Public Relations and Communication in the context of Globalization - Interactive curriculae of TU Ilmenau

The interactive curriculae provide information on the degree programmes offered by the TU Ilmenau.

Please refer to the respective study and examination rules and regulations for the legally binding curricula (Annex Curriculum).

You can find all details on planned lectures and classes in the course catalogue.

Please note that this page is no longer updated. All modules and study plans from PO version 2021 onwards (Bachelor and Master study programs) are now available on the Campus Portal.

module properties Public Relations and Communication in the context of Globalization in degree program Master International Business Economics 2024

module number

200817

examination number

2500574

department

Department of Economic Sciences and Media

ID of group

2555 (Resarch in Public Relations and Communication of Technology)

module leader

Dr. Andreas Schwarz

term

winter term only

language

Englisch

credit points

on-campus program (h)

self-study (h)

128

obligation

elective module

exam

alternative examination performance

details of the certificate

Assignments include 1) a research presention in class; 2) the presentation of an international strategic communication/campaign concept; and 3) a booklet or paper elaborating an international strategic communication/campaign concept including analysis, strategy, tactics, and administration.

link to Moodle course

https://moodle.tu-ilmenau.de/course/view.php?id=3674

teacher

Dr. Schwarz, Andreas

signup details for alternative examinations

Enrollment in the course takes place by registering in the Moodle room by October 10. Final confirmation will be given by the course instructor upon participation in the first seminar, depending on the number of participants (maximum 20 participants). Registration for the exam (alternative semester-long assignments) will be done directly by the Examination Office based on the final list of participants.

maximum number of participants

previous knowledge and experience

This course requires a basic knowledge in the field of media and communication studies as well as public relations.

learning outcome

By completing the course students understood main topics and challenges of applied communication research, specifically in the field of international public relations and international strategic communication as fields of inquiry and fields of practice. Particpants susbtantially increased their skills of analyzing the international environment of strategic communicators and their organizations in terms of contextual factors such as culture, political systems, economic development, media systems, online communication, international and transnational networks, etc. After successful participation, students identified and analyzed key actors/organizations (e.g., multinational companies, NGOs, IGOs, government) in the fields of international applied communication including public relations and strategic communication in terms of their goal formulation, strategy development, tactics development, as well as institutional structures and methods. Participants developed skills in planning international applied communication and campaigns. In addition, they increased their experience in working with clients.

content

This course focusses on different aspects of applied communication. Students review the relevant state of research on a specific topic and subsequently apply that knowledge to practical tasks in order to resolve applied communication problems. More specifically, the course introduces students to the fundamentals of strategic communication in an international environment. Course participants will look at research and practice in the fields of international strategic communication including public relations and other domains of communication. They will also explore different aspects of international media systems and issues of globalization. In this course, international public relations can be understood as "the planned and organized effort of a company, institution, or government to establish mutually beneficial relations with the publics of other nations" (Wilcox, Ault, Agee, & Cameron, 2000, p. 343) or of different cultural contexts. Departing from this definition, the course gives an overview of the state of research and theoretical debates regarding international communication and/or PR. Depending on the specific focus in the according term, the course helps students in getting to know different types of organizations in fields such as international business, international civil society (NGOs), or government. Students will look at those organizations' strategies, structures and tools of strategic communication as well as the international environment that they are operating in. Depending on course arrangements in the specific term, students might be asked to work in cooperation with a real client on different aspects or problems of international communication.

media of instruction and technical requirements for education and examination in case of online participation

Laptops, Presentation software

literature / references

All relevant course materials will be made available on the online
learning platform Moodle. The online learning
platform Moodle provides you with a specific list of references for each
session of this course. These sources serve as a basis for preparing
the presentations in class.

Furthermore, the course is based on the following list of recommended readings:

Badhan, N. & Weaver, C. K. (2011). Public Relations in Global
Cultural Contexts: Mutli-Paradigmatic Perspectives. New York, Abingdon:
Routledge.

Botan, C. H. & Hazleton, V. (2006). Public Relations Theory II. New York, London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Curtin, P. A. & Gaither, T. K. (2007). International Public
Relations: Negotiating Culture, Identity, and Power. Thousand Oaks,
London, New Delhi: Sage.

Hanitzsch, T., Hanusch, F., Mellado, C., Anikina, M., Berganza, R.,
Cangoz, I., Coman, M., Hamada, B., Hernandez, M. E., Karadjov, C. D.,
Moreira, S. V., Mwesige, P. G., Plaisance, P. L., Reich, Z., Seethaler,
J., Skewes, E. A., Vardiansyah Noor, D., & Yuen, K. W. (2011).
Mapping Journalism Cultures across Nations: A Comparative Study of 18
Countries. Journalism Studies, 12, 273-293.

Lim, J. S. (2010). Global integration or local responsiveness?
Multinational corporations' public relations strategies and cases. In G.
J. Golan, T. J. Johnson & W. Wanta (Eds.), International media
communication in a global age (pp. 299-318). New York, NY: Routledge.

Molleda, J.-C., & Laskin, A. (2010). Coordination and control of
global public relations to manage cross-national conflict shifts. In G.
J. Golan, T. J. Johnson & W. Wanta (Eds.), International media
communication in a global age (pp. 319-344). New York, NY: Routledge.

Schwarz, A., & Fritsch, A. (2014). Communicating on behalf of
global civil society: Management and coordination of public relations in
international nongovernmental organizations. Journal of Public
Relations Research, 26(2), 161-183.

Sriramesh, K. & Vercic, D. (2009). The Global Public Relations
Handbook: Theory, Research, and Practice (2nd. ed.). New York, London:
Routledge.

evaluation of teaching