Public Relations Professional Seminar PBRL 380 Section 001 School of Advertising and Public Relations College of Communication and Information The University of Tennessee

TERM: Spring 2016, 1 credit (Pre-req PBRL310) TIME: Monday and Wednesday, 11:15 – 12:05 p.m. ROOM: COMM 314 INSTRUCTOR: Abbey Blake Levenshus, Ph.D. OFFICE: 462 Communications Building (Located within the School of Advertising & Public Relations office suite 476 Communications Building)

OFFICE HOURS: Mondays, 12:30-1:30 and by appointment – It helps to email to confirm you are coming. EMAIL: alevenshATutk.edu TWITTER: @alevenshus CLASS HASHTAG: #DrL_PR380

COURSE DESCRIPTION This one credit-hour course is designed to allow students to explore career choices in communication – particularly geared toward public relations. Emphasis is placed on developing skills and techniques for both obtaining employment and advancing early career potential. The course will explore career choices in public relations and include resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and portfolio preparation. We will also discuss current topics related to the public relations profession.

COURSE GOALS & OBJECTIVES This course is designed to help you understand and navigate the waters of preparing for a career in public relations and specifically the entry-level job search. While it is usually unrealistic to land your dream job right out of college (though that does happen), it’s very realistic to search for one that meets your required conditions and some of your desired ones as well. This course can help you create those criteria in a proactive approach for the rest of your time in your undergraduate program and your first job search. By proactively organizing and planning, I want to help you increase your chances of locating a position that is both professionally and personally ideal for you. As such, I commit to:

 Expose you to knowledge of the wide range of available career opportunities and job titles and the necessary preparation for each, and to help you make decisions about your own career plan  Teach you how to prepare cover letters and resumes  Familiarize you with researching jobs, organizations and professional contacts  Help you prepare portfolios and other relevant materials for the job search and interview process 1  Introduce you to the UT Center for Career Development and its resources  Discuss issues and trends in the public relations profession  Provide an awareness of what employers can and cannot legally ask and discuss as part of the interview process  Raise issues relevant to discuss during the job-seeking process, such as salary requirements, medical benefits, retirement and flex-benefits  Create a safe, open course environment in which all students are encouraged and empowered as pre-professionals

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR Dr. Levenshus has searched for a job/placement at least six times (she stopped keeping count) since graduating from DePauw University in 2001. Most recently, she was on the academic job market in fall 2011 and secured her current position as assistant professor of public relations at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in the School of Advertising and Public Relations. She earned a doctorate in communication at the University of Maryland. Dr. Levenshus has taught at three institutions and researches public relations, specializing in government communication, social media management, and risk and crisis communication. Her research has been published in books and top communication journals. She also serves as the faculty adviser for UT’s Public Relations Student Society of America. (You should join!) Dr. Levenshus’ professional experience includes serving as communication director for a U.S. Congressman, political technology company, and government consulting firm in Washington, D.C.

COURSE FORMAT & REQUIRED TEXT

Here’s the one required (cheap) book for this course:

Levit, A. (2014). They don’t teach corporate in college: A twenty-something’s guide to the business world (3rd ed.). Career Press: Franklin, NJ.

Other readings will be distributed several ways, including Blackboard, email and social media channels like Twitter. The course consists primarily of class discussions and individual projects. Guest speakers may join the class to provide professional insight.

It is your responsibility to know the assignments, print out materials and keep up with what’s going on in class. You will also receive emails about course changes due to scheduling needs or students’ interests. You are responsible for reading all materials prior to the period for which they are assigned. You are expected to participate in discussions of readings. Due to the exceptionally short nature of this class, as well as the format of this course as a professional seminar, attendance is required and critical. Your participation grade will decrease for each absence. If you cannot meet this attendance requirement, you should not take this course at this time.

Students are expected to monitor mass media for local, national and international news related to public relations and professional development, which will be used in class discussions. You

2 may also want to subscribe to email digests or follow on Twitter major PR influencers and publications like PR Week, PR Tactics, PR Strategist and PR Quarterly.

Thank You Notes As part of this class, you will conduct at least one informational interview and a mock interview. You should always follow up an interview with a handwritten thank you note. By the third week of the semester, you’ll need to bring to class a packet of at least 10 professionally appropriate blank thank you notes that you can use over the semester. You can also bring evidence that you’ve purchased them, but they haven’t arrived yet. This requirement will count toward your participation and professionalism grade.

HONOR CODE All academic work must meet the standards contained in the University of Tennessee’s Academic Standards of Conduct and Honor Statement, in “Hilltopics.” Each student is responsible for knowing these standards before performing academic work. All assignments are your work and your work alone. Any questionable behavior or violations of the standards presented in Hilltopics will result in a zero score for the assignment in question, lowered grade or failure of the course, and possible expulsion from UT. Please commit yourselves to academic honesty; failure to do so negatively affects you and cheapens the value of a degree from the University of Tennessee.

