Lecturing public relations
Today marks my first day as a public relations lecturer with the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT). While one may think that students pursuing a public relations course would be interested in public relations, the reality is not so. The majority of my class does not like PR. Yes, they used the don’t like word. Some are just doing the Associate Degree to use as access to bachelor degree programmes at the University of the West Indies (UWI).
So, my mission is to help them to understand PR. Hopefully, by the end of the semester they’ll like it. On a high note, at least three to four of the students aim to establish a career in the field. Today, I went through the excellence theory with the four models of public relations. See, I’m taking over the course from another lecturer, and sat in on that class last week. When students were asked “what is public relations?”, apart from the Cutlip and Center definition some said it was “lying” and “spin doctoring”. Of course I had to correct that misconception. So on my first day, I thought that teaching the four models, while adding some critical theory to it, would help them to gain an appreciation for the range in the practice. I also want students to always remember that public relations does not operate in isolation. It is part of an organisation’s fabric, and interfaces with various enviornmental factors, and is influenced by practitioners’ personal agendas.
Now, those who were quick to label public relations as lying understand the various models and the factors that affect the level of ethics present in public relations practice. So that’s victory number one.
Richard any tips?
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