Public Relations, Minor
Program Description
Public Relations (PR) is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its publics. PR strategy has evolved alongside technological advances, and organizations are now required to connect with diverse publics using a variety of platforms. The core courses in the public relations minor provide students with practical skills in public relations writing and design, research, strategy and crisis communication. Furthermore, students are guided in the development of a career portfolio showcasing this diverse skill set. Students should utilize electives to gain skills in supplemental areas such as media production, digital journalism, marketing, and persuasion.
The minor consists of 18 semester hours, which include 4 core courses. At least 15 hours for the minor must be upper division.
Students who select this minor must consult with the Faculty Adviser to the Public Relations Minor prior to completing 6 semester hours of coursework listed in the program. The minor declaration must be filed with the Advisor in the College of Liberal Arts.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| COMM 2330 | Introduction to Public Relations | 3 |
| COMM 3331 | Public Relations Writing and Design | 3 |
| COMM 4335 | Crisis Communication | 3 |
| COMM 4394 | Professional PR Portfolio | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select 6 hours from the following: 1 | 6 | |
| Persuasion | ||
| Social Media Content and Measurement | ||
| Public Relations Campaigns | ||
| Organizational Communication | ||
| Topics in Communication Studies | ||
| Communication Internship | ||
| Grants and Proposals | ||
| Cross-Platform Editing & Layout | ||
| Photojournalism | ||
| Sports Writing | ||
| New Media and Communication *,^ | ||
| First Amendment and Ethical Issues in the Media | ||
| Global Media and International Communication | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |
- 1
Elective selection must be approved by the Faculty Adviser to the Public Relations Minor.
- *
Online offering
- ^
Blended offering
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Courses
Communication Courses
COMM 1311 Foundation of Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course examines a breadth of topics fundamental to the study of communication and works to improve students' communication skills in three primary contexts: interpersonal relationships, group/teamwork, and presentational speaking.
TCCNS: SPCH 1311
COMM 1315 Public Speaking
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Research, composition, organization, and delivery of speeches for various purposes and occasions, with emphasis on listener analysis and on informative and persuasive techniques.
TCCNS: SPCH 1315
COMM 1318 Interpersonal Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Predominant issues related to verbal and nonverbal communication with a focus on interpersonal relationships.
TCCNS: SPCH 1318
COMM 1321 Business and Professional Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Introduces students to basic skills, principles, and contexts of communication in business and professional settings by combining public speaking with aspects of communication ethics and organizational, small group, and interpersonal communication. Students will learn practical skills via presentations, research, resumes, interviews, meetings, and professional writing grounded in communication theory.
COMM 2330 Introduction to Public Relations
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An exploration of the history and development of public relations including the theory and process of public relations, and the various publics and careers associated with the public relations industry.
TCCNS: COMM 2330
COMM 2333 Small Group Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Application of small group theories and techniques as they relate to group process and interaction.
TCCNS: SPCH 2333
COMM 2335 Presentational Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Advanced study of the principles and methods of formal presentations for various purposes and audiences to further develop students into effective communicators. Course assignments will include various special occasion speeches, dynamic instructional speeches, extemporaneous speaking, creation of effective visual aids, and a group community action presentation.
COMM 3310 Communication Theory
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The foundations, processes, and effects of human communication. A survey of contemporary theory and research, including language theory, nonverbal and small group communication, persuasion, and mass communication.
COMM 3311 Nonverbal Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The study of body movement, touch, paralanguage, space, environment, and other nonverbal factors in the communication process.
COMM 3325 Relational Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course is an advanced interpersonal communication course that focuses on communication within relationships, such as family, romantic, friendship, and workplace relationships.
COMM 3326 Research Methods
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The purpose of this course is to increase student's knowledge of the research process used in the Communication Studies discipline. Specifically, the course will allow students the opportunity to learn the goals of communication research and scrutinize various techniques for creating academic research and assessing academic knowledge.
COMM 3330 Persuasion
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Various theories and forms of rhetorical persuasion. Topics include practical reasoning skills, psychological theories of persuasion, and critical responses to persuasive messages.
