Current course offerings

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Course description

Public interest communication brings together aspects of ethics, social and civic responsibility, and governance, to provide a new approach to communication theory and practice in the post truth era. It identifies communication as a central component of all social, political and economic practice, and places the `the public¿ or rather many `publics¿ at the centre of this. In this way, it differs from an organisational or institutional approach that drives communication from the inside out. In this course, students will examine fields that use public interest frameworks in politics, law and the media to learn of their pervasive use in modern discourse and how they are applied in society. The course takes students into places and contexts where interest conflicts abound ¿ the environment, public health, fast fashion, media and sport, amongst others ¿ and challenges them to consider the positions of all stakeholders in determining public interest outcomes, driven by ethical and critical communication practice. It introduces students to concepts that provide building blocks and strategies for public interest communication, including organisational listening, capacity building, partnerships and alliances, pro bono, representation and advocacy. These are coupled with consideration of issues and concepts such as power, agency, human rights, `truth¿, and sustainability to develop `interest-forming practices¿ for translating the abstract into practice. This course is a first in Australia to bring together the philosophical and practical concept of the public interest with the fields of communication management and public relations. Public interest communication will equip students with tools for ethical communication practice, providing a framework for corporate and political communication, with particular application to service industries, not-for-profits and NGOs.

Archived offerings