Faculty of Arts
Department of Communication
CMN 4148A – Communication in Governmental Organizations
Course official description:
Communication between governments (local, regional, and national) with different audiences in the context of public policy development and implementation, consultations, public information campaigns, e-government initiatives, internal changes, and reengineering. Discuss key concepts such as governance, accountability, transparency, access to information, and respect for privacy and confidentiality. Critical assessment of government communication strategies in the light of a more participatory democratic process. Review of case studies with particular emphasis on experiences and lessons from Canadian institutions based in Ottawa.
Course general description:
Communications are crucial in advancing the work of public sector agencies and departments. The course will focus on the trends, issues, and debates regarding corporate communications in a public sector environment, including accountability, ethics, risk, crisis communication, public consultation, evaluation, and public diplomacy. Much of the course will be based on the policy requirements and practical application of the communication function in the context of the Government of Canada. The coursework will include readings, a review of case studies, class discussions, and presentations.
Objectives: Topics and Learning Outcomes
Students who take the course will learn about the following:
· The communications environment in which public sector organizations operate; frameworks and concepts for understanding public sector communications debates surrounding issues of accountability and transparency in the public sector;
· how communications contribute to the policy and program requirements of government and the challenges communications managers face;
· fundamentals of strategic communications planning for developing and implementing effective government communications;
· contemporary public policy issues relating to government communications (including media relations, government advertising, change management, evaluation, and the influence and effect of partisanship in government communications);
· roles of crisis communication, risk communication, and social marketing in promoting the work of the public service and the delivery of government services;
· current trends in e-government and citizen consultations; the intent and impact of the Government of Canada's Communications Policy; and how the Government of Canada "brands" Canada to the world.
The course will allow participants to appreciate strategic communications activities in a public sector context and increase awareness of how communications can support and influence the success of the policy process and program delivery.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
Ø Consider contending concepts, theories, perspectives, and traditions regarding the role of communication in public sector organizations;
Ø Critically assess the essential theory, scholarly literature, and research methods relevant to examining public sector communication;
Ø Understand how to apply the contextual framework on emerging issues in public sector communication, such as crisis management, media relations, social marketing, transparency, public accountability, and effectiveness;
Ø Evaluate how the 'permanent campaign' political reality challenges the democratic principles of communication that are the foundation of government communication in liberal democracies.
Please Note the Following:
Ø Exam period - It may be necessary to hold evening exams for day courses and vice versa. Exams may also occur on weekends, either during the day or evening.
Ø Drop boxes will be created on Brightspace, where students can download their assignments and exams when necessary.
Ø ** Regulation 8.5 for a course syllabus and Regulation 14 on fraud:
http://www.uottawa.ca/governance/regulations.html
Language of instruction
English
Students may submit their work in either English or French following the University of Ottawa's Regulation on Bilingualism: http://web5.uottawa.ca/admingov/bilingualism.html
Pedagogical organization of the course:
The course consists of lectures to introduce the material and deepen understanding. The course will also be punctuated by illustrations such as short films and the study of practical cases. Students will have a series of readings to complete for each course. These readings, which reinforce the lectures in the lectures, are essential to understanding the material and the course's success. The reading of at least two texts per course is mandatory. The course intends to develop more in-depth knowledge that students are constantly called upon to acquire throughout their studies and, more broadly, professional careers.
Students' responsibilities:
The course content is dense, and understanding the concepts covered requires maximum concentration to facilitate learning and appropriation. Students should be ready from day one. Therefore, readers are strongly recommended, both mandatory in the course and complementary, with a view, for example, to deepen one of the themes addressed during the session. The assimilation of the course material requires a specific intellectual curiosity; the student must ensure that s/he understands the course's main concepts. This requires more regular use of library services. Most of them are available online. Please keep in mind that knowledge is, first and foremost, the result of a dialectic that continuously occurs between the knowledge produced (through research and literature) and the knowledge that you appropriate, transform, and interpret in your own way according to your personal and professional interests, your sensitivity, and your intellectual curiosity.
Course Content
Lectures will be interactive and will be supplemented with case studies and readings. Each week, a specific topic will be discussed. The course is based on lectures, readings, and student presentations. The Professor will give around one hour of lecture, and the rest will be devoted to group discussions and student presentations. Students are expected to participate actively in these sessions by preparing themselves with all essential readings listed in the class schedule. The courses will comprise student-led discussion, midterms, essays, student presentations, and final exams. Case studies drawn from the Government of Canada will be referenced and analyzed.
Guest speakers could be invited based on their availability to provide perspectives on course themes and current communications issues.
