APR Course Description
COM 200 Introduction to Communication Studies (3 credits)
This course will introduce the students to the contemporary issues and studies of communication. This includes developing an understanding of the critical importance of the organized communication processes in delivering outcomes and causes for groups, and institutions. The conditions, features, operations, and structures of the processes of communications are explained and discussed with the aim of enabling students to have foundational competencies about the way these communication processes take on forms and functions to meet individual, organizational and societal needs.
Co-requisite: ENG 201
APR 210 Public Relations and Society: The Lebanese Case (3 credits)
This course offers a thorough study of the modes of public relations as a persuasive form of pubic communication in a society of enablement and constraints. Students are introduced to different models of public relations practice pointing out the lines of differentiated from/related to marketing communications, advertising and journalism. The areas of publicity, internal communications, consultancy vs. in-house practice, corporate social responsibility, public affairs, financial public relations, CRM and others are covered, aiming at enabling students to assess the role of PR in society, relationships with government, business communities, media, voluntary and regulated sectors. The course will include a historical review of the Lebanese public relations practices covering its principles, modes of establishment, types, features, and development. Students will also have real life cases of the Lebanese practices and the policies regulating them.
Prerequisite: COM 200, ENG200
APR 220 Advertising and Public Relations: Theory and Practice (3 credits)
Students in this course are familiarized with the history, theory and practice of Advertising and Public Relations. This involves providing them with an introduction to both subjects with an emphasis on their histories, characteristics, functions, dynamics, and their various roles in marketing, social, communication, and economics. Students are also introduced to their organizational developments in creative media industry with a special focus given to design, format, and types of effective operations.
Prerequisite: APR 210
APR 240 Advertising and Public Relations as Social Marketing (3 credits)
The course provides a framework of understanding of the concept of social marketing, its definition, process, market philosophy, and strategies. This involves equipping students with a solid foundation of understanding about the dynamics and impact of the forms, processes and technologies of the social marketing in creating effective advertising and public relations.
Prerequisite: APR 210
APR 310 Media and Crisis Communication (3 credits)
This course offers students the necessary training that advertising and public relations professionals seek to cope and manage situations characterized with crisis and that demand rapid response while maintaining the organization’s reputation. Topics covered include strategies of effective communication, utilization of analysis techniques, advertising and public relations tactics, and hands-on projects. Many real life case studies are analyzed to offer students training to how critically evaluate crisis situations, create and implement a strategic crisis communication plan, and learn to coach the corporate spokes- person and manage the media.
Prerequisite: COM 200
APR 320 Digital Design and Graphics for Mass Communication (3 credits)
The aim of this course is to acquaint students with an understanding of the visual communication theory and methodology, the principles of design, and the production processes. Topics include symbols, visual perception, conceptualization and layout stages, design principles, typography, illustration and imaging, color and color reproduction, print production, printing processes, computer graphics, and video production and graphics.
Prerequisite: COM 214
APR 330 Publications Design (3 credits)
This course acquaints students with skills for writing, editing, and designing specialized publications for business and industry. It allows students of different specialization to have hands-on experience on more integrated offline and online publication projects that involve computer-generated design applications. This will include producing newsletters, brochures, and other publications for the purpose of creating effective and targeted public communications and relations.
Prerequisite: COM 200
APR 350 Social Psychology of Advertising and Public Relations (3 credits)
Students are acquainted with the social psychology of consumer and public behavior as they relate to both advertising and public relations. Psychological concepts used in both fields of study are covered such as: perception, learning, memory, motivation, values, personality and personas, individual attitudes and organizational attitudes, etc. Moreover, defining consumer behavior-related concepts that may be influenced with advertising and public relations are also discussed such as: lifestyle, decision-making, opinion leadership, public opinions, income, social class, etc. Students in this course shall have a clear and sound understanding of how advertising and public relations may impact consumers or interested stakeholders at both psychological and social levels.
Prerequisite: APR 240
APR 360 Persuasion and Influence: Texts and Audiences (3 credits)
Students in this course are trained further to analyze and debate the dynamics of persuasion and influence as they relate to texts and audiences. Real case studies are reviewed to enable students to use critical textual and audience analysis to areas of product advertising, social causes, personal and institutional positioning and branding, and political campaigns.
Prerequisite: COM 200, APR 350
APR 380 Seminar in Advertising and Public Relations (3 credits)
A variable content classroom course in Advertising and Public Relations in which students pursue topics or subjects of current interest that are not part of the regular curriculum. A specific course description will be published in the course offering schedule.
Prerequisite(s): Consent of Advisor
APR 410 Islam, Media and the West (3 credits)
Students in this course are exposed to the conflicting views governing contemporary media as practiced by the Middle Eastern countries in comparison to the American and European countries. This course examines the aforementioned media players and their contribution to the perceived rift between Islam and the West. Readings and media examples focus on the politics of culture, religion, modernity, and national identity as they shape and intersect with contemporary geopolitical events, cultural formations and media globalization.
Prerequisite: Senior standing
APR 430 Researching Advertising and Public Relations (3 credits)
Students are acquainted with the tools and techniques used in the acquisition, evaluation and analysis of information for advertising and public relations decisions. This course emphasizes that students understand the scientific method of research in developing explicit and measurable research objectives, selecting appropriate methodologies, and analyzing data. Students will carry out a final project to put the course material into practice.
Prerequisite: COM 200, COM 230
APR 440 Advertising and Public Relations in a “Glocal” Context (3 credits)
This course presents advertising and public relations in the context of the pressures that the international relations and globalization have on the local social and business environments. Students will be acquainted with and explore the current advertising and public relations practices, and their recent developments in result of the engagement of the local with the global. Students are expected identify the most appropriate projections of how advertising and public relations will be created and placed ‘glocally’. Topics include a review of the structural influences on international advertising, international public relations, an understanding of the geo-political, economic and cultural influences, and finally study the current state of the planning and execution of advertising and public relations on a global geographic basis. Real case studies will be used extensively in this course.
Prerequisite: Senior Standing
APR 460 Promotion and Campaigning Management (3 credits)
This course aims to equip students with the theories and practical skills of planning, organizing and executing social, commercial, or political promotions and campaigns. Students will explore the concept, strategy and challenges of promotion and campaigning in advertising and public relations, and examine the characteristics of different media (newspapers, magazine, radio, television and outdoors) as organized and targeted communication platform. Students has to carry out a final project.
Prerequisite: APR 220
APR 490 Independent Study in Advertising/Public Relations (3 credits)
Students are trained to be independent in their quest to research contemporary subjects in Advertising and Public Relations. With the supervision of a faculty member, students are responsible to deliver a research project related to any of the Advertising and/or Public Relations topics. A formal report and oral presentation shall be scheduled to fulfill requirements of the course.
Prerequisite: Senior standing
APR 497 Professional Placement (3 credits)
Students in their junior year are required to work on part time or full time basis in order to experiment with and practice what they learned in class. A student presents a formal report by the end of this training period then he/she makes a public presentation exposing his/her experience.
Prerequisite: Junior standing and Consent of Advisor
APR 499 Advertising and Public Relations Capstone Project (3 credits)
Students are prepared in this course to deal efficiently and effectively with the fundamentals of systematic research. Graduating students will learn to brainstorm different available research opportunities and prepare a formal research project that shall constitute the capstone requirement for their graduation. Topics include design philosophies, problem conceptualization, problem definition, project planning and budgeting, development of specifications, and effective utilization of available resources. A formal oral presentation is required under the supervision of a formal judging committee formed from the faculty members.
Prerequisite: Senior Standing