Sample syllabus: Equity concerns for communicators

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Want to go straight to the syllabus? Use this link to go to the Google doc.

I completed my first semester in the University of Oregon’s Communications and Media Studies Ph.D. program in December. For an assignment, I was challenged to create a syllabus for a course I would like to teach. I created the class I wanted as a Strategic Communication MA student: A discussion of the choices public relations/strategic communication professionals (and all communicators) can make to create responsible communications and advance social justice concerns.

Rather than simply creating a list of case studies of PR mistakes made by companies, I focused this course on the need for students to consider their identities, privilege, and biases and how that shapes their thinking. I also sought to discuss ways whiteness is perpetuated by default within public relations/strategic communication and provide concrete skills-building opportunities (explorations of conscious/inclusive language, the ethical use of photography, digital accessibility, and ethical/dignified storytelling practices).

I know from personal experience that it is too easy for communicators (and particularly white communicators) to assume diversity/equity concerns are something “others” should address. But, EVERY communicator makes choices about the words, images, stories, and frames they use—along with the counsel they give to others.

The class is fast-paced. While students would not end class as experts in these topics, it is my hope that the course would prepare them to consider the choices they will make at work and encourage their curiosity to explore further.

Feel free to review my syllabus, and I’d love feedback. (I know the reading list is too much. The syllabus, admittedly, became a bit of a file cabinet for useful articles).

Some of the key choices I made when building this syllabus include the following:

• The course is laid out over 10 weeks as this is the academic calendar used at UO. In most instances, ideas/topics are introduced on the first class of the week (Tuesday), and opportunities for their application are discussed on the second day (Thursday).
• This is structured as a stand-alone course that covers a wide variety of topics. While I think there is value in having this in-depth look for interested students, I also encourage faculty to consider how these topics can also be embedded throughout the curriculum (for example: discussions of inclusive language being part of initial writing coursework, ethical storytelling can be discussed with content development, and digital accessibility can be part of digital coursework). Doing this would help students/practitioners think of these issues as part of their overall responsibility rather than special/extra work that only needs to be done when there is time.
• I selected to use an ungrading approach as part of an effort to encourage students to hold themselves accountable. I also chose to make the assignments (including the final project) very general so that students could pick something that was of interest to them.

Want to use any of this with your students?

That’s great! Feel free to utilize any portion(s) of this syllabus that you find useful. I’d appreciate if you could leave a comment or contact me on LinkedIn/Twitter to share what you’ve found helpful along with how it was received by your students. I anticipate revisiting this syllabus throughout my Ph.D., and I would be thrilled to receive any feedback you are willing to share. Thank you!

Want more information/resources to share with your students?

I have a blog and spreadsheet of resources I’ve collected on equity concerns for communicators. I started this while I was working, and I continue to update it as I find new resources.

While we cannot always change how our organizations operate, communicators often have a wide degree of freedom in deciding the specifics of what is included in any individual communication (what specific words are written, which photos are shared, whose stories are featured, etc.). I hope educators can join me in helping students understand those choices so they know the power they hold.

It can feel too late to try to ask/answer these questions once someone is in the workplace. There is only so much you can do once you have a supervisor who is demanding you churn out content to meet the next rapidly impending deadline. Additionally, while many organizations want to be welcoming, many only allow limited time to learn about the need to change the way things are done (let alone, analyzing and changing your own ways of thinking).