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The EMU Interdisciplinary Program in Public Relations blends theory and practice through special projects that take a “client-centered” or academic service-learning (AS-L) approach. This approach requires a strong link between the community and the classroom. All of our major courses require students to work with either a fictitious or real-life organization to produce a series of portfolio pieces that address clients’ public relations needs. AS-L projects connect students specifically with nonprofit or community-based organizations. These projects help students apply course concepts in unique ways while increasing their civic awareness. Students identify clients’ needs, develop a client proposal and implement all or parts of the proposal within a 15-week semester. Students have undertaken projects that involve organizing special events and producing all of the materials that promote the event, including news releases, fact sheets, pitch letters, web sites, blogs, Facebook pages, backgrounders, media kits, brochures, public service announcements, videos and direct mail pieces. In the past, students have worked with academic service-learning clients that include:
Public relations faculty members have also participated in EMU’s Academic Service-Learning Faculty Fellows program (www.asl.emich.edu) and have incorporated AS-L into their upper-level courses. Some academic service-learning projects have resulted in faculty-student panel presentations at academic conferences.
