Sample syllabus: Equity concerns for communicators

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Note: I created this during my first semester as a Ph.D. student. I’ve since come to appreciate that it would need to be substantially modified to be a workable class, but I continue to share it to show the range of topics and resources that can be addressed in the public relations curriculum.

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. In response, I designed a class I wanted as a Strategic Communication MA student: A discussion of the daily choices public relations/strategic communication professionals (and all communicators) can make to create responsible communications.

Rather than simply creating a list of case studies of PR mistakes made by others, 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 what it means to bring an audience- and equity-centric lens to 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. It is also easy for communicators to feel they don’t have power within their organizations. But, EVERY communicator makes choices about the words, images, stories, and frames they use—along with the counsel they give to leadership and 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 actively 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 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 encourage faculty to consider how these topics can also be embedded throughout the curriculum (for example: discussions of conscious 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 core 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 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. I’m also happy to talk further.