University of Louisiana at Lafayette Department of Communication

CMCN 320
Principles of
Public Relations
Day: Tuesday & Thursday
Time: 11:00am - 12:15 pm
Location: Burke Hawthorne 115

FALL 2019 SECTION: 21452 - 002

Course Description Dr. Phillip Arceneaux

This course introduces public relations as used for profit, Dr. Arceneaux earned a
government, and not-for-profit organizations; presents Ph.D. from the University
the history and development of the profession, concepts, of Florida with interests in
international communica-
ethical standards, legal responsibilities and career
tion, specifically public
opportunities; and explains the relationships between and digital diplomacy. His
public relations and management, including strategic scholarly interests include
planning. political public relations,
international relations,
Prerequisite: None; however, this 300-level course is international law, and
designed for public relations majors in the first semester of cybersecurity. He received
their junior year (i.e., 60 or more completed hours of his bachelor’s at LSU and
his master ’s at the UL-Lafayette. Dr.
coursework), students from majors or disciplines that
Arceneaux’s work experience spans strategic
require or allow the course as an elective, and graduate
communications in academics, professional
students who need undergraduate preparation in public athletics, and government, including the U.S.
relations. Naval Academy, U.S. Department of State,
and Central Intelligence Agency.
Freshmen are prohibited from taking the course. Students
must be in Upper Division to take 300-level courses. Email: [email protected]
Graduate students are required to meet additional course Twitter: @phil_arceneaux
requirements, as determined by the instructor, to receive LinkedIn: /philliparceneaux/
graduate credit.
Office: Wharton Hall 327
CMCN 320: Principles of Public Relations

Recommended Course Textbooks:

Title: The Practice of Public Relations
(13th Edition)
Author: Fraser P. Seitel
ISBN-13: 978-0134170114

Title: Public Relations Theory II (1st Edition)

Authors: Carl H. Botan & Vincent Hazelton
ISBN 13: 978-0805833850

There is no such thing as a “freebie” when it comes to absences or being late. If you
Absences & have missed an in class assignment, you will receive a zero. Please note that all
assignments are uploaded online, but some are due by the posted date and time. All
Late Policy times are in the current time zone of UL Lafayette (i.e. Central). Late work is not
accepted. If you have an excused absence, you may make arrangements to turn in
your work early. In the case of an emergency, late work may be accepted with documentation of the
extenuating circumstance. Religious holiday conflicts with class should be submitted by the
third week of class. Excused absences are as follows: University Sponsored Events with at least 1 week
prior notice and documentation; Medical/Emotional/ Family Emergencies with appropriate
documentation and communication. All emergency absence documentation is due within two weeks
of your return to class. Make up assignments will not be given until documentation is received.

Respect is an absolute requirement for this course. Participation is

essential to the learning process and reflects a percentage of the course grade. In
order to give everyone the opportunity for maximum participation, a safe
respectful environment must exist in the class for all opinions and perspectives.
At no time should there be any use of profanity, disrespectful slurs, or aggressive
volume used in the discussions. This applies to course guests and students.
Surfing the Internet, playing games, and blogging are all disrespectful when done
during a presentation or lecture. We are all here to learn, and should therefore
vow to listen, process, and then respectfully respond to the statements made.
CMCN 320: Principles of Public Relations

Course Grading Breakdown

 Weekly News Quizzes: 14 quizzes X 10 points = 140 points
 Weekly Discussion Posts: 13 posts X 20 points each = 260 points
 Case Study Presentation Proposal 1 exam X 50 points = 50 points
 Case Study Presentation 1 exam X 250 points = 250 points
 Midterm Exam: 1 exam X 150 points = 150 points
 Final Exam: 1 exam X 150 points = 150 points

1,000 TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE IN THE CLASS

*All assignments are for credit towards a college level course. Submissions should be of college level
quality. All homework and class assignments should be coherent and presentable. Please check grammar,
punctuations, and tone prior to submission. First and last names should be listed on all submissions (no
nicknames). If having extreme difficulties submitting materials in Moodle, please reach out to the
instructor for assistance.

