Public Relations Principles and Methods

Study Course Description

Course Description Statuss:Approved

Course Description Version:6.00

Study Course Accepted:02.02.2024 12:25:28

Study Course Information
Course Code:		KSK_257		LQF level:		Level 6
Credit Points:		2.00		ECTS:		3.00
Branch of Science:		Communication Sciences; Library Science		Target Audience:		Communication Science
Study Course Supervisor
Course Supervisor:		Lāsma Šķestere
Study Course Implementer
Structural Unit:		Faculty of Social Sciences
The Head of Structural Unit:
Contacts:		Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szfrsu[pnkts]lv
Study Course Planning
Full-Time - Semester No.1
Lectures (count)		6	Lecture Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Lectures		12
Classes (count)		4	Class Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Classes		8
Total Contact Hours								20
Part-Time - Semester No.1
Lectures (count)		5	Lecture Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Lectures		10
Classes (count)		3	Class Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Classes		6
Total Contact Hours								16
Study course description
Preliminary Knowledge:
Not required.
Objective:
The objective of the course is to cultivate a fundamental knowledge foundation and theoretical framework that is indispensable for a thriving practice in public relations. Upon finishing the course, students should possess a thorough comprehension of public relations, its significance, and its function in ensuring the effective functioning of an organization. At the end of the course, students should be able to analyze various public relations problems and apply public relations tools to solve communication challenges.
Topic Layout (Full-Time)
No.	Topic			Type of Implementation		Number	Venue
1	Understanding and definitions of modern public relations.			Lectures		2.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
2	Concept of image and reputation, basic principles of their formation.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
3	Argumentation as a key of PR messages			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
4	Concept of the audience and public. Principles of segmentation of the target audience.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
5	Methods and tools of public relations. Creation of media relations and publicity. Visualisation and digitalisation of information.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
Topic Layout (Part-Time)
No.	Topic			Type of Implementation		Number	Venue
1	Understanding and definitions of modern public relations.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
2	Concept of image and reputation, basic principles of their formation.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
3	Argumentation as a key of PR messages			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
4	Concept of the audience and public. Principles of segmentation of the target audience.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		0.50	auditorium
5	Methods and tools of public relations. Creation of media relations and publicity. Visualisation and digitalisation of information.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		0.50	auditorium
Assessment
Unaided Work:
Preparing for seminar tasks; independent study of literature. Set of evaluation of criteria for each specific task. In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal.
Assessment Criteria:
Final grade (10 points): 1. Participation in lectures and seminars (attendance): 5%; 2. Active participation in lectures and seminars: 5% 3. Seminar tasks: 60% 4. Exam (test): 30%
Final Examination (Full-Time):		Exam (Written)
Final Examination (Part-Time):		Exam (Written)
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:		After mastering the study course students are familiar with the principles of public relations, public relations models and the main public relations tools.
Skills:		After mastering the study course students are able to critically analyse communication of organisations and evaluate it.
Competencies:		As a result of learning the study course, students communicate strategically, being able to use the necessary public relations tools according to communication needs
Bibliography
No.	Reference
Required Reading
1	Grunig. Excellent public relations and effective organizations : a study of communication management in three countries : Larissa A. Grunig, James A. Grunig, David M. Dozier. 2002. NewJersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., P.306
2	Grunig E. James. 2011. Public relations and strategic management: Institutionalizing organization-public relationship in contemporary society. Central European Journal of Communication 1.
3	Grunig, James E. 1992. Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management, New Jersey: LEA.
4	Davidson, S. 2016. Public relations theory : An agonistic critique of the turns to dialogue and symmetry.
5	Communication Ecologies: Analyzing Adoption of False Beliefs in an Information-Rich Environment. Science Communication, 40(5), 650–668.
6	Dulek, R. E., & Campbell, K. S. 2015. On the Dark Side of Strategic Communication
7	Katlips, S. M., Senters A. H., Brūms G. M. 2002. Sabiedriskās attiecības. Rīga: Avots
8	Thomas, G. F., & Stephens, K. J. 2015. An Introduction to Strategic Communication. International Journal of Business Communication. Vol. 52(1) 3 –11
9	Heath, Robert L. 2001. Handbook of Public Relations. Thousand Oaks, London un New Dehli: Sage Publications, Inc.
Additional Reading
1	Argenti, Paul. A. 1996. “Corporate Communication as a Discipline: Toward a Definition.” Management Communication Quarterly. Volume 10, Issue 1, pp. 73–97
2	Goldhaber, Gerald M. 1993. Organizational Communication. Brown & Benchmark Publisher.
3	Oliver, S. 2007. Public Relations Strategy: 2nd edition. London: Kogan Page Limited.
4	Spaho, Kenan. 2012. Organizational communication process.
5	Kelly, Marylin S. 2006. Communication @ Work: Ethical, Effective and Expressive Communication in the Workplace. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.