• Offered for Year: 2024/25

• Module Leader(s): Mrs Anne-Marie Lacey
• Co-Module Leader: Dr Jesus Salazar
• Lecturer: Miss Patience Mathambo, Dr Paulina Kuranchie, Mr Jonathan Ward, Ms Kellie Daniels, Miss Ramona Slusarczyk

• Owning School: Arts & Cultures
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

This module aims to develop advanced skills and critical understanding in Public Relations (PR) practice and theory. By the end of the module, students will be able to:

Innovate and articulate advanced PR practices and content creation that meet the strategic objectives outlined in client briefs, across a range of contexts.

Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and application of key PR principles, including publics and stakeholder mapping, audience segmentation, channel selection, messaging, content creation and content curation.

Analyse and assess the evolving landscape of PR; developing advanced skills to select the right channel for optimal stakeholder engagement, to achieve PR objectives that work to support organisational impact.

Articulate ethical considerations, legal frameworks, and their application in responding to the client brief.

Critically analyse and reflect on PR practices and content creation through the lens of relevant methods, theories and frameworks, evaluating their effectiveness and discussing the rationale behind strategic decisions.

Compile a comprehensive Portfolio of Content that showcases their practical PR skills, as well as a Critical Analysis of Practice, preparing them for professional roles or further academic study in the field.

Outline Of Syllabus

The MA Media and PR Final Project is a student-led exercise of analysing, evaluating and reflecting on the development of core skills, competencies, and the professional behaviours of an ethical PR practitioner in a real-world context.

The MA Media and PR Final Project responds directly to industry data highlighting the plight of the graduate job market. In the latest State of the Profession report from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations [CIPR] (2022), it states that organisations are struggling to recruit entry-level and graduate jobs. The number one reason for this – as stated by employers – is a skills gap; students are not leaving university work-place ready.

Generally, of the top five reasons given why organisations are struggling to recruit, the most cited reason was ‘low number of applicants with the required skills’.

In terms of skills, the top five most ‘missing applicant skills’ stated were:
- General PR experience
- Written skills
- Digital/social media
- Interest/knowledge in/of the sector
- General communication skills
The introduction of the MA Media and PR Final Project will specifically address these skills, with the approach outlined in the Intended Knowledge Outcomes and Skills Outcomes below.

Through a two-step learning approach – led by PR researchers, academics and working practitioners – students are supported as they respond to a client brief. In Phase One, students develop a Portfolio of Content to meet the client’s PR objectives that work to support organisational impact. In Phase Two, students produce a Critical Analysis of Practice, allowing them to reflect on their application of PR practices and content creation, through the lens of relevant methods, theories and frameworks, to evaluate their effectiveness and discuss the rationale behind their strategic decisions.

Topics covered across the module may include:

-       Understanding a client, their objectives and interrogating a brief.
-       PR, communication and strategic reputation management.
-       Stakeholders, publics and audience segmentation.
-       Channel auditing and selection.
-       Positioning and messaging.
-       Content creation for traditional and digital media.
-       Content curation, repurposing, and asset stripping.
-       Ethics, legal considerations, and professionalism.
-       Professional practices and conventions, portfolio development, and submission preparation.

Not all of these topics are necessarily taught every year, with content indicative of PR, communication and strategic reputation management trends at the time of teaching. This ensures the module remains relevant to the changing demands of the PR industry.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Teaching and learning in the MA Media and PR Final Project is facilitated through a blend of practical application and critical reflection. Students will engage in creating a comprehensive Portfolio of Content in response to a real-world client brief, underpinned by a Critical Analysis of Practice, with a variety of teaching methods and directed self-study integrated into this process.

Phase One | Portfolio of Content:

In this first phase, students respond to a real-world client brief, interrogating the task-at-hand to understand the aims and objectives of the organisation, to produce a Portfolio of Content that includes (but is not limited to): an issue or opportunity statement, audience identification, channel selection, messaging, content creation and content curation, in addition to ethical and legal considerations, and conventions of professional practice.