COMM 3331 Public Relations Writing and Design
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will introduce students to the basic principles and formatting requirements for public relations writing. Students will gain theoretical and practical experience in developing content for specific audiences.
COMM 3335 UIL Debate and Speech
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Understanding the University Interscholastic League debate and speech events. Students explore approaches to analytical reasoning, research delivery, and the conceptual basis for debate and gain practical experience in understanding and judging UIL in the high school setting.
COMM 3350 Leadership
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
focuses on the communication of influence that takes place to achieve goals or encourage change. Specific attention will be devoted to a variety of approaches, processes, and theories that will provide students general knowledge of leadership.
COMM 4314 Gender Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examination of communication about women and men, as well as communication between them. Special course emphasis on explanations of gender, sexist language, media depiction of the sexes, and gender communication in the formation of social and work relationships.
COMM 4315 Communication and Sexuality
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will focus on communication and sexuality, specifically exploring sex and gender identity development and expression, intersections of race/ethnicity and sex/gender, how communication impacts various types of relationships, the role of communication in sexual activity, and power abuses related to sexual activity, with specific focus on consent and sexual safety.
COMM 4326 Social Media Content and Measurement
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This workshop-style course will provide students with an understanding of social media strategy and measurement. Students will develop engaging content for brands and public figures, gain experience using top social networks and use software to participate in social listening, content scheduling and measuring key performance indicators.
COMM 4331 Public Relations Campaigns
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An application of the public relations process (including primary and secondary research, goals and objective development, the selection of proper strategies and tactics for implementation, and an evaluation of campaign effectiveness) through the production and presentation of a public relations campaign for a local organization.
Prerequisite: COMM 2330.
COMM 4335 Crisis Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An application of crisis communication (including organizational research, risk and vulnerability assessment, strategic communication, and performance and damage evalutation) through the development and presentation of a crisis communication plan for a local organization.
COMM 4345 Intercultural Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An investigation of the process by which persons and groups of different cultural backgrounds create understanding. Types of knowledge, skills, and sensitivity necessary for intercultural communication are developed.
COMM 4350 Organizational Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examination and exploration of realistic applications of communication theories within the framework of an organization. Particular attention will be given to techniques for diagnosing communication problems, as well as strategies for effecting change in communication.
COMM 4360 International Leadership
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of international leadership in the context of communication and in multi-cultural and diverse settings. Influence of global economy, politics, social values in international leadership.
COMM 4380 Senior Seminar in Communication Studies
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course serves as the capstone for the Communication Studies degree. It offers students opportunities to synthesize information learned in other Communication courses and demonstrate abilities to think critically, conduct independent research linked to appropriate communication theories, create individual and collaborative projects that demonstrate effective use of communication strategies, and present written and oral work at an advanced level.
COMM 4390 Topics in Communication Studies
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of specialized topics and themes in communication studies. May be repeated when topics vary.
COMM 4394 Professional PR Portfolio
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Students prepare documents, explore strategies for enhancing their marketability, and assemble a professional portfolio of public relations work.
COMM 4396 Directed Individual Study
1-3 Semester Credit Hours
See College description. By application. Only 3 semester hours of Directed Individual Study credit may be counted toward the major.
COMM 4399 Communication Internship
3 Semester Credit Hours
Practical experience in the field through placement in a communication internship position. Students interested in applying for the internship course must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0; have at least junior standing at the university; be a communication studies major or minor, or public relations minor; have completed at least 12 hours of coursework in the major or minor at TAMU-CC. Preferred applicants will have a minimum communication or public relations GPA of 3.25. Course may be taken three times for credit; however only 3 semester hours of internship credit may be counted toward the major. A second internship may apply to the communication studies minor or public relations minor; a third internship may be used as a free elective. Authorization to repeat the internship course is contingent on the students' successful completion of the previous internship experience. This course is graded Credit/No Credit.
Media Courses
MEDA 1305 Film and Culture
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Introduction to film aesthetics, history, and criticism for non-communication majors. Establishes a vocabulary for examining films and their roles in American culture.