1,000 - 900 = A 899 - 800 = B 799 - 700 = C 699 - 600 = D 599 - 0 = F

Assignment Descriptions
 Quizzes & Discussions: Communication is essentially the sharing of information. In mass
communication, it is critical to stay up to date on the flow of information.
To help force ourselves to stay up to date, the class will have a weekly
discussion of which students must partake, and a mandatory trending
news quiz due every Friday in Moodle. Students will be asked to identify
one major news item that trended during the week. Students will then
offer a synopsis of the situation and identify how that trending event
impacted or implicated the field of public relations. This will account for
40% of your grade in the course.

 Midterm Exam: The Midterm Exam will test all material covered since the very first day of class.
This means that all information from Weeks 1 - 8 will be covered. The exam will be worth
150 points, or 15% of your grade in the course. The test format will involve multiple
choice, matching, and short answer questions.
CMCN 320: Principles of Public Relations

Assignment Descriptions, Cont’d

 Case Study Proposal & Presentations: Students will conduct a group case study research project.
Case study analysis is a well-known public relations research tool used by professionals and scholars alike
to look at the application of theoretical concerns and see what went right and what failed in public
relations situations. Additionally, students will present cases orally in class in the last weeks of the
semester. You are welcome to bring any visual aids, hand-outs or any other materials needed to defend
your research. Cases will be
presented in class and have a
specific format (outlines
separately). The proposal and
presentation will be worth 300
points, or 30% of your grade in
the course.

 Final Exam: The Final Exam will test all material covered since the very first day of
class, with emphasis on the second half of the semester. This means that all information
from the first 8 weeks of class is fair game, but most of the exam will test information on the
second 8 weeks of class. The exam will be worth 150 points, or 15% of your grade in the
course. The test format will involved multiple choice, matching, short answer questions, and
one long essay question.

 Extra Credit: While there will be an opportunity for extra credit in this course, it should first and
foremost be noted that extra credit involves extra work for both the student and the course instructor. In
order to warrant extra work on the part of the instructor for a student’s benefit, extra credit must entail a
significant contribution from the student. In essence, to receive
extra credit a student must significantly impress the instructor as a
courtesy for the additional grading to his or her workload. This means
that while extra credit is available to all students in the class, specific
assignments will be determined on a student-by-student basis and
will require the student to go well above and beyond in regards to
performance. As such, extra credit will not be an easy or quick task.
Any student interested in extra credit should approach the instructor
about an assignment by the beginning of Week 12 (Deadline of
November 5th).
CMCN 320: Principles of Public Relations

Tentative Class Agenda for the Semester

Date Topic Outside Materials Assignments
Introduction & Syllabus
Week 1
Tuesday, August 27 Seitel, Chapter 1 Discussion Post #1 Due
What is Public Relations
Thursday, August 29 Trending Quiz #1 Due

Week 2
Tuesday, September 3 History of Public Relations Seitel, Chapter 2 Discussion Post #2 Due
Thursday, September 5
Trending Quiz #2 Due

Week 3
History of Public Relations
Tuesday, September 10 Seitel, Chapter 2 Discussion Post #3 Due
Cont’d
Thursday, September 12
Trending Quiz #3 Due

Week 4
Botan & Hazelton,
Tuesday, September 17 Public Relations Theory Discussion Post #4 Due
Chapter 2 & 7
Thursday, September 19
Trending Quiz #4 Due

Week 5
Tuesday, September 24 Public Relations Research Seitel, Chapter 8 Discussion Post #5 Due
Thursday, September 26
Trending Quiz #5 Due

Week 6 Seitel, Chapter 8

Tuesday, October 1 News Management Botan & Hazelton, Discussion Post #6 Due
— Fall Holiday — Chapter 10
Trending Quiz #6 Due

Week 7
Botan & Hazelton,
Tuesday, October 8 Crisis Communication Discussion Post #7 Due
Chapter 6
Thursday, October 10 Trending Quiz #7 Due

