CORPORATE PUBLIC RELATIONS :: COMM 4363 :: FALL 2010

Professor: Barbara B. Nixon, Ph.D. (ABD)

Office: Lakeland, FL 
Office Hours: TBA
Phone: 901-BNIXON4 (Google Voice, for text or voice mail)
or barbara.b.nixon on Skype
Blog: http://publicrelationsmatters.com
Twitter: BarbaraNixon
E-mail: bbnixon@seuniversity.edu

UNIVERSITY MISSION STATEMENT

Southeastern, a dynamic, Christ-centered university, fosters student success by integrating

personal faith and higher learning. Within our loving Pentecostal community, we challenge
students to a lifetime of good work and of preparing professionally so they can creatively serve
their generation in the Spirit of Christ.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course examines the role of public relations within a corporation and its responsibilities in
developing and maintaining external and internal relations.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
• To understand the corporate context as it affects the corresponding practice of public
relations
• To understand the various roles of public relations in supporting the organizations,
ranging from employee and investor relations to government, community and customer
relations
• To explore contemporary applications and implications of corporate public relations,
while also recognizing the historical context for current practice
• To appreciate the role social media plays in corporate public relations

PREREQUISITE: COMM 2322

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Doorley, J., & Garcia, H. F. (2010). Reputation management: The key to successful public
relations and corporate communications. New York: Routledge. [NOTE: This book is
delayed from the publisher. Stay tuned in BlackBoard for news about the book.]

Students will be expected to read the business section of a major daily newspaper either online
or in hard-copy (i.e. LA Times, NY Times, Wall St. Journal) and stay current with breaking
general and business news having corporate and financial communications implications.

Students will also need to subscribe to Ragan Communications’ PR Daily.

COMM 4363, Fall 2010, p. 1

GRADING:

Readiness Assessment Tests (RATS) 200

Article Review 75
Blog 250
Interview with a Corporate PR Practitioner 75
Final Project / Presentation 300
Final Exam 100
1000

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

Readiness Assessment Tests (RATS): Readiness assessment tests will be given over each
reading assignment from the textbook. The open-book, multiple-choice RATS will be
administered via BlackBoard prior to you coming to class, so that our class time can be more
focused on discussion and application, rather than lectures. You may take each of the RATS
twice, and the higher of the two scores will count. Most RATS will have 10 questions. RATS
grades will be averaged and will comprise 20% of your grade in the class.

Interview with a Corporate PR Practitioner: For this assignment, you will choose and interview
a public relations professional, and then write about this interview at your blog. This post will
be a minimum of 500 words. Post your recap on your blog, and in the Assignments area in
BlackBoard, you’ll need to provide me with the PR professional’s contact information (name,
title & company, phone number and e-mail address).

Article Review: Write a review of an article on any aspect of corporate public relations
discussed in Reputation Management. The article can come from any public relations peer-
reviewed journal, such as Public Relations Review, Public Relations Journal or Journal of Public
Relations Research. Your 500-word minimum review could take the following form:

• What did you learn from reading the article?

• What surprised you in the article?
• What do you want to know more about, now that you’ve read the article?
• How is the information in the article relevant to the corporation you’ve chosen for your
final project?

Use APA style for source citation. Be prepared to briefly discuss this article with your
classmates.

COMM 4363, Fall 2010, p. 2

BLOG: Starting early in the semester, you will create original content for your blog. You will add
new content to your blog, including comments you post to others’ blogs, weekly. Blog posts
that are posted after their due dates may not be graded or earn credit. There will be several
graded Blog Checkpoints, plus a final assessment of the blog. Citing sources in your blog is just
as important as it is in any academic paper you write; plagiarism is not tolerated. Specifics
about the content of your blog will be shared during the first month of class. (More details on
this assignment will be provided early in the semester.)

FINAL PROJECT: For your final project, in a team of three to five classmates, you will analyze
a Fortune 500 or Inc. 500 company from a public relations perspective. The written portion of
the project is due Week 12; your presentation on your company is due Week 13.

This project is worth a total of 300 points of the 1000 available; the written portion is worth
250, and the class presentation is worth 50. Details on this project will be provided by the end
of Week 2.

COURSE POLICIES:

1. Responsibilities of Students: Each student is expected to commit to the following guidelines:

a. Preparation—the class discussion will mean little if text material is not read and the
assignments are not prepared in advance.
b. Presence—unique thoughts and insights cannot be contributed to group discussions,
or to student learning, if you are not present. The SEU attendance policy should be
your guide and is a minimum attendance policy.
c. Promptness—late arrivals disrupt the class and adversely impact the decorum of the
process. This is unprofessional. Note: Three times late equals one absence for
evaluation purposes.
d. Participation—as part owner of the discussion, it is each student’s responsibility to
share in the advancement of the group’s collective skills and knowledge
e. Academic Honesty—Any instance of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, will
be handled in accordance with the Student Handbook.
f. Specific Policies—If you cannot be present for a class, you are responsible for
contacting a fellow student by using email in order to find out what was covered in
class the day you were absent and what will be covered in the next class.

