COMS104-17S2 (C) Semester Two 2017

Advocacy Communication

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 17 July 2017
End Date: Sunday, 19 November 2017
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Friday, 28 July 2017
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 13 October 2017

Description

This course examines the role of advocacy communication in society as an economic and political force. Advocacy communication attempts to persuade and argue for a particular position that one is advocating for - whether that be on behalf of a business, a govermental 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, advocacy messages.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge gained from this course:
1.  recognise the role of advocacy communication in producing and circulating ideas about identity, culture, and nation
2.  understand theories put forth by key scholars examining advocacy communication, including Wilson, Smith, Friedman and Patel.
3.  the ability to describe political and corporate potentialities of present and emergent media forms for advocacy communication
4.  identify processes of advocacy communication in the construction of media content
5.  understand the value of advocacy communication toward, and in opposition to, democracy
6.  recognize principles of advocacy communication, including defining target audiences and effective messaging

Skills gained from this course:
7.  apply basic advocacy communication theories and principles to fundamental practice
8.  produce arguments over the ethical components to advocacy communication
9.  research issues in media advocacy using academic and professional books, journals, and online sources
10.  analyse advocacy media texts in relation to economic, political and cultural fields
11.  write a well structured academic essay exploring advocacy communication as a field of study with confidence and clarity
12.  discuss the ideas and processes shaping advocacy communication

Personal attributes gained after taking this course:
13.  experience in applying advocacy communication theory to specific professional strategic outcomes
14.  development of written communication skills
15.  sharpened organisational and analytical skills

Course Coordinator

Linda Jean Kenix

Lecturer

Janice Leung

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Library exercise 5% Submit on Learn.
Professional Advocacy Writing Assignments 35% 7 assignments throughout the semester. Each no longer than 400 words.
Campaign Analysis 30% Word limit: 1500.
Final test 30% Held last day of class.

Textbooks / Resources

All readings are available on the Learn page for this course. You should have completed the readings before coming to class and be prepared to discuss what you’ve read.

There is no other official textbook for this course.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $732.00

International fee $2,975.00

* 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 .

All COMS104 Occurrences

  • COMS104-17S2 (C) Semester Two 2017
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