Week 8
Tuesday, October 15 International Public Relations Moodle Readings
Thursday, October 17
Midterm Exam
CMCN 320: Principles of Public Relations

Tentative Class Agenda for the Semester, Cont’d

Week 9
Botan & Hazelton,
Tuesday, October 22 Internal Communication Discussion Post #8 Due
Chapter 11
Thursday, October 24 Trending Quiz #8 Due

Week 10
Tuesday, October 29 Public Interest Communication Moodle Readings Discussion Post #9 Due
Thursday, October 31 Trending Quiz #9 Due

Week 11
Tuesday, November 5 Public Affairs Moodle Readings Discussion Post #10 Due
Thursday, November 7 Trending Quiz #10 Due

Week 12
Tuesday, November 12 Political Public Relations Moodle Readings Discussion Post #11 Due
Thursday, November 14 Trending Quiz #11 Due

Week 13 Botan & Hazelton:

Tuesday, November 19 Public Diplomacy Chapter 17, & Discussion Post #12 Due
Thursday, November 21 Moodle Readings
Trending Quiz #12 Due

Week 14
Tuesday, November 26 Case Study Presentations No Readings Discussion Post #13 Due
— Thanksgiving — Trending Quiz #13 Due

Week 15
Case Study Presentations
Tuesday, December 3 No Readings
Cont’d & Final Exam Prep
Thursday, December 5 Trending Quiz #14 Due

Final Exam Week Final Exam Week

CMCN 320: Principles of Public Relations Cheating is the term broadly used to describe all acts of
dishonesty committed in taking tests or examinations and
Academic Honor Code in preparing assignments. Cheating
UL Lafayette strives to create a includes such practices as gaining help
community of thought leaders and from another person or using
innovators in an environment which unauthorized notes when taking a test,
fosters a desire to advance and relying on a calculator if such an aid has
disseminate knowledge. We support the been forbidden, and preparing an
assignment in consultation with another
mission of the University by actualizing
person when the instructor expects the
our core values: 1) Equity; 2) Integrity;
work to be done independently. Cheating
3) Intellectual Curiosity; 4) Creativity; occurs when a student makes use of any
5) Tradition; 6) Transparency; unauthorized aids or materials. Furthermore, any student
7) Respect; 8) Collaboration; 9) Pluralism; who provides unauthorized assistance in academic work is
10) Sustainability. also guilty of cheating.

Academic Integrity Violations: Plagiarism occurs when a student claims originality for
The University holds that all work for which a student the ideas or words of another person, when the student
will receive a grade or credit shall be an original presents as a new and original idea or product anything
contribution or shall be properly documented to which in fact is derived from an existing work, or when the
student makes use of any work or production already cre-
indicate sources. Abrogation of this principle entails
ated by someone else without giving credit to the source.
dishonesty, defeats the purpose of instruction, and
Plagiarism is the use of unacknowledged materials in the
undermines the high goals of the University. preparation of assignments. The student must take care
Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. Students to avoid plagiarism in research or term papers.
shall be assumed to know the acceptable methods
and techniques for proper documentation of sources
For More Information:
and to avoid cheating and plagiarism in all work
submitted for credit, whether prepared in or out of Visit: https://studentrights.louisiana.edu/student-conduct/
class. code-conduct#sanctions

1. Class will be fun. Students will look forward to the class and the assignments.
Teacher - Student 2. Everything will be useful and have a purpose. I promise not to assign any busy work.
Agreement 3. Participation is required. You do not have to talk the most, but I expect active
listeners and participation.
4. Mature and respectful behavior is expected. This includes ARRIVING ON TIME.
5. Electronics are allowed for CLASS SPECIFIC PURPOSES ONLY.
6. I am here to help, but I expect you to check the syllabus and Moodle before asking
assignments/grade questions.

