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Public Communication Theory

AMS 3314
Spring 2008
7 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. Wednesdays
January 9 to May 7
Dr. Norris
214-693-4870
mikenorris2006@sbcglobal.net

DESCRIPTION

This course examines how governments and private organizations get their
messages across to the public effectively, centering on the question of how their
communication strategies differ from or resemble each other. We will examine the tools
available to those groups and individuals charged with making public representations for
those groups, the kinds of communication needs and situations they must address, and the
characteristics of successful communication plans.

OBJECTIVES

By semester’s end, students should be able to: (1) demonstrate mastery of

communication theories; and (2) demonstrate an understanding how an organization can
apply these theories to achieve its goals.

FORMAT

Thorough preparation and active, thoughtful participation will help you complete
this course successfully. Come to class prepared to discuss critically what you have read
and apply it to the topics at hand. Participation and attendance are parts of your final
grade since they are required to complete the course requirements.

TEXTS

Griffin, Em. A First Look At Communications Theory (with “Conversations with

Communication Theorists 2.0”), sixth edition. McGraw-Hill: 2005. ISBN: 007321518X

Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.
Little, Brown and Company: 2002. ISBN: 0316346624

TOPICS

Defining a public, or who is really listening

Writing a communications plan
Media: Why do they do what they do?
Voters: Hey, they’re important, too!
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Internal communications: Not just gossip

Causes: What we really believe
Crises: Communicating under fire, or should Paris Hilton stay out of jail?

GRADES

1. Two papers (20 percent each): Each paper of about 10 to 12 doubled-spaces pages with
one-inch margins all around will discuss an assigned topic. A minimum of six sources, in
addition to the texts for the course and not including Wikipedia or similar online
encyclopedias, will be cited. Parenthetical citations should be made within the text
(Author’s last name, page number or Web location), and sources should be listed on a
separate page at the end of the paper (“Bibliography”) in the following format:

Bibliography

Johnson, Joe. “Communication and Well-Being,” in Journal of Communication Studies,

April 1993: 23-30.
Smith, Jane. The Psychology of Communication. Houghton-Mifflin Co.: 1998.
Smith, Jane. How To Communicate. Random House: 2001.
Smith, John. “How I Lost My Soul.” This essay can be found at
www.lostsoul.com/smith.
Tex, Big. The Art of the Voice. University of Texas Press: 2003.

Internal citations (insert before final punctuation)

Uncertainty reduction plays a key role in effective communications (Smith, Jane, The
Psychology of Communication, 5).
As Jane Smith has argued, uncertainty reduction plays a key role in effective
communications (The Psychology of Communications, 5).
Some theorists have argued that we lose our souls in exchange for material gain (Smith,
John, www.lostsoul.com).
According to John Smith, some theorists have argued that we lose our souls in exchange
for material gain (Smith, www.lostsoul.com).
“We need a big, booming voice for the state fair,” according to Tex (300).
Effective communication plays a role in effective communication (Johnson, 26).

2. Two tests (20 percent each):

a. Mid-term exam: True-false, multiple-choice and short essays covering material

in readings and lectures.

b. Final exam: This will consist of essay questions. Open book and notes allowed.
Students will be asked to analyze critically the communications aspects of several
different situations, using their knowledge of assigned readings, lecture content, and
relevant research.
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3. Class participation (20 percent): Students demonstrate knowledge of assigned readings

by relating them to topics under discussion.

CLASS POLICIES

Please turn off all electronic devices as a courtesy to your fellow students.
Tests will be taken on the designated dates. Makeups are allowed only in cases of
emergencies.

SCHEDULE

Date Readings

1/9 Course introduction

1/16 Griffin 1, 2, 3
Gladwell introduction

1/23 Griffin 4, 5, 6
Gladwell 1

1/30 Griffin 7, 8, 9
Gladwell 2

2/6 Griffin 10, 11, 12

Gladwell 3

2/13 Griffin 13, 14, 15

Gladwell 4

2/20 Griffin 16, 17, 18

Gladwell, 5

2/27 Griffin 19, 20, 21

PAPER NO. 1 DUE

3/5 MID-TERM EXAM

3/12 Spring break

3/19 Griffin 22, 23, 24

Gladwell 6

3/26 Griffin 25, 26

Gladwell 7
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4/2 Griffin 27, 28

Gladwell 8

4/9 Griffin 29, 30

Gladwell afterward

4/16 Griffin 31, 32, 33

4/23 No class

4/30 Griffin 34, 35, 36

Final exam review
SECOND PAPER DUE

5/7 FINAL EXAM

RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS

Research and write papers on two of the following topics:

1. Your nonprofit organization needs money. To obtain this grant, it must, as part of the
overall project plan, develop and distribute a forceful message and show how it would
achieve success. Explain how you would do this by developing external and internal
strategic communications plans.

2. Explain whether you agree or disagree that mass media – such as television,
newspapers, radio and the Internet – actually set the political agenda for towns, states and
the nation, or whether they simply suggest what citizens should think about.

3. Explain whether you agree or disagree that the Bush administration has succeeded in
developing a convincing message about our goals in Iraq, getting this message across to
the public, and making it stick.

4. Explain the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the use of (1) resonance based on memory
and culture and (2) surprise or shock value as methods of influencing public opinion.

5. Explain the most effective methods of identifying and analyzing a target audience for a
particular message or product.

6. Agree or disagree: Mass media – such as TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines –
reinforce dominant cultural values. Cite theories, examples, and evidence in support.