Course Evaluation:
1. Submission of summary of class readings (10%)
Summary statements must be prepared for 'essential' readings throughout the session. Hence, five (5) of these in total (e.g., 1 summary = 2 points). To receive points, these summaries must be submitted electronically. However, students must identify the list of readings (amongst the mandatory ones) they will summarize and establish a calendar of submissions with the professor before September 15th.
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Elements of the Summary of Class Readings
1. Maximum length: Pick five readings, from 5 different weeks and write 500-600 words summarizing each article and commenting on the author's argument.
2. A summary statement of each author's main argument (5-6 sentences maximum). To the extent possible, this statement should be written in your own words as opposed to being directly taken from the text (conclusion or introduction);
3. Two or three issues or questions for each reading that you believe to be important and merit some discussion/clarification. (Note: It is beneficial to try to formulate these in the form. of a question); and
4. Elements of the author's argument with which you agree or disagree.
5. How does at least one of the readings resonate with you personally, given your previous or current professional experience or your previous or current university courses?
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Reading’s submissions calendar
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Reading
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Dateline
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First summary
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Sept 25th
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Second summary
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Oct 9th
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Third summary
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October 30th
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Fourth summary
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Nov 12th
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Fifth summary
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Nov 29th
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2. Group Assignment (30%): due Oct 25th
Students will work in small groups (4-5 students, depending on class size) for the group assignment. Each team will be responsible for developing a Communications Strategy or Marketing Plan to address a particular government communications issue or challenge. Each plan will be directly linked to the course reading and include appropriate research through Internet sources, government and stakeholder websites, journals and newspapers, and other sources to familiarize students with the issue's status and determine current debates and actions. The formal presentation will be followed by a discussion intended to explore the matter further and allow the class to comment on the team's strategy and approaches. The final written submission is due on October 17th. However, it will be necessary for each team to have completed sufficient work on the assignment to present their work in summary form. to the class successfully. The ensuing class discussion will assist each team in finalizing their final written submission. Further details will be made available in class.
3. Term Essay (20%) Due on Nov 20th
Each student must write one essay of approximately 1800 – 2500 words in length (excluding bibliography/references) focusing on one of the essay topics that will be listed on the course web before Sept 15th. With a signed copy of the academic fraud declaration attached, the essay is to be submitted on Nov 17th. Essays submitted after the due date will be penalised at 5 marks out of 25 per day late. Extensions for reasons of illness must have documentation from the University's Health Services. Students should make and retain a copy of all work submitted until they have received their final grade for the course.
Format
The essay should
Ø Have a cover page.
Ø Be double-spaced.
Ø Be typed using Times New Roman 12 pt font.
Ø Be properly referenced using the APA referencing format
Ø Guidelines for using the APA referencing system are available online at:
Ø http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html
Ø http://library.curtin.edu.au/referencing/apa.pdf
Essays submitted without a signed copy of the Academic Fraud Declaration attached will be returned without being evaluated.
Essay Topics and Questions:
To be available on Brigthspace by the end of September.
Essay Evaluation Criteria:
The essay intends to display your competence in the field of study. Ultimately, what we are looking for is:
1. Evidence of understanding the relevant literature and the issues involved in the topic you choose to address (drawing on class readings and discussions).
2. Evidence of an ability to think analytically and draw conclusions based on the information you present.
3. Evidence of the organizational and writing skills required to produce a coherent and logical argument.
In sum, essays should be structured around a clear argument/thesis that goes beyond mere description. Essays that are grounded in the literature and evidence relevant to the topic being investigated will fare much better than those offering only superficial, impressionistic, and/or primarily descriptive discussions.
An essay submitted for evaluation stands or falls on the quality of the work submitted. For this course the essay grade will be assigned according to four broad categories (general essay writing guidelines for this course is provided at the end of this document):
A+ range: Reserved for essays whose depth of interpretation and imaginativeness is genuinely exceptional. An essay obtaining a grade of this standing is of sufficient quality to be submitted for publication to a student journal.
A- to A range: An essay that provides a well-written cogent argument, evidence of an understanding of the literature, and offers an integrated treatment of the subject at hand.
B to B+ range: An essay in which the response to the question is factually accurate, an adequate range of material is covered, the writing and organization is satisfactory, and there is a degree of consistency in the argument presented.
C range and lower: An essay in which the question is not properly understood, there are gross inaccuracies and inconsistencies, the writing is unintelligible, relevant information or issues not identified, a poor range of material is covered, and/or the essay is badly organised.