Students with disabilities must complete a confidential registration process through

ADA ODS (separate from admissions). They must first be admitted to the University with a
ULID number. The Request Accommodations link is for NEW ODS students. If you are
Statement already registered with ODS, you can access your accommodations by using Manage
Accommodations.
CMCN 320: Principles of Public Relations

Academic Resources
 The Academic Support Center: The Academic Success Center (ASC) counselors and staff
assist you in making a successful transition into the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. We're also
a great resource for students who are looking for tutoring, advising, and information about
changing majors. Located at the heart of the campus in Lee Hall, the Academic Success Center is
your best resource for academic support services. Appointments are not necessary to see an
academic counselor.

 Dupré Library: Explore our resources or take a break to sip a coffee in Jazzman's Café & Bakery. Feel free to use one
of our 200+ computers, or learn about the library's resources in our SMART classroom.

 The Writing Center: Students, tutors, and teachers form the Writing Center community and create a comfortable
and relaxed atmosphere in which writers work with other writers. Visitors to the center are encouraged to discuss
their writing. The Center’s staff assists its clients at any stage of the writing process. The Center welcomes students
from all disciplines and offers resources for those writing in English as a second language. The Writing Center is located
in HL Griffin Hall, Room 107. Fall and Spring Hours: Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; and Friday 8 a.m. - 2
p.m. Dupre Library Satellite Station: Monday through Wednesday 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Health & Wellness Resources

 Office of Student Health Services: Student Health Services, under the Student Affairs umbrella, is aimed at
enhancing your learning experience on campus. Take advantage of what we have to offer. We invite you to explore
our website to learn about our services and costs, stop by our clinic in O.K. Allen Hall, Saucier Wellness Center, at 220
Hebrard Boulevard, or call us at (337) 482-1293 if you have any questions or concerns.

 Saucier Wellness Center Clinic: We are open for business Monday-Thursday from 7:30 am- 4:45 pm and on Fri-
days from 7:30 am-12:15 pm, whenever the university administrative offices are open, including semester breaks. Reg-
ular Semester Appointment Hours (hours when doctors and nurse practitioners are available): Monday and
Wednesday 7:45 am - 3:45 pm; Tuesday 8:30 am - 3:45 pm (Staff meeting 7:30 am - 8:30 am); Thursday 8:30 am- 3:45
pm (Clinician meeting 7:30 am - 8:30 am); Friday 7:45 am - 10:45 am. Nurse Triage (you will be seen by a nurse, but
not necessarily by a doctor or nurse practitioner if appointments are already booked for the day): Monday and
Wednesday 7:45 am - 4:00 pm; Tuesday 8:30 am - 4:00 pm (Staff meeting 7:30 am - 8:30 am); Thursday 8:30 am- 4:00
pm (Clinician meeting 7:30 am - 8:30 am); Friday 7:45 am - 11:30 am. Semester Break Appointment Hours (when clas-
ses are not in session, but the university administrative offices are open): Monday-Thursday 12 pm - 3:45 pm; Friday
7:45 am - 10:45 am. If you need assistance when the clinic is closed, call University Police at 482-6447 or seek care at a
local Walk In Clinic or Emergency Room.

Counselling & Testing Center: The Center provides personal coun-

seling, crisis intervention, and short-term psychotherapy for individuals,
couples, and groups. The Center offers an unlimited number of sessions,
FREE-of-charge to University students, faculty, and staff. Consultation
services and workshops are available to student groups, faculty, and staff.
The Counseling Center is located within the Saucier Wellness Center, OK
Allen Hall. Office Hours: Mon-Thu 7:30am – 5pm; Fri 7:30am - 12:30pm.
Emergencies: contact University Police at (337) 482-6447.
CMCN 320: Principles of Public Relations

Title IX Statement
UL Lafayette is committed to fostering an environment in which all
members of our campus community are safe, secure, and free from Sexual
Misconduct of any form, including but not limited to Sexual
Assault, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, and Stalking. The University
expects that all interpersonal relationships and interactions – especially
those of an intimate nature – be grounded upon mutual respect, open
communication, and clear Consent. Each student has the right to learn
and each employee has the right to work in an environment free
of Prohibited Sexual Conduct.

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied
the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Feder-
al financial assistance.”

Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 to the 1964 Civil Rights Act

Memes of Wisdom for this Semester