COURSES TAUGHT
Graduate-Level
Strategic Communication for Sustainability
Summer 2024
This course provides an in-depth exploration of strategic communication strategies aimed at promoting sustainability, on both micro and macro scales. Through a combination of guest lectures, theoretical frameworks, case studies, group discussions, and practical exercises, students will learn how to develop effective communication products to address sustainability challenges in various contexts.Topics covered include the science of sustainability, communicating climate change, environmental reporting, corporate sustainability, new media for stakeholder engagement, and more. By the end of the course, students will have the skills to design and implement communication strategies that drive positive environmental and social change.
Foundations of Strategic Communication
Spring 2024; Fall 2023
This course provides a foundational look into strategic communication practice by examining key theories from mass communication, public relations, digital media, persuasion, and much more. The course will cover best practices in strategic communication through a focus on the history of public relations practice and communication campaigns, analysis and use of media, the role of research in campaign development, audience identification and segmentation, and message development and strategy.
Capstone Project for Strategic Communication
Spring 2024; Summer 2023
This is a portfolio-based course that asks students to critically reflect on where they’ve come from, professionally and academically (through this Master’s program), and where they’re headed. The course requires execution of a project in which the final product may be a potential deliverable for a workplace audience, or can reflect an area of personal passion. Example deliverables include a research project (including data and results), social media communication strategy, a website (design and content), or various other projects. This is an opportunity for students to showcase their skills and interests.
Strategic Communication Campaigns
Fall 2023
This course explores the process of designing and implementing effective strategic communication campaigns. Readings, lectures, and discussion will cover a variety of aspects of creating a strategic communication campaign, thoroughly detailing the process from formative research, to strategy, tactics, and through evaluative research. Examples, principles, and strategies from corporate, nonprofit, and social marketing campaigns will be considered.
Writing for Strategic Communication
Spring 2023
This interactive course will stress the communication fundamentals of clarity, concision, and cohesion. Students will learn to target their market, sharpen their message, and structure and shape their communication for maximum impact. While refreshing their knowledge of mechanics (grammar, punctuation), students will progress through a series of more ambitious assignments, both individual and group, that they can tailor toward a focus on multiplatform communication for various professions—including public relations, marketing, health communication, and other careers in strategic communication. They will also hone editing skills that they can apply to the work of others as well as their own.
Risk Communication
Spring 2023
Did you know that more people die from lung cancer than plane accidents? Then, why are people more likely to find alternative transportation than make the decision to quit smoking? We can justify a number of risky behaviors in our life because of our basic perception of risk. Whether you're a journalist, scientist or engineer, or are involved in public policy, you need to know how to talk about the risks of our society with the general public. Risk communication is a tool for creating public understanding, closing the gap between laypeople and experts, and helping everyone make more informed choices. Thinking about risk from both the public and expert point of view, this course will examine theory and research related to the communication of scientific information about environmental, agricultural, food, health, and economic risks.
Undergraduate-Level
Senior Portfolio Strategic Communication/PR
Spring 2022; Fall 2021; Spring 2021
Communication majors who have accrued 100 or more hours in the major take this course. It should be taken during the student’s last term at Flagler College and requires the preparation of an electronic portfolio in the student’s track. The portfolio must be acceptable to a majority of the full-time departmental faculty in PR/Strategic Communication. Students will answer questions in an oral defense of the portfolio at the end of the semester.
Foundations of Strategic Communication
Spring 2022; Fall, Summer, & Spring 2021; Summer, &Spring 2020; Fall, Spring, & Summer 2019; Fall & Spring 2018; Fall 2017
An introduction to the process of how organizations develop communication plans that enable them to present and promote their objectives to stakeholders. Emphasis is placed upon how brand and reputation messages maintain the identity of organizations.
Health Communication
Fall 2021; Fall 2019
This course is designed to advance upper-level strategic communication major students’ knowledge of health communication theory, research, and practice. The primary course objective is to provide a solid foundation for understanding, designing, and assessing health communication campaigns, including in-depth knowledge of the planning, implementation, and evaluation processes of campaign development.
Advanced Writing and Production for PR/Strategic Communication
Spring 2022; Summer 2021; Spring 2021; Spring 2020; Fall 2019; Spring 2019
This course includes writing and production for print, electronic, controlled and uncontrolled media, video, and publications. Emphasis is given to research, audience analysis, and selection of appropriate writing styles and media. The course prepares students for advanced writing in public relations and provides practice in developing news releases, event planning, report writing, newsletters, presentations, and much more.
Introduction to Media
Spring 2022; Fall 2021; Spring 2018; Fall 2018; Spring 2018; Fall 2017
This is an introductory course on Mass Communication in the United States today. It examines the historical, economic, technological, political, and legal influences on the major media and the industries that produce content for them. Students closely examine the news, public relations, broadcasting, advertising, and entertainment industries.
Risk Communication
Spring 2021; Fall 2018
This course explores how people perceive risk and how to communicate effectively about risk, with an emphasis on preparing you to respond when a crisis occurs. The term "risk communication" refers to a body of knowledge and a set of practical skills that can be used by strategic communication professionals working in both the for-profit or non-profit sectors to characterize and manage issues, disseminate information and communicate effectively.
Media Literacy
Spring 2020; Summer 2019; Summer 2018
This course introduces students to the critical thinking skills used when interpreting media messages and their impact. Using digital media as a model, students will understand how the structure, frameworks and elements of media shapes these messages, as well as analyze cognitive, emotional and social reactions to such messages.
PR/Strategic Communication Campaigns
Spring 2018
Using the principles and techniques of public relations to analyze case studies and to create strategies and campaigns. Course includes the analysis of a specific situation and the design and construction of an actual campaign. Includes use of desktop publishing and an introduction to public relations in cyberspace.
Digital Media for Strategic Communication
Fall 2017
This course is designed to provide students with realistic skills and experiences in the research, planning, execution and evaluation of emerging digital media as applied to fields of communication such as public relations and advertising.
