Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Illinois at Chicago/Public Relations and Digital Media (Fall 2020)
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- Course name
- Public Relations and Digital Media
- Institution
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- Instructor
- Zach McDowell
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Communication
- Course dates
- 2020-08-26 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-12-06 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 23
SYLLABUS: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1enEp91y2_xkzgW61UmsKMlwEcBfuDbE4-qVak2yWmbw/edit?usp=sharing
This class will provide a historical, interpretive, and critical overview of the history of public relations as well as its role in contemporary society, with particular emphasis on contemporary digital media campaigns. This is not a “how to do public relations course.” Rather, we will study how public relations messages build identities and persuade publics by identifying and shaping audience understandings, beliefs and values. We will also study how public relations messages offer the corporation as the source of both social stability and progress. Through this understanding, students will learn to analyze, address, engage with, and craft public relations messaging.
This group project will be a significant improvement to a Wikipedia stub (short article) or a new article that accurately and neutrally covers a local nonprofit. Your group will collaborate on finding proper sources, writing a neutral and balanced article that adheres to the guidelines, as well as commenting on other groups’ projects.
Course Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to apply the principles or public relations to specific cases studies, organizations, and professional situations. Students will be able to design, construct, and disseminate public relations campaigns and strategies for all media –print, analog, digital, and social. Students will be able to identify and analyze the use of ethics in public relations and social media. Students will be able to critique the use of social media in public relations.
Timeline
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 31 August 2020 | Wednesday, 2 September 2020
Week 3
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 7 September 2020 | Wednesday, 9 September 2020
- Welcome!
This class will provide a historical, interpretive, and critical overview of the history of public relations as well as its role in contemporary society, with particular emphasis on contemporary digital media campaigns. This is not a “how to do public relations course.” Rather, we will study how public relations messages build identities and persuade publics by identifying and shaping audience understandings, beliefs and values. We will also study how public relations messages offer the corporation as the source of both social stability and progress. Through this understanding, students will learn to analyze, address, engage with, and craft public relations messaging.
This group project will be a significant improvement to a Wikipedia stub (short article) or a new article that accurately and neutrally covers a local nonprofit. Your group will collaborate on finding proper sources, writing a neutral and balanced article that adheres to the guidelines, as well as commenting on other groups’ projects.
Course Learning Outcomes
1. Students will be able to apply the principles or public relations to specific cases studies, organizations, and professional situations.
2. Students will be able to design, construct, and disseminate public relations campaigns and strategies for all media –print, analog, digital, and social.
3. Students will be able to identify and analyze the use of ethics in public relations and social media.
4. Students will be able to critique the use of social media in public relations.
- In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia assignment
Welcome to your Wikipedia assignment's course timeline. This page guides you through the steps you'll need to complete for your Wikipedia assignment, with links to training modules and your classmates' work spaces.
Your course has been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. You can reach them through the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resources:
- Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (Because of Wikipedia's technical restraints, you may receive a message that you cannot create an account. To resolve this, please try again off campus or the next day.)
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 14 September 2020 | Wednesday, 16 September 2020
- In class - Discussion
- In class - Discussion
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 21 September 2020 | Wednesday, 23 September 2020
- Assignment - Exercise
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 28 September 2020 | Wednesday, 30 September 2020
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 5 October 2020 | Wednesday, 7 October 2020
- Assignment - Peer review an article
- In class - Discussion
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 12 October 2020 | Wednesday, 14 October 2020
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. Consider their suggestions, decide whether it makes your work more accurate and complete, and edit your draft to make those changes.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 12 and 14
- Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 19 October 2020 | Wednesday, 21 October 2020
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 26 October 2020 | Wednesday, 28 October 2020
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Exercise
Now's the time to revisit your text and refine your work. You may do more research and find missing information; rewrite the lead section to represent all major points; reorganize the text to communicate the information better; or add images and other media.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 2 November 2020 | Wednesday, 4 November 2020
- Assignment - Polish your work
Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Wikipedia Expert at any time if you need further help!
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 9 November 2020 | Wednesday, 11 November 2020
- Assignment - Final article
It's the final week to develop your article.
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
- Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Wikipedia Expert at any time!
- In class - In-class presentation
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.