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Minor in Public Relations

School of Fine Arts and Communication

Overview

Biola’s public relations minor will provide you with an understanding of the values, philosophy and ethical frameworks that guide the industry of PR. Through courses focused on fundamentals, you'll gain a foundation in understanding the world of public relations, all through the lens of a biblical worldview.


Courses

Below are the course requirements for this academic program. In addition to these program-specific requirements, all majors include Biola's traditional undergraduate core curriculum. For more program details, including a sample course sequence, visit Biola's academic catalog.

Note: This list is intended to give you a quick glimpse into the program's academic offerings, and should not be used as a guide for course selection or academic advising.

Courses

This course provides an overview of the intent, purpose, and influence of public relations beginning with journalism in the late 1700s, extending into the birth of public relations in the 20th century, and the rise of convergent media in the early 21st century. The course examines the crafting and influence of media messages and understanding and serving of audiences over time. The course examines interplay of journalism and public relations over the decades, exploring also the roots of, and ethical principles underlying, best practices. Students will juxtapose their biblical world-view with ethical decision-making. Grade Mode: A

A course providing students an introduction to various channels necessary for companies and organizations to resource in communicating messages for the building of relationships with select audiences. Course content introduces basics in writing for social media for organizations and causes and exposes students to digital strategies and tools as students prepare for careers in various areas of public relations. Students begin the development of their professional online presence as they create the scaffolding for their e-portfolio site. The course serves as a prerequisite to PREL 307Grade Mode: A

A survey course in which students explore the nature and process of public relations process as well as methods and professional issues. Public Relations is conceived as the 'overall umbrella' under which come advertising, marketing, promotion, publicity, employee and community relations, and public affairs. In addition to exploring public relations generally, the class addresses both corporate and not-for-profit organizations as well as religious and mainstream operations. Grade Mode: A

A course introducing students to digital approaches to design principles and techniques for visually communicating ideas. Fundamental principles of design and elements of line, form, color, texture, value, shape will be resourced in hands-on practice. Creating user-focused experiences on the web and in apps will be integral to the student design development. These digital designers will resource electronic procedures and tools to produce and edit websites and elements for online distribution, including landing pages, banners and ads, and email marketing collateral. They may work with Wordpress and in languages such as HTML5, CSS3 JavaScript. Students will understand and consider accessibility as well as functionality of design and systems. Materials they create, format, illustrate and design will be used for creative concept presentation to clients as well. This is an entry-level course, assuming students have little previous experience with coding, UX/UI, or tools for design which may include the Adobe Suite products. Grade Mode: A

Public relations is inherently tied to ethics. This course provides a review of common public relations ethical theories, decision making models and applied practices. Students will be challenged to examine ethical dilemmas and situations in order to effectively provide ethical council as a public relations professional. Legacy, or tradition, communication PR ethics as well as digital and social media ethics will be included in this course. Grade Mode: A

A core component to public relations is the ability to effectively manage and guide organizations throughout a crisis. This course introduces students to key crisis communication theories and applied practices. Students explores effective processes to prepare for, respond to and repair reputations after a crisis is experiences. Particular attention will be given to strategies and tactics to engage crisis communication in a digital and social media environment throughout the course. Grade Mode: A

This course is an examination of the legal and global influences that shape public relations. Students will learn core legal frameworks that guide the practice of public relations related to mass media and business. Building on this framework, students will examine organizational principles that are critical for public relations practitioners to understand in order to effectively leverage leadership influence, focusing particularly on the purpose and role of other organizational disciplines like marketing, finance and management in relation to the purpose and role of PR. Finally, students will evaluate global perceptions and practice of public relations in light of political, legal and cultural influences around the globe. Grade Mode: A

18
Total Program Credits
Every program at Biola University features rigorous academics, biblically integrated curriculum and vocational preparation.
WSCUC
Accreditation
Biola University is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. Additional accreditations may apply to specific programs.

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