Late Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to written reports and recordings only. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs) will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.

If you find you cannot submit your assignment on time, please apply for Special Consideration through AskMQ. Make sure you read Macquarie University's policy regarding Special Consideration requests before you apply: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration

Additional information

For unit assessment requirements and standards for this unit, please refer to the Assessment Policy (Schedule 1): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/assessment

To achieve the full benefit of learning in this unit as well as to successfully complete assessment tasks, it is crucial to engage with the lectures, read the set readings, and actively participate in the tutorials. The tutorials will be focused on discussing important knowledge from the lectures, workshopping ideas, working through scenarios, developing projects that will form the basis of your assessments, and practicing important related skills relevant to a career in public relations and social media.

Lectures and Tutorials MMCC2100 consists of a 1-hour lecture (live online and recorded) and MMCC6100 tutorials are 1.5 hour tutorial (on-campus). Lectures begin in Week 1. Tutorials begin in Week 2. 

Students are expected to engage in the lecture (live or recorded), read the assigned readings, and engage with other materials provided on ilearn prior to their tutorial to ensure they are prepared for class discussions and activities. i.e. if you are not watching the lecture live please schedule a time in your calendar to watch it before your tutorial.

Consultation

To schedule a consultation time please contact Nipa.Saha@mq.edu.au

Audio-Visual Materials 

Audio-visual materials including recorded lectures, lecture slides, tutorial materials and online readings will be available via iLearn.

Readings 

All required readings will be available electronically and linked to the weekly topics in Leganto/ilearn. It is recommended that you start with the set textbook first where listed, following by extra materials in the 'consolidation' section for each week, and move on to other readings to assist with your assessment tasks if you have more time. A link to the readings will be available under each weekly heading. Alternatively you may access readings for all weeks via the Leganto/Unit Readings tab on ilearn. Note that new and extra readings may be added to the Leganto tab for those interested in going deeper.

Textbook

The following book is the set texbook for this unit:

Sutherland, K., Ali, S. and Khattab, U. (2019) Public Relations and Strategic Communication. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. 

The chapters in the book form the weekly readings for most weeks. Knowledge of content from both the lectures and this book will provide a solid basis for the assessment tasks and must be referenced in assessments along with any other readings relevant to your specific project or case study. 

The textbook will be available via ilearn/Leganto/the library as an e-book. As a limited number of students will be able to access the book at any one time due to copyright restrictions, it is highly recommended that students download relevant chapters well in advance of assessment due dates or purchase their own copy in case they are unable to access the library copies when needed.

If you are relying on the library copies please log off ASAP after you have downloaded what you need to give everyone an opportunity.

If you'd like to purchase your own paperback or e-book you can get 20% off the e-book from the publisher by using the code SAVE20 at the checkout. When compiling this unit guide, the best value for the paperback version seemed to be via Amazon at half price. The text is also available to rent as an eBook at half the cost of the print book from the publisher. Click here.

Technology required

You are expected to access iLearn: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/ at least once a week before your tutorial and keep up-to-date with lectures, announcements and new materials. You are also advised to check your student emails regularly for ilearn and unit updates. You should be able to access relevant scholarly and professional information from the library online and from broader online, media and social media sources.

You will be required to create a video capturing face-to-camera as well as slides for one of the assignments. The suggested platforms for recording this assessment are Zoom or Echo360. If you have any issues with access to technology, please consult with the unit convenor as soon as possible. You are advised to test out technology in the first week of the unit (don't wait until the week your assignment is due). If you have any technical difficulties please contact onehelp@mq.edu.au for assistance.

PR FOUNDATIONS

Week 1:  Introduction to PR and the Unit

Week 2: Publics, Channels, Messages: Focus on Earned Media and Social Media

Week 3: PR Theories, Research Methods, Analytical Skills

PROACTIVE CHANGE CAMPAIGNS

Week 4: Not-for-Profit/Charity/Advocacy Campaigns  

Week 5: Corporate Campaigns: Social Responsibility (CSR), Environmental, Social Governance (ESG), Corporate Activism

Week 6: Government Campaigns / Political Campaigns

MEDIA RELATIONS / CONTENT CREATION

Week 7:  How to write a media release and pitch to journalists (Assessment 1 – Awareness/Advocacy Campaign Analysis Due 30%)

MID-SEMESTER BREAK

Week 8: AI in PR: Pros and Cons for PR Planning and Content Creation 

CRISIS COMMUNICATION

Week 9:  PR and Ethics: A Deeper Dive (Assessment 2 – Campaign Creation / AI Analysis Due 30%)

Weeks 10-11:  Issue and Crisis Communications: Theories and Cases

Week 12: Professional Presentation Skills: Presenting to Clients

Week 13: No class (Assessment 3 – Crisis Communication Presentation Due 40%)