57808 Finding Insights for Understanding Audiences

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

Subject level:

Postgraduate

Description

In this subject, students explore the processes of understanding audiences and generating insights through two communication research methods: key informant interviews and social media content analysis. These methods inform their understanding of audience interests, concerns, needs and behaviours to develop evidence-based recommendations for strategic communication. Students apply these methods to specific contexts and learn the value of integrating research into strategic communication projects to understand diverse audiences.

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, creatively and/or collaboratively analyse, debate and reflect on strategic communication models, practices and solutions by planning and executing a body of research to solve complex problems (2.1)
• Counsel decision-makers about challenges and solutions in diverse contexts on issues of diversity, inclusion, equity, social justice and sustainability (5.1)
• 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 employs an experiential learning approach for students to appreciate the communication research process for understanding audiences that inform strategic communication practices. Through case discussions, hands-on workshop activities in research design, data collection and data analysis, and scaffolded assessments, students develop audience insights through two communication research methods and make sense of data for strategic communication purposes. By embedding clients' requests for audience research into assignments, students respond to the real-world challenges of understanding and delivering audience insights to their client. Students receive formative feedback on their assignment 1 topic from Week 3 to Week 4.

Content (topics)

The subject introduces two communication research methods to students, interviews and content analysis. The subject focuses on these two methods specifically for strategic communicators to gain insights about audiences' cognitive, affective and/or behavioural responses/intentions toward organisations, products and services, or issues that affect audiences or that audiences are motivated to affect.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Audience Research Proposal

Assessment task 2: Data collection and analysis report

Assessment task 3: Insights Report

Minimum requirements

Attendance

Attendance at classes is essential in this subject. Classes are based on a collaborative approach that involves essential workshopping and interchange of ideas with other students and the tutor to build capacities towards meeting the subject learning objectives. A roll will be taken at each class (whether on campus or online). Students who have more than two absences from scheduled class meetings will be refused marking of their final assessment.

Referencing

Use of Generative AI needs to be referenced. Please refer to UTS Library guide. In addition, students are required to include clickable links for all references in the Reference List if available.

References

Required and recommended readings will be available via UTS Library and through the subject site.

Berger, A. (2000). Media and communication research methods: An introduction to qualitative and quantitative approaches, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Croucher, S.M. & Cronn-Mills, D. (2018). Understanding communication research methods. Routledge.

Eggensperger, J., & Redcross, N. (2019). Data-driven public relations research: 21st century practices and applications, Routledge.

Frey, L., Botan, C. & Kreps, G. (2000). Investigating communication: An introduction to research methods, Allyn & Bacon.

Macnamara, J. (2018). Evaluating public communication: Exploring new models, standards and best practice, Routledge.

Macnamara, J. (2005). Media content analysis: its uses, benefits and best practice methodology. Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal, 6(1), 1-34.

Neuendorf, K. (2002). The content analysis guidebook, Sage Publications.

Stacks, D. (2011). Primer of public relations research, The Guilford Press.

Wimmer, R. & Dominick, J. (2006). Mass media research: An introduction, Wadsworth-Thompson.