Final Exam Essay Instructions
CHOOSE 8 QUESTIONS.
Each essay should be at least 300 words.
Each essay should have a mixture of personal opinion and analysis, direct quotes from the textbook (the book is: The Public Relations Writers Handbook by Whitney Lehmann), direct quotes from online articles, paraphrasing of sources (online articles). Make sure you LINK to the online articles you’re quoting.
Color-coded final exam questions:
Red:
Personal opinion and analysis
Yellow:
Directly quoting the textbook–INCLUDE THE PAGE NUMBER OR SECTION!
The book: The Public Relations Writers Handbook by Whitney Lehmann (can be found on kindle)
Orange:
Directly quoting or paraphrasing online article #1–INCLUDE THE LINK!
Green:
Directly quoting or paraphrasing online article #2–INCLUDE THE LINK!
Why you need all of these things: If your essay is just a collection of quotes from various sources, then as far as I can tell, you have no original thoughts — you’re just copying and pasting what somebody else said. If your essay consists of nothing but your own ideas, it looks like you haven’t read any of the material — you’re just winging it. College is about joining a conversation already in progress. You’re not the first person to have this deep thought you’re having. But you can come up with your own unique take on this deep thought, as long as you understand the history of this deep thought you’re having.
Worthy of an “A”: An essay that successfully accomplishes all of the above requirements, and is at least 300 words.
Examples: I will attach examples to this.
Here are the topics for each essay (8 essays in total):
Why is it important for PR people to know how to write op-eds? What does op-ed stand for? Where do op-eds go? Why are they important? Opinion leaders write them and read them, so they end up being extremely influential. What are some examples of op-eds that have made a big difference? Have you read any extremely persuasive op-eds?
Do the Oscars have a PR problem with Barbie winning only one award (Best Song Oscar)? What are other PR problems the Oscars have experienced over the years? What other awards ceremonies have experienced PR problems, and why? Are awards ceremonies changing? If so, are they changing fast enough? Are they still relevant?
Define Public Relations. In your own words, define “public relations.” What separates this form of communication from others? What are the rules of PR? What are some examples of PR, and what are some examples of things that would not count as PR? Explain why. What would disqualify something from being considered true PR? Explain why.
Fix a PR Problem. Using the “Good vs. Bad PR” PowerPoint, choose one of the bad PR responses and “fix it” by using one of the strategies the good PR responses used. Your answer could include things such as a plan of action, statements that the company would make or an explanation of how certain changes would positively impact the brand. Make sure to include the “good PR” company that you have chosen to model your response after.
How can Brad Pitt’s PR team help his public image among these allegations and resurfacing events?
Why did Robert De Niro clash with Trump supporters, and how did getting political impact his public relations strategy as a Hollywood actor?
Talk about the fallout from the Nickelodeon documentary. What have we learned as a culture? Have we made progress since the ‘90s/early ‘00s? How does it relate to public relations? What were some failures at Nickelodeon and Disney back then, and what should be done about it now? Feel free to get into the difference between legal repercussions and PR repercussions. If you were on Nickelodeon’s PR team right now, what would be some of the things you would advise them to do?
Should Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Competition be able to ban their 16-time champion Joey Chestnut due to his partnership with a vegan hot dog company? And will this affect the attention the competition receives yearly?
