Введение в стратегические коммуникации

Бакалавриат 2020/2021

Лучший по критерию «Полезность курса для Вашей будущей карьеры»

Лучший по критерию «Полезность курса для расширения кругозора и разностороннего развития»

Статус: Курс по выбору (Программа двух дипломов НИУ ВШЭ и Лондонского университета по международным отношениям)

Направление: 41.03.06. Публичная политика и социальные науки

Кто читает: Факультет мировой экономики и мировой политики

Где читается: Факультет мировой экономики и мировой политики

Когда читается: 2-й курс, 2 модуль

Формат изучения: без онлайн-курса

Преподаватели: Соловьева Ольга Геннадьевна

Язык: английский

Кредиты: 3

Контактные часы: 28

Full Syllabus

Abstract

This is a course for students aiming to pursue International Affairs major. The course is designed to explore internationally recognized major theoretical concepts and applications of communication studies in subfields of Communication theory. Communication discipline borrows a lot of its theoretical base from psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, critical theory, business management, economics, and linguistics. Hence, this course will address multidisciplinary theoretical issues related to the PR issues, echoing in a relationship development with stakeholders in organizational context. Coursework is designed to encourage students to give critical consideration to the place of theory within PR practice and to apply the theories on real case analysis.

Learning Objectives

To understand the essence of strategic communication as a practical discipline within the organisation; be aware of its functions, strategies and particular techniques.
To understand how communication theory and practice have been developed and strategic communication is practiced in different countries.
To identify, analyse, and discuss actual case studies in strategic communication.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Students understand the role and place of strategic communication in the organisation
Students know the steps of strategic communication cycle maintenance
Students know the methods and practices of the research that allows to build strategic communication.
Students know how to use the technology and offline communication methods to organise strategic communication.
Students understand the practice of communicating with media outlets
Students know and are capable of using various communication strategies that are applicable in crisis situations.
Students understand the role of intercultural context in the strategic communication.

Course Contents

Defining strategic communication
First lecture is devoted to providing an understanding of strategic communication as a practical field. We discuss the major approaches to the strategic communication, its role in organisation and society from the utilitarian, functional perspective.
Strategic communication cycle
In this lecture students will learn the idea of stakeholders and the variety of the directions in which strategic communication could be practiced. Here we are focusing at corporate communication and corporate identity maintenance through the prism of stakeholders’ approach. The key outcome for the students is the ability to correspond the diversity of stakeholders involved in relationships with organisation and to choose appropriate techniques to address them.
Research in strategic communication
This lecture outlines key strategies and the importance of the research in strategic communication. Students are expected to revise well-known research methods used in the general practice, such as surveys, focus-groups, content-analysis. After the lecture students are able to correspond the research methods with needs and requests of strategic communication function within the organisation.
Tools and means of strategic communication
Now students are familiar with the most important cornerstones of strategic communication and this lecture is taking them closer to the means of strategic communication. During this lecture, we discuss such tools as press releases, communication strategies, developing practices for the creative collaborations
Managing relations with media
As strategic communication originates mostly in the field of media relations, in this lecture we will focus on functional perspective on how and why should PR practitioners use different media techniques and tools. Here we also cover the topic of new technology and fake news phenomenon.
Crisis communication
Crisis communication relies heavily on strategic communication practitioners. Hence, it is important to be aware of the variety of techniques and theoretical approaches to strategic communication in crisis. This lecture introduces students to the main theoretical and applicable aspects of crisis communication and prepares for the further seminar.
Global communications: practicing in intercultural context
Many types of organizations virtually and physically interact and communicate with publics and/or audiences outside their own country of origin to build a dynamic set of relationships. Global PR as a sub-discipline of PR in general is a particularly special dimension of the field. During this lecture students will learn the major aspects of global PR, recognize its difference in comparison with domestic practice. Lecture also highlights the main aspects of intercultural communication.

Assessment Elements

In class participation
Includes commenting and sharing own opinion on the topic of the class.
Test
Case study essay
Basic requirements 1600-2500 words, PDF, spacing 1.15 5-7 references (academic articles) references and links to all the media materials used no plagiarism. any borrowed fragments without proper citation would be considered as an academic dishonesty and to be reported to the head of the program. Structure In the essay please apply all the knowledge acquired through the course into the analysis of the strategic communication or PR case of your choice. There are no strict guidelines for this essay, just a sample structure which can vary depending on the case you select. Choose and describe the background story of your case For inspiration, please address the textbooks from the recommended literature and look through the problematic articles from the media. Also, you can also think of any current events happening in politics (US Presidential Elections and Kayne West), society (the weird spill and dead sea creatures in Kamchatka) or business (Space Dragon launch). Alternatively, you can look for a CSR strategy of organization of your choice or just analyse the general communication practice of any public body (politician, the embassy, NGO). Describe the publics who are involved in the case you’re describing. Address the main problem of the particular communication strategy: analyze and critique the goals, strategy, target audiences and effectiveness. Provide troubleshooting for the problems that you’ve discovered. Draw a conclusion regarding the findings you’ve got. Be critical!
Report on social presense
This is an in-class activity which students conduct at their own pace sharing the results with the rest of the class. The main idea of the task is to learn and apply various use and critical assessment skills to evaluate social presence of an organization online. Guidelines can be found in the section Assignments’ description below.
5 minutes in class essay
Students are asked to answer 2 questions based on the home readings.
Learning strategy assignment
The class begins with a discussion of the YouTube video and a warm up on strategic communication roles and its main principles. Then we move to the topic of research in comms and the research methods students are familiar with. During this seminar students break into groups to develop a research strategy for a case their group is working with. The product of this seminar - a research strategy is to be submitted by the end of the week and will be graded as one of the assignments. To complete the task successfully, students are expected to go through the primary reading - Chapter ‘Formative research’ from Strategic Planning in Public Relations (p.25-100). The downloaded chapter is available in course materials. READING: Smith, R. D. (2013). Strategic planning for public relations. PHASE 1. FORMATIVE RESEARCH. p.25-100., Routledge

Interim Assessment

Interim assessment (2 module)
0.05 * 5 minutes in class essay + 0.2 * Case study essay + 0.2 * In class participation + 0.15 * Learning strategy assignment + 0.1 * Report on social presense + 0.3 * Test

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Smith, Bruce Lannes, and Harold D. Lasswell. Propaganda, Communication and Public Opinion, Princeton University Press, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4071105.
Smith, R. D. (2017). Strategic Planning for Public Relations (Vol. 5th edition). New York, NY: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1520201

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Aronson, M., Amos, C., & Spetner, D. (2007). The Public Relations Writer’s Handbook : The Digital Age (Vol. 2nd ed). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=199972
Caywood, C. L. (1997). The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations & Integrated Communications. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=51946
Public Relations Cases : International Perspectives, edited by Danny Moss, et al., Routledge, 2010. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=557237.
Smith, R. D. (2013). Strategic planning for public relations. Routledge
Smith, Ronald D.. Strategic Planning for Public Relations, Routledge, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4862851.

Course Syllabus