OPEN RECORDS ACT This course adheres to the University’s policy regarding the use and release of student records that are governed by Public Law 93-380, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Tennessee Public Records Act, which charges the University and its employees with protecting the confidentiality of the educational records or its prospective, current and former students. One way this affects you is that the professor cannot share or discuss grades via email.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILIITES Students with documented disabilities should notify the instructor immediately to discuss requests for special provisions. Students who have a disability that requires accommodations should make an appointment with the Office of Disability Services, 2227 Dunford Hall, (974- 6087) to discuss specific needs and get official documentation of the disability.

COLLEGE DIVERSITY STATEMENT The College of Communication and Information recognizes that a college diverse in its people, curricula, scholarship, research, and creative activities expands opportunities for intellectual inquiry and engagement, helps students develop critical thinking skills, and prepares students for social and civic responsibilities. All members of the College benefit from diversity and the quality of learning, research, scholarship and creative activities is enhanced by a climate of inclusion, understanding and appreciation of differences and the full range of human experience. As a result, the College is committed to diversity and equal opportunity and it recognizes that it must represent the diversity inherent in American society. The College is acutely aware that diversity and fairness are foundations that unite the College's faculty, staff,

3 students, and the larger communication and information community (see http://www.cci.utk.edu/diversity-statement for CCI's full Diversity statement).

POLICIES  Students are required to ensure their proper registration for the course and must meet the PBRL310 prerequisite requirement for this course.  Based on previous experience, students who neglected their homework and/or missed class performed poorly in the course. Assigned readings should be completed prior to class, and students should be prepared to discuss the assigned material. Any material discussed in class and/or covered in the assigned readings may be included in examinations.  The syllabus is subject to change, as the instructor deems appropriate and necessary.  Unless otherwise discussed, written assignments for this course must be typed in 12- point font, single-spaced, and have one-inch margins. Given that this class focuses on professionalism, points will be deducted for spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors, as well as failing to follow assignment directions and requirements.  Course content and instruction are based on creating a safe and supportive learning environment. All discussions will be ruled by mutual respect for people and their opinions. We can disagree without being disagreeable. Effective public relations practice is dependent on gathering and understanding diverse viewpoints. Furthermore, professionalism requires an appreciation for the multicultural society and global economy in which students plan to work.  Based on University and CCI policies, you must earn at least an average grade of 2.0 for all College of Communication and Information courses that fulfill graduation and progression requirements. Additionally, students with a catalog term later than 2012 must earn a letter grade of C or better in this course in order for PBRL380 to satisfy the public relations major graduation requirement.

Grading Scale

All grades are based on the instructor’s assessment and are non-negotiable based on this scale: 93-100 = A (4.0) 90-92 = A- (3.7) 87-89 = B+ (3.3) 83-86 = B (3.0) 80-82 = B- (2.7) 77-79 = C+ (2.3) 73-76 = C (2.0) 70-72 = C- (1.7) 60-69 = D (1.0) < 60 = F (0.0)

ASSIGNMENT/WORK OVERVIEW

Assignments are discussed next. Details are posted on Blackboard and discussed in class.

Your final course grade will be determined by the following category weighting:

Professional Self-Assessment/Profile 5% Resume and Cover Letter 10% Informational Interview Assignments 25% Mock Interview Assignments 25%

4 LinkedIn Profile Update & Memo 10% Final Professional Plan 20% Class Participation and Professionalism 5%

Professional Self-Assessment and Profile – 5% Complete the professional profile and self-assessment document on Blackboard. For the assessment, you will need to identify 1-2 target entry-level jobs that are currently available. Conduct a self-assessment of how well your experiences, knowledge and skills match the job.

Informational Interviewing (multiple assignments) – 25% Informational interviews offer one strategy to learn more about an industry, organization, job or individual while building your professional network. You will conduct 1-2 informational interviews this semester. We will hold an in-class training to prepare you for them. At least one should be in person, though others may be completed via Skype, Facetime, Google Hangout, phone, etc. These interviews should not be with relatives.

Resume and Cover Letter – 10% You will write a resume and cover letter. Instead of completing a generic resume, first identify a target job advertisement or available job description that might interest you. You will include the job ad with a resume and cover letter you tailor to that specific advertisement.

Mock Interview (multiple assignments) – 25% You will practice interviewing for the specific job to which you applied with a recent alum who is acting as your target job employer. You will dress in business professional attire and meet in the Scripps Lab at an appointed time. The mock interviews will take place from 3-6 p.m. to accommodate professionals’ schedules. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are not available in that time window. Bring two hard copies of your resume and cover letter and 1-2 sample work products. We will conduct these mock interviews as realistically as possible.