MEDA 1307 Media and Society
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
History and development of mass media in the United States as well as the organizational, institutional, and cultural dynamics of today's major commercial media. Included are substantial components on print media, radio, television, cinema, and computer Internet communication systems. Course themes include media production and consumption, globalization, cultural imperialism, race, class, gender in media and popular culture.
TCCNS: COMM 1307
MEDA 1315 Editing
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Intensive instruction in postproduction software, postproduction workflows, and editing techniques for moving images.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 1380 Introduction to Media Production
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Overview of tools and skills necessary to produce digital media content such as editing, cinematography, sound recording, producing and directing for film, television and new media.
MEDA 2303 Cinematography
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will examine the roles and responsibilities of the director of photography for film and visual media. Students will learn creative brainstorming and cinematic techniques for visual storytelling, including the basic principles of lighting for studio and natural environments.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 2311 Media Writing
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course is designed to teach the fundamentals of writing for the mass media. It includes instruction in professional methods and techniques for gathering, processing and delivering content.
TCCNS: COMM 2311
MEDA 2315 News Reporting
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course focuses on advanced news-gathering and writing skills. It concentrates on the three-part process of producing news and features, which include discovering the news, reporting the news and writing news in different formats. This course will incorporate all forms of news writing, including: press release, print news, web news and TV and radio broadcast news.
Prerequisite: MEDA 2311.
MEDA 2350 Media Performance
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course is designed to teach students articulation, pronunciation, effective writing and on-air performance techniques for all kinds of media environments with videotaped and audio taped presentations.
MEDA 2366 Media Forms
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examination of the formal elements of media texts, including cinematography/videography, sound, and editing, across a variety of media platforms and styles. Includes instruction in writing formal analysis.
TCCNS: COMM 2366
MEDA 2367 Media Industries
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examination of the media industries, including how they have evolved and now operate, as well as broader theoretical and practical implications of changing media organizations and practices. Includes instruction in researching contemporary and historical modes of media production, distribution, and exhibition.
MEDA 3301 Television Criticism
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Exploration of how TV communicates through the study of programming content, production practices, and audiences. Includes a laboratory for screening assigned programs.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 3302 Film Criticism
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Exploration of the critical approaches to the study of film from a variety of historical and theoretical perspectives, with an emphasis on narrative film and some consideration of experimental cinema. Includes a laboratory for screening assigned films.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 3303 Documentary Studies
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Historical and critical study of the non-fictional film with attention to changing technologies, to varying uses and styles of documentary, and to contemporary critical and theoretical issues.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 3310 Media Theory and Research
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course is intended to immerse students in the leading theoretical and methodological approaches employed within the field of media studies to gain understating of media texts, popular culture, and audiences. Readings and case studies will offer students insight into the way these media research theories and methods are being used in the field, including their limitations and strengths. A series of assignments will allow students to propose, design, and conduct research projects and analyze data in ways that engage with a variety of theories.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 3313 Intermediate Production: Documentary
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Principles and techniques of media production with a focus on non-fiction filmmaking.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 3314 Multimedia Journalism
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course is designed to strengthen students’ digital journalism skills, including field-based news gathering and reporting, on-air performance, interviewing techniques, live reporting, and podcasting. The course will prepare students for modern-based multimedia journalism outside of the studio.
MEDA 3316 Intermediate Production: Narrative
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Principles and techniques of media production with a focus on fictional narrative filmmaking.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 3317 Intermediate Postproduction
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Intensive instruction in advanced postproduction software, postproduction workflows and editing techniques for moving images.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1315.
MEDA 3318 Cross-Platform Editing & Layout
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will teach the principles of copy editing, with an emphasis on accuracy and fairness, as well as the principles of layout and design for print and web publications.
Prerequisite: MEDA 2311.
MEDA 3340 Photojournalism
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will instruct on photojournalism skills and methods for use in visual communication. It will examine ethical and legal limitations to photography and in editing. Student work in this class will be eligible for possible publication in the student newspaper or its accompanying website.
