Courses

GPRL 6013
Public Relations: Social & Organizational Context 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MA(Communication), MPR or permission of the instructor
An examination and critical analysis of public relations as a discipline and a practice. Topics include origins of practice, development as an academic discipline, social and cultural impact, organizational settings, profile of the modern practitioner, gender issues. Note: Students who have received credit for GPRL 6010 may not take this course for credit.

GPRL 6101
Quantitative & Qualitative Research in Public Relations 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MA(Communication), MPR or permission of the instructor
An examination of the methods, problems and theoretical assumptions in qualitative and quantitative social science research as it applies to public relations. Students will consider the relationships between theory and method, and will gain experience by applying research methods.

GPRL 6102
Communication Theory 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MA(Communication), MPR or permission of the instructor
An examination of human relationships as a function of discourse and more generally symbolic action.

GPRL 6103
Advanced Study in Communication Theory 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): GPRL 6102 or permission of the instructor
Advanced study of specific areas of communication theory, for example: critical theory, semiotics, classical rhetorical theory, 20th century rhetorical theory, contemporary communication and public relations theory.

GPRL 6104
Organizational Theory & Public Relations Leadership 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MA(Communication), MPR or permission of the instructor
Advanced study of specific areas of communication theory related to organizational theory and management. Topics may include: historical and contemporary issues in organizational communication scholarship; theories of organizational and management process; the impact of technology on organization and management process; and internal and external corporate rhetoric, and ethics.

GPRL 6105
Media, Culture & Society 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): either GPRL 6102 or 6104, or permission of the instructor
An explanation of the relationship between media, culture and society, and how the interconnectedness of those spheres affects the citizen in a democratic environment.

GPRL 6106
Public Relations Ethics and Law 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MA(Communication), MPR or permission of the instructor
An examination of ethical problems in public relations and ethical frameworks for public relations. This course addresses the regulatory and statutory laws that relate to public relations practice including copyright, libel, privilege, trademark, contracts, corporate governance and privacy.

GPRL 6107
Graduate Seminar in Public Relations Education 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MA(Communication), MPR or permission of the instructor
A survey of educational approaches for the practice of public relations through the past century throughout North America and other parts of the world including the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Pedagogical approaches to teaching public relations at the certificate, diploma, and undergraduate level will be examined.

GPRL 6108
Public Relations and Public Opinion Research 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MA(Communication), MPR or permission of the instructor
An exploration of the nature, formation and communication of attitudes and opinion. The roles of persuasion and propaganda in public relations practice are also explored, as is the influence public opinion has on media content and on public policy.

GPRL 6109
Communication & Social Change 0.5 unit
An exploration of communication studies research through the prism of social change. Students will examine theories of media and social change, before turning to research surrounding media ecology and societal impacts; communication technologies and ethical dilemmas; social change methodologies; social movements, advocacy and political change; and communication for social change.

GPRL 6201
Directed Study 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MA(Communication), MPR or permission of the instructor
An independent examination of the research literature designed to meet the needs of individual graduate students. This course provides students with an opportunity to pursue independent work in a specific area relating to their research interests and career intentions.

GPRL 6202
Special Topics in Public Relations 0.5 unit
GPRL 6203
Special Topics in Public Relations 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MA(Communication), MPR or permission of the instructor
An opportunity for advanced students to examine in-depth selected topics in Public Relations, in a seminar setting. Topics will vary from year to year. This course will allow students to focus on a specialized area of the field that may be treated more briefly in other courses.

GPRL 6230
Thesis 1.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): all required MA(Communication) courses must be successfully completed prior to registering in this course
Required for completion of MA(Communication) degree. Registration involves working with individual faculty members on the conceptualization, production and defence of the thesis.

GPRL 6301
Ethical Decision Making 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MPR program, or permission of the instructor.
An introduction to ethical theory and practical ethical problems in an organizational setting. The focus of the course will be on using the stakeholder model of business ethics to analyze ethical issues that may arise in the functional areas of business along with the code of ethics for PR professionals.

GPRL 6302
Strategic Management 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MPR program, or permission of the instructor
An examination of the strategic management of organizations, including the formulation of long-term strategic implementation. This course provides students with an understanding of the approaches and tools for planning and controlling strategy as well as experience in case analysis.

GPRL 6303
Digital Media Communication Management 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MPR program, or permission of the instructor.
An overview of the role of digital media in professional communication. The course aims to develop the critical thinking skills needed by today’s communication managers to create effective digital media programs and projects.

GPRL 6304
Strategic Public Relations 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MPR program, or permission of the instructor
An introduction to the management function of public relations. This course focuses on the application of strategic management techniques to organizational communication process and stakeholder relations.

GPRL 6305
Financial Management for PR Managers 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MPR program, or permission of the instructor
An introduction to the use of financial statements and reports for strategic decision-making for the non-finance manager. Prior knowledge of finance and accounting are not required as the courses focuses on understanding and examining financial statements and their impact on organizational communication and strategy.

GPRL 6306
Integrated Marketing Communications 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MPR program, or permission of the instructor
An in-depth analysis of the integrated nature of professional communication within a multi-platform context. Organizations must consider how media messages combine to deliver the desired communication to targeted audiences. This course provides learners with an advanced understanding of how to plan, organize and execute an integrated plan for marketing purposes.

GPRL 6307
Crisis Communication 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MPR program, or permission of the instructor
An examination of theories of crisis communication management and the challenges of implementing that theory in practice. Equal emphasis will be given to exploring the current scholarly discourse and to applying the lessons of that research to current and unfolding crises in the news.

GPRL 6308
Organizational Behaviour for Public Relations Managers 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): admission to the MPR program, or permission of the instructor
A multidisciplinary approach to the study of human behavior in organizations from the individual, group, and organizational levels. This course provides an exploration of the ways in which psychological and social processes as well as organizational characteristics influence organizational behaviour.

GPRL 6310
Capstone Project Seminar 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): GPRL 6101 and GPRL 6104. This course must be taken in a student’s final term prior to graduation
A capstone exploration of applied theory, research and practice in communication management and leadership. The course focus is on application of learning and perspectives acquired throughout the degree to a client case, context or management problem. Projects will be designed by the individual student in consultation with the faculty member. Note: This course may not count for credit towards the MA(Communication).

GPRL 6511/ COMM 4511
Health Communication: Theory & Practice 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): PBRL 3014 or COMM 4500 or admission to the MPR or MA(Communication) program or permission of the instructor
An examination of health communication theory and practice at the level of public communication. Topics include an examination of health in Canadian society, health communication models, health communication campaign planning, evaluation of outcomes of social marketing and other approaches to behaviour change, and relevant ethical considerations.

Academic Note: This web-based calendar information is applicable for the 2024-2025 academic year which runs from September 01, 2024 to August 31, 2025.

For information on previous years, please consult the University Academic Calendars web page.