Year II

This introductory course, designed for career changers and those new to public relations, details the ideas, skills, and principles that underlie the public relations craft. Students in this class study the role and contributions of public relations practitioners in contemporary society, learn about potential legal and ethical aspects of the practice of public relations, study the communication process and how persuasion is used with various audiences, and learn how to develop a strategic communication plan to achieve specific goals and objectives.

This course is an introduction to the theory and research of the mental processes of a communicating individual. Topics include how individuals process and remember communicating information, how motivation influences processing of communication and how attitudes form and change.

The course also reviews critically a variety of experimental and survey based techniques for observation of message processing (e.g. signal detection, physiological response, think aloud and thorough listing approaching, modelling of time sequenced processes).

This course explores inter-individual and inter-group relationships in communication using insights from a variety of disciplines like speech communication, sociology, psychology, anthropology and philosophy. Theories and research from these areas are applied to asses any communalities and differences underlying messages between individuals, ethnic and religious groups, generations, races, sex, etc. Emphasis will be places on ways applying these insights to reduce social conflict and national and international tension.

CSK 2103: MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION

This course is survey of the present state and future applications of interactive communication technologies, cable and satellite delivery systems, worldwide computing network and other electronic media. It examines the impact of these technologies on society behaviour as well as their influences on communication. Topics include the way technology affects cognitive processing of messages, knowledge representations, visualization and the manner in which communication technologies are adapted and implemented for various purposes.

This course explores the complexities and strategies of internal and external communication in public, private, and non-profit organizations. As a leadership tool, communication serves a political, informational, symbolic, and influential function. Organizational theory and research are core components of this course. Specifically, this course equips students to critique and develop the fundamentals of: vision and mission statements, strategic plans, white papers, annual reports, crisis communication, and marketing and promotional communication.