Course Schedule for Fall 2018

Activating Audiences forCauses

Every cause is driven by it’s supporters — from donors, to volunteer leaders, to advocates. We’ll use the latest in behavioral economics, program analytics, and brain science to show how you can inspire your audiences to support a non-profit cause and do good in the world. This course will explore: - how people are “wired” to support causes, and how to best persuade them to increase their support; - how age impacts what people want from the causes they support; - best practices for strategies and tactics that non-profits (and progressive brands) use to drive support. In the end, students will know how to craft (and evaluate) a pragmatic conversion strategy -- acquisition, conversion, activation, engagement and retention -- that goes beyond just informing and educating, but actually drives behavior.

Note: This course is cross-listed with MPPR 906. Students must have completed the foundation courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course.

Capstone

During this final course, students will apply the comprehensive skills they have built throughout their study of the concept and practice of integrated marketing communications. After identifying and securing a company or organization of their choosing, students will respond to a marketing communications challenge by creating a well-researched, creative, integrated plan that exemplifies their development as IMC professionals. Students will be able to choose clients based on their personal interests or aimed at continuing the social impact mission of the program. Consumer research is the heart of the IMC planning process and students are required to develop their creative insights from original research. Throughout the semester, multiple forms of assessment—including quick-fire challenges, written projects, an ethical response paper, a final plan, and a strategy pitch—track and evaluate each student's level of competency in all IMC program learning goals.

Note: Students must have completed the core and foundation courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course. Students may only take this course in their final semester within the program.

Cause Consulting

Cause Consulting is a signature course in the PRCC program. It offers a cohort of students an applied learning experience by working collaboratively in small consulting teams to refine and implement communications plans for social impact clients, such as nonprofits or socially responsible businesses. It's also an opportunity to explore students’ leadership potential to create positive social impact throughout their careers, as they go through a semester-long journey to become consultants. Students who complete the course are recognized with the designation of Cause Consultants, which allows them to participate in exclusive opportunities through the Center for Social Impact Communication (CSIC).

Note: This course is cross-listed with MPPR 900. Students must have completed the foundation courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course.

Collaboration Lab

Working from a creative brief for a major consumer brand, students will learn how to collaborate in the best interest of their client, and towards the development of a fully integrated marketing communications campaign. Students will be asked to navigate the silos between communications disciplines and to stop the “wars” among the advocates of any one particular approach. As part of the experience, students will work as a small team to build up a “silo” for one communication’s discipline. Then they will switch gears and learn how to break it down in order to create a more powerful campaign that puts the consumer’s interest ahead of self-interest. After the client selects the winning idea, students will come together as one group to further refine the approach and present to the client at the end of the semester as a unified, collaborative team.

Note: Students must have completed the core and foundation courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course.

Consumer Research & Insights

This course is a foundational component of the integrated marketing communications (IMC) program. The course builds student knowledge of research approaches and techniques, equipping them to keep consumer interests and needs at the center of integrated campaigns. Students will learn how to design, interpret, and apply primary and secondary research techniques used in campaign development, execution, and evaluation. Topics include how to locate and mine existing databases and resources; best practices for designing and executing surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and observational studies; and how to incorporate digital tools and emerging technologies as part of an overall research plan. Focus will be placed on how to develop meaningful insights from research to guide audience segmentation and targeting, message strategies, creative development, and channel selection. The course combines textbook learning with real-world examples and applications so that students can experience research in practice.

Note: Core course requirement for the IMC program.

Consumer Research & Insights

This course is a foundational component of the integrated marketing communications (IMC) program. The course builds student knowledge of research approaches and techniques, equipping them to keep consumer interests and needs at the center of integrated campaigns. Students will learn how to design, interpret, and apply primary and secondary research techniques used in campaign development, execution, and evaluation. Topics include how to locate and mine existing databases and resources; best practices for designing and executing surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and observational studies; and how to incorporate digital tools and emerging technologies as part of an overall research plan. Focus will be placed on how to develop meaningful insights from research to guide audience segmentation and targeting, message strategies, creative development, and channel selection. The course combines textbook learning with real-world examples and applications so that students can experience research in practice.

