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This course examines the role of strategic communication in society as an economic and political force. Strategic communication attempts to persuade and argue for a particular position that one is advocating for - whether that be on behalf of a business, a governmental policy, or a social cause. Obvious examples from within media are public relations and advertising, however, this course will examine how sponsored messaging has affected social institutions, from education to politics to media to health to philanthropy. The second half of the course is focused on building the skills necessary to create effective strategic messages.
This course examines the role of strategic communication in society as an economic and political force within the production of culture. Strategic communication attempts to persuade and argue for a particular position that one is advocating for - whether that be on behalf of a business, a governmental policy, or a social cause. Obvious examples from within media are public relations and advertising, however, this course will examine how sponsored messaging has affected social institutions, from education to politics to media to health to philanthropy. The course is also focused on building the actual skills necessary to create effective, strategic, advocacy messages.Course FormatCOMS104 is a 15-point course introducing you to the academic study of how politicians, non-profit organisations and corporations strategically employ strategic communication. It introduces the key concepts and theoretical approaches that are used to examine issues in strategic communication and lays the foundation for further specialised studies. It is a stage I course and does not assume any prior knowledge. COMS104 is taught through two one-hour lectures each week and a tutorial from Week 2 – Week 11. It should go without saying that you are expected to attend both lectures and tutorials. You will get most from the course if you attend both regularly.
The learning outcomes for COMS 104 are:Knowledge gained from this course:1. recognise the role of strategic communication in producing and circulating ideas about identity, culture, and nation2. understand theories put forth by key scholars examining strategic communication, including Wilson, Smith, Friedman and Patel.3. the ability to describe political and corporate potentialities of present and emergent media forms for strategic communication4. identify processes of strategic communication in the construction of media content5. understand the value of strategic communication toward, and in opposition to, democracy6. recognize principles of strategic communication, including defining target audiences and effective messagingSkills gained from this course:7. apply basic strategic communication theories and principles to fundamental practice8. produce arguments over the ethical components to strategic communication9. research issues in strategic communication using academic and professional books, journals, and online sources10. analyse strategic communication texts in relation to economic, political and cultural fields11. write a well structured academic essay exploring strategic communication as a field of study with confidence and clarity12. discuss the ideas and processes shaping strategic communicationPersonal attributes gained after taking this course:13. experience in applying strategic communication theory to specific professional strategic outcomes14. development of written communication skills15. sharpened organisational and analytical skills
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:
Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award
Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.
Janice Leung
Daniel Nielsen and Janice Leung
Readings listed in the lecture are available on the Learn homepage.
Domestic fee $785.00
International fee $3,500.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .