. This means that in a 3-semester-hour course like this one, students should expect 6 additional hours of outside work per week on average. Online Communication: I am always happy to answer any e-mails with questions, comments or concerns. However, they should be sent through your Hawk e-mail account or ICON (see Electronical Communication in University/CLAS Policies below). Always put JMC 1300 in the subject line. I only check/respond to email during certain times and will respond to your e-mail in a timely manner (within 24-48 hours). I usually do not check my work email on weekends. Do not email me the night before an exam/assignment is due and expect a response before class the next day. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/636/01/ https://medium.com/@lportwoodstacer/how-to-email-your-professor-without-being-annoying-af-cf64ae0e4087#.nih9hwtvw Drop-in Hours: I encourage you to use my office hours to introduce yourself, clarify any question you have about the material, or discuss any strat comm/SJMC topics. My drop-in hours are listed at the top of the syllabus. If you cannot meet during my drop-in hours, you may email me to set up a different time.

Course Schedule

Week Topic, Readings, Due Dates

Learning Objectives

Section A; The Big Picture: Concepts, Careers, Clearing Up Confusion

Week 1 27 & 29 August

Introduction to strategic campaigns Reading (for Thurs): Kelleher, Ch. 1 Tuesday: Syllabus, introduction Thursday: Principled public relations Reading check 1 due 8/29

• Overview of the class assignments and expectations

• Learn strat comm definitions and basics

• Discuss importance of ethics and diversity in strat comm

Week 2 3 & 5 September

Origins of Strat Comm & PR Reading: Kelleher, Ch. 2 & 3; Bernays, Propaganda (on ICON) Tuesday: Evolution of PR Thursday: Convergence Reading check 2 due 9/3

• Learn the origins of PR • Examine role of PR in

democracy • Define and analyze PR models • Define, analyze and discuss

media convergence and its effects

Week 3 10 & 12 September

Working in Strat Comm and PR Reading: Kelleher, Ch. 14 & 13; Old and New Skills (on ICON) Tuesday: Careers in Strat Comm Thursday: Global Strat comm Reading check 3 due 9/10

• Learn jobs/industries in strat comm

• Learn about global aspects of strat comm

• Discuss ethics and diversity issues

Week 4 17 & 19 September

Relationships and legal issues Reading: Kelleher, Ch. 4 & 11 Tuesday: Relationships Thursday: Legal Reading check 4 due 9/17

• Identify stakeholders and publics

• Analyze organization-public relationships

• Evaluate corporate social responsibility

• Discuss legal and ethical issues

Week 5 24 & 26 September

Review and Exam A Reading: None Tuesday: Review for Exam Thursday: Exam A

Section B – PR/Strat Comm Planning Process

Week 6 1 & 3 October

Planning overview and research Reading: Kelleher, Ch. 5 & 6 Tuesday: Research Thursday: Planning

Reading check 5 due 10/1

• Understand the role of research in strat comm

• Understand the basics of strat comm planning

Week 7 8 & 10 October

Audiences and persuasion Reading (on ICON): Hallahan; Applying Behavioral Principles Tuesday: Audiences Thursday: Persuasion

Reading check 6 due 10/8

• Identify key publics and define target audiences

• Define elements of the behavioral framework

• Discuss ethics of persuasion

Week 8 15 & 17 October

Goals & objectives, strategies & tactics Reading (on ICON): Cutting Edge PR; Project SMART; Strategy – PR Week Tuesday: Goals & objectives Thursday: In-class workshop Reading check 7 due 10/15 Environmental Scanning Report due to ICON Friday, 10/18

• Develop goals and SMART objectives that strategically align with an organization’s mission

Week 9 22 & 24 October

Implementation and evaluation Reading: Kelleher, Ch. 7 & 8 Tuesday: Implementation Thursday: Evaluation Reading check 8 due 10/22

• Define key concepts related to implementation of strat comm plans

• Define and apply industry standards for measuring strat comm plans

Week 10 29 & 31 October

Writing for multimedia Reading: Kelleher, Ch. 9 & 10 Tuesday: Writing for a multimedia audience Thursday: In-class workshop Reading check 9 due 10/29

• Discuss key purposes of good writing

• Analyze and apply basic approaches required for cross-platform message development

