Thanks again for a great semester. It has been an honor being with you and learning from you this spring. Please note that the recorded lecture from last week's class is now up on Blackboard in your MP3's folder. Also, please let me know how I might be of assistance to you prepare for your final examination. If you have any questions, either e-mail mberry@ithaca.edu or call me on my cell phone: 607-592-2527. Please leave a message if I am unable to answer and I'll call you as soon as I can.
Final Thinking Oral Examination- To be presented both in written form and communicated orally in class on Tuesday, May 10 from 7:30-10:00 p.m.
Given your extraordinary work ethic and hard work on the final project and by extension, with your real world client, where you are initially putting theory into practice—the ultimate goal of any course— I struggled to find a real purpose other than causing you stress to assign more examinations that end up turning into more rote memorization more than actual learning.
Rather, I want to hear from you each for five minutes on the last class. Come to class with the answers (to all five questions below) prepared and typewritten. I will then ask you a series of questions based on your responses, as well as any other questions that might arise. Further, I have reviewed all of your work for the semester. I have all of it in a binder and I will be sending you each an individual report about your work this semester via e-mail on Monday, May 9.
In person, on the evening of the Final Oral Examination, you may also raise questions about my assessments of your work as well. While I am working with one student for five minutes each, the the rest of the class will be filling out individual evaluations of how they felt each person on their team performed.
Here are your (5) exam questions:
1) Gladwell’s skills as a researcher and writer lie in connecting the dots between what would seem to be disconnected ideas, and once connected they add great richness to our understanding of the issues at hand. In your work in public relations, either academically or professionally, do you believe the essence of our work is connecting the dots between what would seem to be disconnected ideas? Please explain. You may also cite some of Gladwell’s work in any of the readings this semester to support your answer.
2) In “What the Dog Saw,” Gladwell taps a unique research approach and views problems and issues not from his own point of view but though someone else’s eyes, someone close enough to the phenomenon to give us new perspective. In reviewing the essays you were assigned this semester in this text, pick one that you enjoyed best. Tell me why.
3) The Tipping Point offers insights into the phenomenon of the ―tipping point—that moment when an idea, trend or social behavior crosses a threshold and turns into an epidemic. Understanding this moment is invaluable to PR professionals. Explain why.
4) The most challenging thing about public relations is that it is essentially intangible. How can we measure and predict what we cannot actually see? All semester, we have spoken of PR in many different ways- it is essentially, the management of credibility. In the last few weeks of class since the Midterm, summarize what you have learned about credibility, particularly as it applies to any relevant case studies and/or class discussions on Risk Communication.
5) Social media sure is hot right now for PR professionals. Why? How do you think you will use (or are using) social media to best advantage in your work? Do you think it’s a fad or that it will endure? Explain.
Good luck and see you Tuesday night!
All best,
Michelle
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