1st Edition
Teaching Public Relations Principles and Practices for Effective Learning
Excellence in public relations (PR) begins with excellence in education in public relations programs. In this book, Dr. Smudde brings together his industry expertise and over 20 years of teaching experience at higher education institutions to present a comprehensive and cohesive primer for PR educators.
Newly updated to reflect five years of developments in the field of public relations since its initial publication in 2019, this revised edition of Teaching Public Relations puts in one concise volume salient matters about effective teaching and learning of public relations. It includes curriculum development and course design plus guides and tools for the work PR educators must do. This book remains the first textbook of its kind and systematically synthesizes current principles and practices for effective teaching and learning and applies them to PR education in colleges and universities. This book, however, is not a book of tips for teaching PR. Firmly situating public relations education (PRE) in context, the book goes on to outline principles and approaches for teaching and learning in PRE. Other features of the text include example documents that will help in designing assignments, courses, or curricula, and a comprehensive list of publications, organizations, online media, and other sources for further investigation and learning.
This book is a solid starting point for anyone, especially public relations professionals, considering a career as a full-time or part-time professor of PR at a college or university. It is also recommended reading for current teachers and students of PR research.
Introduction PART 1: Becoming a PR Educator 1: Education as a Calling 2: Becoming a Professor 3: Engagement in the Profession PART 2: Public Relations Education (PRE) in Context 4: An Overview of Public Relations Education 5: General Points of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 6: Frameworks and Outcomes for Teaching PR PART 3: Approaches for Teaching and Learning Befitting PRE 7: Know Yourself, Be Yourself 8: Curriculum Development and Course Design 9: Assessing Learning APPENDICES Appendix A: Pretenure Performance Tracking Tool Appendix B: Example Course-Management Documents Appendix C: Suggestions for Curricular and Extracurricular Teaching and Learning Appendix D: Helpful Resources Appendix E: Public Relations Program Assessment Plan Components Index
Biography
Peter M. Smudde has had 16 years of industry experience, including an executive-level position and consulting, and 22 years as a professor of public relations. Dr. Smudde holds the rank of professor and for nine years has been the associate executive director of Illinois State University’s School of Communication in Normal, Illinois, where he also was the coordinator of the PR program, which has Certification in Education for Public Relations (CEPR) through the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and was a faculty adviser for Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapters for 14 years.
"Higher education is thirsty for qualified individuals who possess the tools needed to be successful in the public relations classroom. This text could help develop and grow the next generation of public relations professors."
—Alisa Agozzino, Ph.D., APR, Ohio Northern University, USA
"Professor Smudde’s book is decidedly the first of its kind. Never before have I seen a book that tackles the subject of instilling excellence in the teaching of Public Relations by training future educators and practicing professionals in the fundamentals of Public Relations pedagogy. This is definitely the book to read for any student of Public Relations who may want to prepare for the teaching of the college level and for any working practitioner who would like to share his or her experience in an organized and thoughtful manner."
—Dr. Timothy Lent Howard, Professor of Public Relations, PRSSA Faculty Advisor, Department of Communication Studies, California State University, Sacramento, USA