2. Material will be covered in class that is not presented in the textbook. This material may
include information included in lectures, additional readings, and in-class exercises. Exams will
include this material as well as material assigned in the textbook.

3. Material not turned in when due will NOT be accepted and will earn a grade of zero. Unless
otherwise specified, all assignments must be submitted using either a Microsoft Office product
(Word, PowerPoint, etc.) or Adobe PDF; if I cannot open an assignment or the file is corrupt,
you cannot earn credit on the assignment.

COMM 4363, Fall 2010, p. 3

4. Attendance is important. Any absences in excess of what is allowed by the SEU policy set
forth above will result in an appropriate grade reduction. It is your job to keep track of your
total absences; I am not responsible for reminding you about your total absences. On speech
days, if you are tardy you must wait to enter the class until the speaker has completed her or
his speech; you will be able to tell when speeches end by listening for the applause.

5. Failure to take a exam or quiz on the assigned date will result in a ZERO for that
exam unless the absence is approved in advance by the instructor or is an emergency that is
excused by the Dean of the College of Fine Arts. If you travel with an athletic team or are a
member of another SEU approved club or group, you are responsible for submitting assigned
material prior to your departure or via email while traveling.

6. Cell Phones and Electronic Devices: Because your friends and family may not know your
class schedule, turn off your cell phones in class. Ringing cell phones are annoying and
disruptive, especially during speeches. Furthermore, because of the advance technology of text
messaging and digital imaging, the use of any personal electronic devices (cell phones, PDAs,
iPods, headphones, etc) is prohibited during examinations. The use of any such item during an
examination will result in immediate dismissal from the classroom and the examination.

7. Agreement with Syllabus Content: This syllabus is an agreement between the professor and
the student, between me and you, to respectively provide and complete a worthy learning
experience. By remaining a registered student in this course, you have identified your
understanding of and agreement to the obligations set forth in this syllabus for satisfactory
completion of this course, including the course policies as well as the assignments. The
professor reserves the right to modify this syllabus during the term.

All other academic policies are described in the Student Handbook.

IMPORTANT SEU POLICIES

Students with Disabilities

Southeastern University is committed to the provision of reasonable accommodations for

students with learning and or physical disabilities, as defined in Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act 1973. If you think you may qualify for these accommodations, notify your
instructor. You will then be directed to contact the Director of Academic Success at 863-667-
5157.

Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Tests are administered for each
department at the request of each professor to provide special accommodations for those
affected by learning disabilities, vision and physical impairments, attention deficit disorder, and
testing anxiety/phobias. These accommodations are provided on a daily basis for the student
and professors.

COMM 4363, Fall 2010, p. 4

Class Attendance Policy

Students are both expected and encouraged to attend classes regularly. The lack of attendance
may affect a student’s grade.

For traditional fall and spring semesters, a student may miss a class without penalty equal to
the number of times a class meets per week as follows:

• If the class meets once a week a student may miss one class.
• If the class meets two times a week a student may miss two classes.
• If the class meets three times a week a student may miss three classes.

If a student’s absences exceed the number of times a class meets per week, a professor may:

• Subject the student to a penalty of not more than one letter grade based
on attendance alone.
• Recommend to the Vice President for Academic Affairs that a student with
excessive absences be withdrawn from the course.

Program directors must provide lists of students participating in authorized university activities
or field trips to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Once approved, program
directors must provide copies of the lists to the participating students for submission to the
students’ instructors. Faculty must take this information into account as they log attendance
and not consider it an absence.

Working within the framework of the above guidelines, faculty will clearly articulate their
attendance policy in the course syllabus.

Prolonged and/or unusual absences not covered by the policy may be appealed to the Vice
President of Academic Affairs by either the professor or the student. Appeals must be
submitted in writing.

COMM 4363, Fall 2010, p. 5

Final Exam

Every professor is obligated to administer a final exam or hold an appropriate class during the
regularly scheduled exam period. Every student is obligated to take the final exam or attend
that appropriate class during the regularly scheduled exam period. Please plan accordingly and
carefully for final exams. You must not plan vacations, ministry appointments, weddings, airline
flights, or any other similar activity or engagement that will conflict with the final exam
schedule. Also, do not schedule any of these activities so close to your final exam that the
commute to the activity conflicts with the final exam schedule.

Final exams will be administered in the room where the class normally meets. Students with
more than 3 exams scheduled on one day can petition the instructor and department
chair/college dean to take one of the exams another day.