Consumer Research & Insights

This course is a foundational component of the integrated marketing communications (IMC) program. The course builds student knowledge of research approaches and techniques, equipping them to keep consumer interests and needs at the center of integrated campaigns. Students will learn how to design, interpret, and apply primary and secondary research techniques used in campaign development, execution, and evaluation. Topics include how to locate and mine existing databases and resources; best practices for designing and executing surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and observational studies; and how to incorporate digital tools and emerging technologies as part of an overall research plan. Focus will be placed on how to develop meaningful insights from research to guide audience segmentation and targeting, message strategies, creative development, and channel selection. The course combines textbook learning with real-world examples and applications so that students can experience research in practice.

Note: Foundation course requirement for the IMC program.

Conversations About Ethics

The process of educating the whole person starts with the study of ethics. The concept of IMC requires practitioners to look across multiple communications disciplines and consider each one’s unique challenges. At the same time, the practitioner holds the consumer’s wants and needs as the guiding force for planning. Looking at ethics through a professional lens, students are asked to explore their own values and are challenged to codify and commit to their own code of ethics in relation to a broad range of professional codes of conduct and best practices. Students will gain a solid foundation in ethics and relate what they learn to their own professional situation through class discussions, case studies, and guest lectures conducted by industry experts. This course is required for all MPS students and must be completed by the second semester in the program. Foundational concepts in ethics are woven throughout the program’s other courses and revisited throughout a student’s tenure.

Note: Core course requirement for the IMC program.

Conversations About Ethics

The process of educating the whole person starts with the study of ethics. The concept of IMC requires practitioners to look across multiple communications disciplines and consider each one’s unique challenges. At the same time, the practitioner holds the consumer’s wants and needs as the guiding force for planning. Looking at ethics through a professional lens, students are asked to explore their own values and are challenged to codify and commit to their own code of ethics in relation to a broad range of professional codes of conduct and best practices. Students will gain a solid foundation in ethics and relate what they learn to their own professional situation through class discussions, case studies, and guest lectures conducted by industry experts. This course is required for all MPS students and must be completed by the second semester in the program. Foundational concepts in ethics are woven throughout the program’s other courses and revisited throughout a student’s tenure.

Note: Core course requirement for the IMC program.

Dig. Analytics & Measurement

This course examines the processes for gathering, interpreting, and presenting compelling digital data. Students will learn to use digital public opinion polling, specialized reports, social media platforms, digital analysis tools, and news aggregators to explain market research, audience trends, and social conversations. Students will also create data visualization tools to streamline data presentation into succinct, engaging formats.

Note: This course is cross-listed with MPPR 506-01. Students must have completed the core courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course.

Dig. Analytics & Measurement

This course examines the processes for gathering, interpreting, and presenting compelling digital data. Students will learn to use digital public opinion polling, specialized reports, social media platforms, digital analysis tools, and news aggregators to explain market research, audience trends, and social conversations. Students will also create data visualization tools to streamline data presentation into succinct, engaging formats.

Note: This course is cross-listed with MPPR 506-02. Students must have completed the core courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course.

Dig. Analytics & Measurement

This course examines the processes for gathering, interpreting, and presenting compelling digital data. Students will learn to use digital public opinion polling, specialized reports, social media platforms, digital analysis tools, and news aggregators to explain market research, audience trends, and social conversations. Students will also create data visualization tools to streamline data presentation into succinct, engaging formats.

Note: Must have completed the foundation courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course.

Digital Marketing

In this fast-paced course, we will examine the fundamentals of digital marketing. The course will provide a solid foundation for students to develop a cohesive digital marketing plan, including the strategies, tools and tactics that digital marketers employ. You will learn how to create a digital marketing strategy and translate that strategy into tactical objectives, goals, tasks, and measurements to build brand awareness, drive leads and awareness, and increase sales. Topics include online/display advertising, search engine marketing (organic and paid), social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, mobile marketing and website development.

