570003 Understanding Communication in Society

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

Description

Public communication is a critical activity for all organisations, brands and individuals. As the communication landscape is constantly evolving, best practice must be front and centre to ensure communication initiatives are contributing to strategic goals. This subject introduces students to contemporary thinking about the development of strategic communication and the impact it has on individuals, brands, organisations and society. Students explore how key theories and concepts are incorporated into contemporary practice, as well as the increasing requirement for integration of multiple forms of public communication including advertising, public relations, and digital and social media communication. In addition, students examine and critically evaluate how people access and consume information today. Students become familiar with the multiple 'touchpoints' between organisations and their publics and the need for organisations to ensure consistency and complementation in their public communication. Throughout, students are introduced to the knowledge and skills required in contemporary practice for planning and designing integrated strategic communication campaigns involving a range of multimedia and multimodal communication activities.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:

• Critically analyse and reflect on strategic communication models and practices to plan and execute a substantial body of research that synthesise information across diverse platforms in response to communication issues and challenges (2.1)
• Persuade and engage diverse audiences through both written and oral communication strategies across a range of media formats with consideration of others' needs and views (6.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

This subject is made up of six modules delivered online over six weeks (one module per week), in addition to Orientation week. Students work through each module at their own pace, with asynchronous interactive activities attached to each module/topic. Activities provide opportunities to learn, apply and discuss the knowledge gained in a practical manner. Within each module, content is delivered through a mixture of reading material, short videos, interactive activities and both essential and suggested readings. Online synchronous sessions are held four times during the session, to allow students to interact, ask questions of teaching staff, and receive clarification for assessments.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Media Topic Selection

Assessment task 2: Media Analysis Report

Assessment task 3: Communication Product

Minimum requirements

Students must submit all assessments and must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total marks.

Required texts

There are no required texts for this subject. Recommended readings will be available via UTS Library and through the subject site.

References

Alberts JK, Martin JN. Introduction to human communication. In: Nakayama TK, Martin JN, eds. Human Communication in Society. 4th ed. Pearson; 2016:1-23.

Borchers TA. Persuasion and ethics in the media age. In: Persuasion in the Media Age. 3rd ed. Waveland Press; 2013:67-93.

Carlson B, Frazer R. “They Got Filters”: Indigenous Social Media, the Settler Gaze, and a Politics of Hope. Social media + society. 2020;6(2):205630512092526-. doi:10.1177/2056305120925261

Fennis, B. M., & Stroebe, W. (2010). The Psychology of Advertising Psychology Press.

Fiske, J. (1982). Introduction to Communication Studies (6th Reprint ed.). Methuen. (1982)

Hallahan K, Holtzhausen D, van Ruler B, Ver?i? D, Sriramesh K. Defining Strategic Communication. International journal of strategic communication. 2007;1(1):3-35. doi:10.1080/15531180701285244

Kaiser J. What Happened to the Public Sphere? The Networked Public Sphere and Public Opinion Formation (excerpt from Ch.22). In: Elias G. Carayannis DFJC, ed. Handbook of Cyber-Development, Cyber-Democracy, and Cyber-Defense. Springer International Publishing; 2018:433, 440-446.

Kellner D. Habermas, the public sphere, and democracy. In: Boros D, Glass JM, Bronner SE, eds. Re-Imagining Public Space?: the Frankfurt School in the 21st Century. 1st ed. Palgrave Macmillan; 2014:19-43. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uts/detail.action?docID=1913582

Lasswell, H. D. (1948). The Structure and Function of Communications in Society. In W. Schram & D. F. Roberts (Eds.), The Process and Effects of Mass Communication Revised Edition (Second Printing ed., pp. 84 - 99). University of Illinois Press. (1971)

Littlejohn, S., Foss, K.A., & Oetzel, J. (2017), Theories of Human Communication (11th Edition), Waveland Press Inc, IL (printed and e-book versions available)

McGuire, W. J. (1989). Theoretical Foundation of Campaigns. In R. E. Rice & C. K. Atkin (Eds.), Public Communication Campaigns: 2nd Edition (2 ed., pp. 43 - 65). SAGE Publications. (1981)

Smith RD. Step 3: Analyzing the publics. In: Strategic Planning for Public Relations. 5th ed. Routledge; 2017:63-99. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uts/reader.action?docID=4862851&ppg=98

Sparks GG. Media Effects Research?: a Basic Overview . Fifth edition. Cengage Learning; 2016.