MEDA 3351 Screen Comedy
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examination of the varieties of screen comedy, from silent comedy to contemporary forms, with some attention to the history and theory of comic performance.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 3360 Screenplay Writing
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Writing and analysis of the screenplay for narrative fictional films. Writing projects include problem-solving exercises and work on an original screenplay. Course can be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 3361 Sports Writing
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will teach the elements of sports writing and reporting to include interviewing and writing to cover different aspects of sports coverage. This course will address content for print, Internet, radio and television. Campus-related sports assignments will be eligible for publication in the student newspaper and its accompanying website.
MEDA 3380 New Media and Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examines how new media technologies impact society and change communication practices. Particular emphasis placed on different modes of cultural expression and social interaction made possible through digital media and the Internet.
MEDA 4305 Media Promotion and Paratexts
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examination of how paratexts promote and support media texts such as movies and television programs, including advertising, generating revenue, and expanding the textual universe of those media. Students will learn and analyze how paratexts function from industry, storyteller, and fan perspectives, as well as learn and utilize basic design techniques to create their own paratexts such as movie posters and sequential art.
MEDA 4308 Commercial Production
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Advanced techniques in the creation of client based commercial media content with a focus on conceptualization, production, and delivery of a commercial, PSA, or corporate video project.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 4310 Advanced Production: Documentary
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Advanced techniques in the creation of documentary media content with a focus on conceptualization, production, and distribution of a short documentary film. Course can be repeated once for credit. This course serves as a capstone for the Media Production Track.
MEDA 4312 Advanced Production: Narrative
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Advanced techniques in the creation of narrative media content with a focus on scripting, production, and distribution of a short narrative film. Course can be repeated once for credit. This course serves as a capstone for the Media Production Track.
MEDA 4317 Advanced Postproduction
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Conceptualization and execution of digital media projects using visual effects, motion graphics and composition through the creation of video, animation, special effects and more using Adobe's After Effects postproduction software.
Prerequisite: MEDA 3317.
MEDA 4341 First Amendment and Ethical Issues in the Media
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of legal and ethical issues in mediated communication, including the First Amendment and free speech, control, and regulation of broadcasting, obscenity in the media.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 4342 Global Media and International Communication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examines global media in the context of international communication, diversity of media and cultural production, styles of media practices abroad, including differences between U.S. news values and ethical and moral dimensions across differing societies of the world.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 4343 News Publication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will be a hands-on newsroom experience with the student newspaper the Island Waves and its accompanying website. Individual assignments will be assigned by editors of the student media. Assignments may include writing, advertising, photography, cartooning and video production and editing. Students are required to work on the staff of the official college publication during prescribed hours under faculty supervision.
Prerequisite: MEDA 2311.
MEDA 4381 Senior Seminar in Media Studies
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The capstone course for seniors in the Media Studies offers opportunities to synthesize information learned in other Media Studies courses through in-depth study of a particular topic. Students will demonstrate their abilities to think and write critically, and to conduct independent research or produce media projects at an advanced level. Topics vary by instructor.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 4390 Topics in Media Arts
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of specialized topics and themes in media arts. May be repeated when topics vary.
MEDA 4396 Directed Individual Study
1-3 Semester Credit Hours
See College description. By application. Only 3 semester hours of Directed Individual Study credit may be counted toward the major.
MEDA 4399 Media Arts Internship
3 Semester Credit Hours
Practical experience in the field through placement in a media internship position. Students interested in applying for the internship course must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0; have at least junior standing at the university; be a media arts (media studies or media production emphasis) major or digital journalism minor; have completed at least 12 hours of coursework in the major or minor at TAMU-CC. Preferred applicants will have a minimum media arts or digital journalism GPA of 3.25. Course may be taken three times for credit; however only 3 semester hours of internship credit may be counted toward the major. A second internship may apply to the digital journalism minor; a third internship may be used as a free elective. Authorization to repeat the internship course is contingent on the students' successful completion of the previous internship experience.This course is graded Credit/No Credit.