LinkedIn Profile Update & Memo – 10% You will make updates to your LinkedIn profile based on what you’ve learned in class and feedback from your mock interview and informational interview experiences. A brief memo will outline those changes and your current positioning statement.

Final Professional Plan – 20% Your plan will include a final updated resume and cover letter and a final job search plan. The plan itself should reflect career objectives, strategies for leveraging your strengths and filling any gaps (including portfolio products), and specific tasks and timeline you will follow.

Class Participation and Professionalism – 5% Participation includes preparation/reading for class, actively contributing to discussions and activities, and maintaining a professional tone during class and in correspondence with the instructor or professionals associated with the class. This is a “learning by doing” course, so you

5 must be present to “do.” Participation and professionalism also include punctuality and attendance. Some notes about participation and professionalism:  Attendance: The instructor will deduct points for chronic tardiness or absence. Your attendance grade starts at a 100%. For each class missed (or for any class for which you are 10 minutes or more tardy), 2.5 percentage points will be deducted from your grade (e.g., 1 absence immediately puts your attendance portion of the grade at a 97.5). The instructor will note absent students at the beginning of every class period. If you miss lectures, you will miss discussions that will help you fulfill course requirements. Late assignments will not be accepted unless students have made prior arrangements with the instructor. Just as if you were “on-the-job,” the “prior arrangements” policy applies to all situations, including a family emergency or an illness documented by a medical professional’s note. Students who have a note from a medical professional such as a doctor or nurse practitioner indicating they had a medical reason to miss class will have the opportunity to make up missed in-class work. But students must turn in by the due date/time any work due the day of the absence in order to receive credit for the assignment, including written assignments. Students may submit work via Blackboard or email. Students with an excused absence will not lose participation points. Students who miss class for sports or academic events and present an official letter regarding their absence in advance of the missed class will not receive deductions on their participation grade for that day. However, they must turn in all assignments early or on time. Again, credit for graded in-class work will only be given if that work is completed prior to that class. When students miss a class for any reason, they should seek out trusted classmates to discuss what they missed in class. No special accommodations will be made for missed assignments. Do not ask the instructor what you missed or if you missed anything important.  Technology: This class focuses on professional development. We want to gain skills for balancing technology with focused attention on the task at hand. Use your phone or computer to aid and extend your learning – not distract from it. Participation and professionalism point deductions will be used to help hold us all accountable. Please put away and silence phones when you are in the classroom. If you know you have a call, text or email you need to attend to during class, let the instructor know before class.  Communication: Practice professional communication in all interactions with peers, professor, guests or professionals associated with the class. Emails, in-person discussions, anything written on social media or in assignments should be written in a tone and format that appears polished and respectful and reflects well on you, the class and the university.  Participation: Much of our time in class will involve analyzing professional development and public relations ideas and situations that both you and I provide in order to hone skills in critically and strategically analyzing ideas, issues and situations. Consequently, active and informed engagement in discussion of these ideas is crucial to the success in the class – your own success, and the success of the entire class. Participation may also happen outside of class or online such as through the class hashtag on Twitter. To give you a sense of what I expect for participation, I offer the following criteria:

6 . 90+ You offer frequent, relevant and thoughtful questions and comments that demonstrate an insightful understanding of the material. . 80+ You offer a number of relevant questions and comments that show adequate preparation prior to the class. . 70+ You offer occasional questions and comments that aid in the understanding of the material. . 60+ You rarely ask questions or make comments, or you merely repeat or rephrase others.

UT RESOURCES

 UT’s Student Success Center is a one-stop resource center offering information and resources in the areas of academic advising, tutoring and academic support, service and community, and student life. The center’s website is http://studentsuccess.utk.edu/ Other contact info: Greve Hall, Room 324, Third floor, 821 Volunteer Blvd., 865-974- 6641  UT’s Center for Career Development is a valuable resource you’ll want to explore. As the website describes, “We provide career counseling, career exploration classes, interest and personality assessments and resources to help you choose a major and career. If you seek employment, we can help you identify part-time jobs, internships and full-time positions through our HIRE-A-VOL system.” The Center recently moved to the new UC. Many resources are available online http://career.utk.edu/ You can also stop by the new office. Use the entrance by the pedestrian walkway and go to the 2nd floor. 865-974- 5435