Note: Students must have completed the foundation courses (MPMC 600 & 602) to register for this elective course.

IMC Campaign Planning

In today's ever-fragmented media world, it's never been harder, or more important, to develop a strong, integrated brand strategy to connect with people. From soft drinks to computers to the presidential election campaigns, managing a brand relationship with your audience is critical. In this class, students will learn how strategies are developed and explore how different communications disciplines can and should work together. You will learn the principles and practice of developing an integrated marketing communications plan using the Georgetown model – a building block for success in MPS IMC and in your career. There will be an emphasis on thinking creatively and strategically about business problems, as well as the importance of humanity and intuition in a data-driven world.

Note: Core course requirement for the IMC program.

IMC Campaign Planning

In today's ever-fragmented media world, it's never been harder, or more important, to develop a strong, integrated brand strategy to connect with people. From soft drinks to computers to the presidential election campaigns, managing a brand relationship with your audience is critical. In this class, students will learn how strategies are developed and explore how different communications disciplines can and should work together. You will learn the principles and practice of developing an integrated marketing communications plan using the Georgetown model – a building block for success in MPS IMC and in your career. There will be an emphasis on thinking creatively and strategically about business problems, as well as the importance of humanity and intuition in a data-driven world.

Note: Foundation course requirement for the IMC program.

In Search of the Big Idea

The search for the "Big Idea" is part of advertising legend. But how relevant is this quest in a time of data-driven decision making? And how does this play out across today’s noisy media landscape? In this course, students will learn the communication building blocks of strategy, insights, and ideas. Starting with research-based insights that lead to a strategy, students will have the opportunity to flex their creative muscles to generate "big ideas.” At the end of the class, students will gain experience in balancing creativity with strategy in ways that will move audiences.

Innovations in IMC

Innovations in the field of marketing continually present new opportunities and challenges for IMC managers. Consumer behavior is changing, along with the technology that consumers use. Additionally, new channels for engagement are continually evolving. Students in this course will learn how to approach IMC through a strategic lens focused on the future. They will learn to foster an environment of innovation within a team setting and present new ideas.

Note: Students must have completed the foundation courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course.

Moral Leadership

Figures as diverse as Thomas More, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Martin Luther King, Anita Roddick — and many others we will talk about in this class — exemplify moral leadership. The different moral challenges they faced raise the question of what is moral leadership, and why does it matter? Perhaps at no time in recent memory has the issue — and example — of moral leadership been more relevant or more important. This seminar will explore the nature of moral leadership through literature, film, and historical examples. The focus will be on understanding moral dilemmas and finding paths to resolving moral conflicts and making moral decisions related to personal, professional, social, and political life. Materials for the class will be from different cultures and time periods. The use of concrete examples from literature, movies, and history allows for much closer study of moral complexities and ambiguities as they occur in real life. The class will involve open discussion and sharing of one’s own experiences. The goal is to help students increase their moral awareness; sharpen their critical thinking and decision-making skills; strengthen their capacity for empathy and diverse perspectives; and, ultimately, hone their ability to act as moral leaders in their lives and in the world.

Note: This course is open for registration to all SCS graduate students. Students are encouraged to complete their program's introductory ethics course before registering for this class.

MPS IMC Internship I

This one-credit course is designed to give credit for students doing an internship with an organization that requires them to receive credit. The internships should be substantive and have the goal of providing relevant industry experience, portfolio items or other professional work for students to use when looking for jobs. This course is also meant as a way to help support students who are doing internships. Students are expected to check in every week with the instructor about their experience so that the instructor can give guidance for the internship and for working within a professional organization.

Note: Extensive, documented academic activity and experiential learning outside of classroom (min. 3-4 hours per week) is required.

MPS IMC Intership II

Note: Extensive, documented academic activity and experiential learning outside of classroom (min. 3-4 hours per week) is required.