7. Explain how a cause or product has gotten its message across successfully. Cite
theories, examples, and evidence, such as polls or studies, for each step.
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8. The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize went to former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.’s
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their efforts to help spread awareness
about man-made global warming. Explain what their message is and list reasons why you
agree or disagree that Gore and the panel effectively communicated it. Cite theories and
evidence of effectiveness, such as polls or studies, to support your argument.

9. Relate communications theories, as explained by Griffin, to examples of issues in

which Gladwell’s three rules of epidemics – the law of the few, the stickiness factor, and
the power of context – played roles in reaching the tipping point.

10. Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton originally voted to support the invasion of Iraq. She
has been forced, during her campaign to become president, to defend this position.
Explain whether you believe she has successfully defended her position and why. Cite
communications theories and evidence, such as polls, to support your argument.

Requirements

1. Your paper should be 10 to 12 pages in 12-point type doubled-spaced with one-inch

margins all around. A standard Word document will suffice.

2. Cite the theoretical basis for your assertions from Griffin, and use citations, including
specific examples, from at least six additional sources to support your assertions. One of
your six additional sources can be Gladwell.

3. Throughout your paper, cite the author and page number in parentheses following the
reference but before the final punctuation, like this:

Uncertainty reduction plays a key role in effective communications (Smith, Jane, The
Psychology of Communication, 5).
As Jane Smith has argued, uncertainty reduction plays a key role in effective
communications (The Psychology of Communications, 5).
Some theorists have argued that we lose our souls in exchange for material gain (Smith,
John, www.lostsoul.com).
According to John Smith, some theorists have argued that we lose our souls in exchange
for material gain (www.lostsoul.com).
“We need a big, booming voice for the state fair,” according to Tex (300).
Effective communication plays a role in effective communication (Johnson, 26).
Baldwin, John D. George Herbert Mead. Sage Publications: 1986.

4. List cited references, whether by direct quotation or paraphrase, in bibliographic form

at the end of your paper on a separate page (“Bibliography”), like this:

Johnson, Joe. “Communication and Well-Being,” in Journal of Communication Studies,

April 1993: 23-30.
Smith, Jane. The Psychology of Communication. Houghton-Mifflin Co.: 1998.
Smith, Jane. How To Communicate. Random House: 2001.
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Smith, John. “How I Lost My Soul.” This essay can be found at

www.lostsoul.com/smith.
Tex, Big. The Art of the Voice. University of Texas Press: 2003.
Nimmo, Dan. “Structuring Symbolic Interaction: Communication and Power,” Merrill-
Palmer Quarterly, Vol. 45, 1999, pp. 677-80.
Smith, Joan. “City planners postpone talks to learn more about crematory’s air
emissions,” Contra Costa Times, Aug. 8, 2003 (www.findarticles.com/p/articles).

TIPS FOR GOOD PAPERS

1. Avoid the use of “I” or such as phrases as “in my opinion” or “I believe.”

2. Do not double-space between paragraphs.
3. Indent paragraphs.
4. Avoid long paragraphs.
5. Copy the bibliographic format exactly as indicated in the assignment.
6. Place citations before the final punctuation of a sentence, as indicated above.
7. Write the paper to the length specified in the assignment.
8. Write about the topic that is assigned. Read the topic carefully.
9. Follow directions closely. Cite at least six sources, other than Wikipedia or other
online encyclopedias, beyond the textbook.
10. Ask your professor if you have questions or issues.

Notes:

1. Students may e-mail their papers to me. You should always receive an e-mail
acknowledgement from me that I received the material. If you do not receive such an
acknowledgement, check with me on the status of the paper.

2. Students may suggest their own topics for papers.

RECOMMENDED READING AND VIEWING

Brook, James, and Boal, Iain, eds. Resisting the Virtual Life: The Culture and Politics of
Information (City Lights, 1995)

Brummett, Barry. Rhetoric in Popular Culture (Sage Publications, 2006)

Dainton, Marianne, and Elaine D. Zelley. Applying Communication Theory for

Professional Life (Sage Publications, 2005).

Dionne, E.J., Jr. Why Americans Hate Politics (Simon & Schuster, 1991)

Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (Little, Brown,
2005)
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Goldhagen, Daniel. Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust
(Knopf, 1996)

Marchand, Roland. Creating the Corporate Soul: The Rise of Public Relations and
Corporate Imagery in American Big Business (The University of California Press, 1998).

McKibben, Bill. Enough: Staying Human in the Engineered Age (Owl Books/Holt, 2003)

McKibben, Bill. The Age of Missing Information (Plume/Penguin, 1992)

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. (Many editions are available.)

Mindich, David T.Z. Tuned Out: Why Americans Under 40 Don’t Follow the News
(Oxford University Press, 2005)

Nichols, Ralph G. et al. Harvard Business Review on Effective Communications

(Harvard Business School Press, 1999)

Papa, Michael J. et al. Organizational Communication: Perspectives and Trends (Sage

Publications, 2008).

Pink, Daniel H. A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the
Conceptual Age (Riverhead/Penguin, 2005)

Siegel, Len. Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob
(Spiegel & Grau, January 2008).

Ulmer, Robert Ray et al. Effective Crisis Communication: Moving from Crisis to
Opportunity (Sage Publications, August 2006)

Documentaries

“An Inconvenient Truth”

“Equality U”

Films

“Death of a Salesman”
“Wag the Dog”
“Michael Clayton”