This phase is supported by whole cohort non-synchronous and present-in-person (PiP) lectures, client-brief workshops, group supervisory sessions and non-synchronous discussions.

Phase Two | Critical Analysis of Practice:

In the final phase, students critically analyse their Portfolio of Content and the application of theory in practice. They will produce an essay reflecting on and rationalising their strategic decisions and the effectiveness of their Portfolio of Content, in responding to and meeting the objectives of the client brief.

This phase is supported by whole cohort non-synchronous lectures, group supervisory sessions and non-synchronous discussions.

Phase One and Two | Collective Teaching Methods Rationale:

The MA Media and PR Final Project is a culmination of the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the student’s time on the MA Media and PR programme; both compulsory and elective modules undertaken during Semesters One and Two scaffold student’s theoretical and practical ability to complete this large-scale cap-stone project.

The module ensures that students acquire the advanced practical skills, theoretical knowledge, and professional behaviours necessary for successful PR practice, while also developing their ability to critically reflect on their work and its broader impact for multiple stakeholders and wider society.

To this end – pairing authentic assessment with a holistic learning experience – the MA Media and PR Final Project will be taught and delivered in ‘Project Groups’ per client brief, using both PR academics and researchers as well as real-life working PR practitioners, to support students through Phase One and Two through to the completion of the module.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The MA Media and PR Final Project is assessed across two elements, aligned to the two different teaching phases across the semester.

Element One requires students to develop a 5,000-word (or equivalent) Portfolio of Content to meet the client’s PR objectives that work to support organisational impact. Element Two requires students to produce a 3,000-word Critical Analysis of Practice essay, allowing them to reflect on their application of PR practices and content creation, through the lens of relevant methods, theories and frameworks, to evaluate their effectiveness and discuss the rationale behind their strategic decisions.

While Learning Outcomes and Skills Outcomes have been specifically developed to support each element of assessment, a holistic approach should be taken, with students expected to demonstrate advanced knowledge, understanding and practical application of ethical considerations, professionalism and best practice, with links spanning across both the Portfolio of Content and Critical Analysis of Practice.

Element One | Design/Creative Project (5,000-word or equivalent Portfolio of Content [70%]):

In this first phase, students respond to a real-world client brief, interrogating the task-at-hand to understand the aims and objectives of the organisation (KO1, KO2, KO3, KO4, KO5, and KO6; SO1, SO2, SO3, SO4, SO5, and SO6). Students are assessed on the following:

Ability to explore publics and stakeholder mapping, identifying relevant audience groups and segmentation, within the scope of the client brief;

Research and strategic planning on relevant channels of communication, by which the organisation can reach identified audience group(s);

Communicating key messaging in a channel-appropriate format and functionality, to reach key stakeholders and publics in a way that will support the organisation to meet the aims and objectives of the brief;

Ability to produce a Portfolio of Content that includes a range of appropriate materials, such as brand-new content creation, content curation, repurposing and asset stripping; and

Ability to produce a professional client-based report containing a range of content that is of an industry-standard, and is appropriate for issuing, publishing and/or publication across identified channels.

Element Two | Essay (3,000-word Critical Analysis of Practice [30%]):

Considering their approach and performance in developing and delivering the Portfolio of Content, students produce a Critical Analysis of Practice essay. This piece of assessment asks students to critically analyse the relationship between theory and practice (KO7, KO8, SO7, S08, S09). Students are assessed on the following:

Ability to critically analyse the relationship between theoretical debates, positions, controversies etc. and Public Relations practice;

Rationale for and application of academic foundation as part of strategic counsel when responding to a client brief;

Evaluation of strategic decision-making, ethical and legal mitigations/considerations;

Reflection on PR as a strategic management function to support organisations in achieving their wider objectives, including their impact for a variety of stakeholders and wider society; and

Coherence of argument, written structure of essay and Harvard-style referencing.

Reading Lists

• MCH8099's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• MCH8099's Timetable