Week 11 5 & 7 November

Review and Exam B Tuesday: Review for Exam Thursday: Exam B

Section 3 – Strat Comm/PR in Action

Week 12 12 & 14 November

PR in corporations Reading: Kelleher, Ch. 12; Corporate Public Relations chapter and Slate mag link (on ICON)

Tuesday: Corporate and crisis comm

Thursday: Crisis comm, continued Reading check 10 due 11/12

• Learn basics of issue and crisis management and discuss real-world case studies

Week 13 19 & 21 November

Advocating for interests and causes Reading (on ICON): Lattimore, Govt Relations; Wilcox, Nonprofits

Tuesday: Government/public affairs Thursday: Nonprofits Reading check 11 due 11/19

• Learn basics of government relations/political communication

• Learn basics of advocacy and discuss real-world case studies

Week 14 26 & 28 November

Thanksgiving break

Week 15 3 & 5 December

Media relations, content marketing Reading: Four links to industry articles (on ICON) Review Kelleher, 71-73, 88-93 Tuesday: Media, content marketing Thursday: Work in groups Reading check 12 due 12/03

• Learn basics of media relations • Learn basics of content/social

media marketing and discuss real world case studies

Week 16 10 & 12 December

Group presentations Tuesday: Group presentations Thursday: Group presentations Group report due Friday, 12/13

Finals Week

Final exam time announced by fifth

week of class.

THE IOWA DOZEN We learn:

• to write correctly and clearly; to conduct research and gather information responsibly; to edit and evaluate carefully; to use media technologies thoughtfully; to apply statistical concepts appropriately

We value: • First Amendment principles for all individuals and groups; a diverse global community;

creativity and independence; truth, accuracy, fairness, and diversity We explore:

• mass communication theories and concepts; media institutions and practices; the role of media in shaping cultures

University/CLAS Policies Absences and Attendance Students are responsible for attending class and for contributing to the learning environment of a course. Students are also responsible for knowing their course absence policies, which will vary by instructor. All absence policies, however, must uphold the UI policy related to student illness, mandatory religious obligations, including Holy Day obligations, unavoidable circumstances, or University authorized activities (https://clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/attendance-absences). Students may use this absence form to aid communication; the instructor will decide if the absence is excused or unexcused (https://clas.uiowa.edu/sites/default/files/ABSENCE%20EXPLANATION%20FORM2019.pdf). Academic Integrity All undergraduates enrolled in courses offered by CLAS have, in essence, agreed to the College's Code of Academic Honesty. Misconduct is reported to the College, resulting in suspension or other sanctions, with sanctions communicated with the student through the UI email address (https://clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/academic-fraud-honor-code). Accommodations for Disabilities UI is committed to an educational experience that is accessible to all students. A student may request academic accommodations for a disability (such as mental health, attention, learning, vision, and physical or health-related condition) by registering with Student Disability Services (SDS). The student is then responsible for discussing specific accommodations with the instructor. More information is at https://sds.studentlife.uiowa.edu/. Administrative Home of the Course The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is the administrative home of this course and governs its add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and related policies. Other colleges may have different policies. CLAS policies may be found here: https://clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook. Communication and the Required Use of UI Email Students are responsible for official correspondences sent to the UI email address (uiowa.edu) and must use this address for all communication within UI (Operations Manual, III.15.2).

Complaints Students with a complaint about an academic issue should first visit with the instructor or course supervisor and then with the Chair of the department or program offering the course; students may next bring the issue to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. For more information, see https://clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/student-rights-responsibilities. Final Examination Policies The final exam schedule is announced around the fifth week of classes; students are responsible for knowing the date, time, and place of a final exam. Students should not make travel plans until knowing this information. No exams of any kind are allowed the week before finals. Visit https://registrar.uiowa.edu/final-examination-scheduling-policies. Nondiscrimination in the Classroom UI is committed to making the classroom a respectful and inclusive space for all people irrespective of their gender, sexual, racial, religious or other identities. Toward this goal, students are invited to optionally share their preferred names and pronouns with their instructors and classmates. The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination and harassment against individuals on the basis of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, and other identity categories set forth in the University’s Human Rights policy. For more information, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (diversity.uiowa.edu). Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community must uphold the UI mission and contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment must be reported immediately. For assistance, please see https://osmrc.uiowa.edu/.

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