By Patricia Swann, Utica College | Public Relations
United States invented the modern-day profession we know as public relations. The United States has also pioneered the creation of public relations education.
Public relations educators in the United States have long rallied around Public Relations Society of America’s Commission of Public Relations Education report, “The Professional Bond,” which endorses a five-course standard. Those courses include principles of public relations, research methods, public relations writing, internship, and an additional class in campaigns or case studies.
But how is public relations taught globally? This question is beginning to be answered in a new study entitled “A First Look: An In-Depth Analysis of Global Public Relations Education” sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America Foundation and conducted by Elizabeth L. Toth, Ph.D., and Linda Aldoory, Ph.D., both from the University of Maryland and members of AEJMC’s Public Relations Division. This report is the first of a three-phase study.
The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 20 educators from undergraduate and graduate programs in various global regions. The researchers also examined their institutions’ Websites for curricula information. They found that nearly three-quarters of participants expressed some version of the five-course standard mentioned above. All study participants unanimously supported the need for research methods and internships/professional experiences.
But there were some cultural differences:
For example, in Nigeria there is a strong emphasis on relationships and politics, which is tied with the country’s focus on health and development. In New Zealand there was a similar focus on development and solving social problems, while also looking globally for public relations strategies. In China, participants talked about Confucian traditions and the ongoing framework of harmony working within public relations and other professions in the country…
The researchers found a “moderate” influence from public relations in the United States and Europe, using Western perspectives and theories for public relations, textbooks, and the five-course model.
Toth and Aldoory’s research found a desire for the “development of a basic tool kit for public relations educators that simultaneously offer some global perspectives and understandings of today’s public relations, but also allows for local, cultural distinctions for teaching in the discipline.”
Part of this educator tool kit might be a Website with case studies, test banks, uploaded interviews with professionals, campaign ideas, recommended/rated textbooks, educator blogs, and a listserv that would allow public relations educators around the globe to connect and exchange ideas, offer partnerships and travel opportunities.
The educator tool kit is a smart idea to expand the body of knowledge and forge new partnerships and friendships. Different perspectives, such as China’s use of Confucian traditions and Europe’s interest in social responsibility, are worthy of consideration as our world continues to grow smaller and smaller…but the need for excellent public relations grows larger and larger.
To view the research report “A First Look: An In-Depth Analysis of Global Public Relations Education” go to http://www.prsafoundation.org/research.html.