This article describes an activity using Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" as a supplemental text in an undergraduate group communication course. This book will help stimulate conversation and promote easy avenues for classroom discussion. In addition to weekly quizzes over each chapter to help facilitate rich classroom discussions, the…

As public relations professions advance toward new media platforms, one traditional tool--the backgrounder/position paper (more technically termed white paper) remains a compelling vehicle to impart enduring professional competencies. Moreover, the skills requisite to produce a white paper can be deployed in a variety of new and traditional media…

The topic of international education continues to gain the attention of educators. However, the American Council on Education (ACE) spotlights a slow response from universities to make intercultural learning a critical part of the undergraduate education process. Nonetheless, intercultural components are common not only in intercultural…

This paper describes an assignment that gives students the ability to improve written and verbal communication abilities, which they will be using throughout their lives, by enhancing communication skills and competencies in a class setting. It is a two-part assignment that begins with a discussion on how to produce a successful cover letter and…

There exists a natural connection between civic engagement and the public speaking class. Too often, however, this connection remains indirect at best and lost in a sea of uninspired topic selections and convenient source cites at worst. This assignment offers one way to help public speaking students increase their civic awareness and imagination…

This activity is designed as a brief, two-part assignment that students should complete outside of the class period before engaging in class discussion. Because this activity is an overview of the field, it works best if assigned early in the semester. The class periods immediately prior to the assignment should give students a basic orientation…

Integrating "The West Wing" in public relations courses can effectively dramatize the concrete and abstract dimensions of public relations. In turn, students see public relations in action (albeit fictionally so) and learn much about it through structured lessons. From individual writing assignments about situations in "The West Wing," to the…

The use of new and advanced technologies has a significant potential to impact the way students communicate in a number of contexts and settings. Many students will find themselves in both academic and career situations where computer-mediated communication (CMC) group interaction will be necessary. As a result, it is important to integrate…