Communication Statement

Southeastern University requires all faculty, staff and students to use their Southeastern email
address for official university communication. Students are required to check Southeastern
email daily as they will be held accountable for all communications sent through this medium.

Course Evaluations

In order to help us to assess the effectiveness of our courses and instructors, if you receive a
course evaluation for this course, you are required to complete it.

COMM 4363, Fall 2010, p. 6

BARBARA B. NIXON’S TEACHING & LEARNING PHILOSOPHY
Several years ago, a colleague shared with me this quotation by longshoreman and philosopher Eric
Hoffer:

“In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully
equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”

This quotation struck a chord with me. Put simply, my overarching goal in teaching is to ensure that our
world has more learners than learned. I am fortunate to be in a role in life where I can have an impact
on our future world leaders.

What do I expect from my students?

• Students should be fully read on all of the chapters (or other reading assignments) and to be
ready to discuss any part of the readings.
• Students should raise questions when they are uncertain of the material we are discussing,
including questions that I will have no easy (“pat”) answer for.
• Students should make every effort to gain the most value that they can from the class. They
should want to become independent learners.
• Students should become aware of not only how what happens in the world (current events)
impacts them, but also how what they do impacts the world. Campus is not a cocoon.

And what can my students expect from me?

• Because I am aware that students learn in many different ways, I will not lecture at my students
daily from behind a raised podium. Instead, I will provide instruction to them in an interactive
manner, even in online courses. In a typical week, students will experience partner discussions,
small group discussions, Internet scavenger hunts, and even crossword puzzles, in addition to
short (less than 20 minute) lecturettes. “Death by PowerPoint” will not happen in my class.
• I will provide them with the most current information I have available. I stay current on topics
and trends in the industry.
• I will stay abreast of current technology and apply it in the classroom whenever it adds to the
learning experience. (Examples include current software, podcasts and blogging, to name a few.)
• I will make every effort to help guide students through the issues that they raise, and we will seek
resolution together.
• I will make every effort I can to make sure that students understand the issues and concepts my
courses present.
• When I have positive feedback to share, I will share it openly in the classroom and call attention
to students by name in the process. My goal in this is to enhance or maintain the students’ self-
esteem, not to break it down. There are plenty of other places in the world where their self-
esteem may be diminished. Constructive criticism will still be provided to students, but not by
name in front of a whole class.
• I expect for us to have fun in class. Laughter and learning go hand in hand in my book. If we are
not enjoying ourselves in class, there’s something amiss.
• And perhaps most importantly, I will listen to my students so that I can learn from them, too.

COMM 4363, Fall 2010, p. 7

 CORPORATE PUBLIC RELATIONS :: COMM 4363 :: FALL 2010
TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE

WEEK # WEEK OF TOPICS READING

1 August 22
2 August 29
3 September 5
4 September 12
5 September 19
6 September 26
7 October 3
8 October 10
9 October 17
10 October 24
11 October 31
12 November 7
13 November 14
Welcome
Overview of Reputation Management
RM, Ch. 1
Personal Reputation Management
Ethics & Communication
RM, Ch 2
 Company Choice Due (Thurs)
Media Relations RM, Ch. 3
Social Media RM, Ch. 4
Organizational Communication
RM, Ch. 5
 Blog Checkpoint #1 (Thurs)
Government Relations
Community Relations RM, Ch. 6-7
 Interview with a Corporate PR Practitioner Due (Thurs)
Investor Relations
Global Relations RM, Ch. 8-9
 Blog Checkpoint #2 (Thurs)
Integrated Communication RM, Ch. 10
Issues Management
RM, Ch. 11-12
Crisis Communication
Corporate Responsibility
RM, Ch. 13
 Article Review Due (Thurs)
Public Relations Consulting
RM, Ch. 14
 Blog Checkpoint #3 (Thurs)
TBA
 Final Project Due (Thurs)
Final Project Presentations

14 November 21 Thanksgiving Holiday/Fall Break

Challenges & Opportunities
15 November 28 RM, Ch. 15
 Blog Due (Thurs)
16 December 5 Evaluations / Wrap Up

FINAL EXAM Complete the Final Exam in BlackBoard before Thursday, Dec. 16, at 1:50 p.m.

Caveat: The above schedule and procedures are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances. When
possible, you will be provided at least two (2) class days of advance notice of any changes.

COMM 4363, Fall 2010, p. 8

 Consent to Comply

I ______________________________________________
Student’s Name (print)

have read, understand, and will keep in my possession the Course Syllabus for COMM 4363,
Southeastern University, 2010/2011. I understand that in compliance with the syllabus and the
Student Handbook, for both instructional and evaluation purposes, I may be responsible for
electronically submitting my written work to Turnitin®. With the affixing of my signature below,
I agree to comply to the terms therein.

_____________________________________________
My Signature

______________________________________________
Date

COMM 4363, Fall 2010, p. 9