Personal Branding

Thought leadership and personal branding are two essential, yet often ambiguous ingredients in a career strategy. This course will arm students with the resources to evaluate, improve, and employ personal branding strategies for themselves and for key members of their organizational team. The course will discuss personal branding strategies in both digital and event contexts – including social media platforms, presentations, and networking opportunities.

Note: This course is cross-listed with MPPR 891-01 and MPJO 891-01. Students must have completed the core courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course.

Personal Branding

Thought leadership and personal branding are two essential, yet often ambiguous ingredients in a career strategy. This course will arm students with the resources to evaluate, improve, and employ personal branding strategies for themselves and for key members of their organizational team. The course will discuss personal branding strategies in both digital and event contexts – including social media platforms, presentations, and networking opportunities.

Note: This course is cross-listed with MPPR 892-02 and MPJO 891-02. Students must have completed the core courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course.

Strategic Career Planning

Managing your career and continuing your professional development are cornerstones to success. Whether you are aspiring to your next promotion, searching for a new job, or changing industries, understanding the elements of strategic career planning and professional development will guide you toward your goals. In today’s world economy, learning and implementing these strategic are essential to both personal and professional well being and success. There are specific professional management strategies that will ensure preparedness, markateabability, and competitiveness for your next career move. Each week, we will focus key elements of strategic career development using the previous week’s readings and assignments, and by utilizing class activities that will demonstrate what you have learned. Individual participation and in-class assignments/presentations will be included to enhance the learning experience. This course will provide you with the knowledge and tools that can be customized and applied to your career and your vision for the future.

Note: Also listed as MPJO-560 and MPPR-560. This is a zero credit non-graded course. Students who miss more than two classes or more than one assignment will be administratively withdrawn from the course.

The Brand Concept

What is a brand? What is the definition of a great brand? Why do some brands survive generation after generation while others fail after a short shelf life? This course will explore the core principles of branding. You will learn how brands compete in an environment full of choices for consumers, and the tactics they employ to be best in class. Using a consumer-centric approach, you will learn how to think critically and creatively about measuring, sustaining, building, and defending brands in today’s competitive environment.

Note: Foundation course requirement for the IMC program.

The Brand Concept

What is a brand? What is the definition of a great brand? Why do some brands survive generation after generation while others fail after a short shelf life? This course will explore the core principles of branding. You will learn how brands compete in an environment full of choices for consumers, and the tactics they employ to be best in class. Using a consumer-centric approach, you will learn how to think critically and creatively about measuring, sustaining, building, and defending brands in today’s competitive environment.

Note: Foundation course requirement for the IMC program.

The Creative Brief

The creative brief is the road map to a powerful IMC campaign. What does it take to marry business concerns with creative considerations? In this course, students will learn how to navigate this delicate balance and bring both sides of their brains to this important task. There are a number of different formats for creative briefs that make the job easier. Students will learn about the core components of a creative brief and gain exposure to different approaches, particularly those adopted by creative agencies. At the end of the course, students will appreciate that a strong creative brief is only as good as the consumer insights that drive it.

Note: Students must have completed the foundation courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course.

The Management of IMC

This course will help students develop a deeper understanding of the business and financial dimensions of integrated marketing communications operations—from both agency and client perspectives. In addition, students will develop skills that will help them contribute to the financial objectives of an organization— whether it’s for-profit, nonprofit, or government. How do communications agencies become financially successful in an ongoing way? How do organizations effectively contract and manage marketing and communication services to achieve strategic objectives? How can a professional communicator contribute to the financial objectives of an organization or an agency, in addition to achieving the marketing and communication objectives? In this course, students will learn skills that will specifically help them to: use and understand financially related concepts and terminology; develop and manage a communications budget; articulate the value of communications-related expenditures and develop return on investment analyses; prepare a budget, write an RFP, and write a proposal; and learn how to sell, purchase, and manage communication services effectively, including project management and client service-related issues.

Note: Students must have completed the foundation courses (MPMC 600 and 602) to register for this elective course.