PUBLIC RELATIONS RESOURCES  Quintcareer.com – good link to articles, sample cover letters, resumes, e-resume information in particular, they also sell their services to create a resume and help you job hunt  PROpenMic – social network site for PR students, faculty and practitioners: http://www.propenmic.org/  Collegegrad.com – good basic job search and career planning information  General public relations website portal, especially related to public relations education: http://lamar.colostate.edu/~pr/  Institute for Public Relations: http://instituteforpr.org/  Arthur W. Page Society resource links page: http://www.awpagesociety.com/resources/links.asp  Public Relations Society of America (PRSA): http://www.prsa.org/  PRSA Volunteer Chapter: http://www.volunteerprsa.org/  UT’s PRSSA Sammie Lynn Puett Chapter: http://web.utk.edu/~prssa/  Council of Public Relations Firms: http://www.prfirms.org/  #PRstudchat community hosted at http://www.deirdrebreakenridge.com  Public Affairs Council: http://www.pac.org/  Issues Management Council: http://www.issuemanagement.org/ 7  National Investor Relations Institute: http://www.niri.org/  Global Alliance: http://www.globalpr.org/knowledge/landscapes.asp  International Association of Business Communicators: http://www.iabc.com/  International Public Relations Association: http://www.ipra.org/  Women Executives in Public Relations: http://www.wepr.org/  National Black Public Relations Association: http://www.nbprs.org/  Hispanic Public Relations Association: http://www.hpra-usa.org/

8 Proposed Schedule1

Week 1 – Introduction to Course and First Steps Jan. 13  Introduce course  Discuss baseline questionnaire  Overview the PR industry and first steps in the PR job search

Week 2 – Mapping Out Your Job Search Jan. 18 – MLK Day – No Class

Jan. 20** Meet at the Center for Career Development in the UC (2nd floor lobby)  Presentation by Leslie Poynter, CCI’s career consultant  University of Tennessee Center for Career Development resources and PR Internship website  Leveraging Hire-a-VOL and InterviewStream  Maximizing the job fair experience

**Before class: Visit the UT Center for Career Development website. Register for both Hire-a- VOL and InterviewStream.

Week 3 – Resumes and Cover Letters

Jan. 25  Resume writing and tailoring  READ: Levit Intro. & Ch. 1

**Due before class via Blackboard and in hard copy: Professional self-assessment and profile

Jan. 27  Cover letter writing (and the all-important cover email)

**Bring your thank you notes to class.

Week 4 – Informational Interviewing & Networking

Feb. 1  Informational interviewing – the what, why and how  What not to do  Presentation by Kristin Knight, former PRSSA president and 2015 graduate

1 The instructor reserves the right to adapt the schedule due to scheduling or student interest needs. Guest speakers may be added based on their availability and student interest. 9 **Due before class via Blackboard and in hard copy: Resume and cover letter for a target job

Feb. 3  Networking online (LinkedIn analysis)  Networking in person  Professional networks  READ: Levit Ch. 7

**Due before class via Blackboard: List of 2-3 informational interview targets and context

Week 5 – Professional Etiquette & Preparing for Interviews

Feb. 8  Professional etiquette, tips and vocab for the professional world

**Due before class via Blackboard: Sample email and bio for informational interview targets

Feb. 10  Preparing for the interview  READ: Levit Ch. 6

**Due before class via Blackboard: Resume, cover letter and 1-2 work samples for the mock interview target job

Week 6 – Interviewing and Following Up

Feb. 15  Mock interviews - Come to Scripps at your appointed time dressed in business attire with your materials and conduct a mock interview. The mock interviews will take place from 3-6 p.m. to accommodate professionals’ schedules. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are not available in that time window.

Feb. 17  Debriefing the mock interview experience  Following up after the interview (thank you notes, etc.)

Week 7 – Evaluating and Negotiating the Offer

Feb. 22  Starting salaries  Best practices for evaluating and negotiating your first job offer  Web site for general Salary Information: http://www.collegegrad.com/salaries/  Web site for Job Offer Negotiation: http://www.collegegrad.com/negotiations/

10  READ: Levit Ch. 2

**Due before class via Blackboard: LinkedIn Profile Update Memo

Feb. 24  Human resources aspects of the job – Ask the HR Expert  Presentation by Barbara Montalbano, Human Resources Manager, Hubbell  READ: Levit Ch. 3-5

**Due before class via Blackboard: Informational Interview Report

Week 8 – Professional Leadership Development

Feb. 29  Leaping into and leading in your new job  Professional development  READ: Levit Ch. 6-8

March 2  Leadership on the job  Dealing with your boss and coworkers  Presentation by Sally Parish, Director, The Center for Leadership & Service

**Due before class via Blackboard and in hard copy: Final Professional Plans

Week 9 – Course Wrap-Up and Next Steps

March 7  Course wrap-up  READ: Levit Ch. 9-10 

11 Name:

Email:

Phone:

Please list any conflicts that you know of at this point that may interfere with your attendance.

I have read, understand, and agree to all terms and policies outlined in the syllabus for Public Relations 380 Professional Seminar.

Signature______

Date______

12