Ethics in Public Relations

Public relations professionals, regardless of the industry in which they work, are often tasked with “doing the right thing” when communicating with the public. But what do we mean by “the right thing” in this context? The course explores the role and importance of ethics in public relations practice. Students will consider the fundamentals of transparency and ethics, ethics theory, and ethical decision-making models. With this foundation in place, students will then learn to apply ethical theory and methodology in practice in crisis management, advocacy, corporate social responsibility, and social media contexts.