Professional Communication

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

Total 170 hours

Must be enrolled in the Executive Master of Arts program

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject introduces students to the fundamentals of successful communication in professional contexts. It focuses on both written and oral communications and canvases the full range of contemporary communications skills and media. These include public speaking and presentation skills, communication for leadership, negotiation and conflict resolution skills, communication skills for electronic and print local and mass media, graphic communication, interpersonal communication, cross-cultural communication, public relations skills, and legal considerations, in a range of forms such as electronic documents, project reports, media releases, letters, presentations, advertising and promotional copy, and marketing and public relations documents. The subject equips students with a critical understanding of the role of communications within and between organisations, and with practical tools of effective communication, with a particular emphasis on leadership.

Students who complete this subject should:

• The subject will teach high level, transportable, practical communication skills across a range of traditional and new media.
• These will include interpersonal presentation skills, writing skills, software skills, and cultural skills.
• An emphasis will be placed on the modalities of addressing different audiences on different occasions (from personal communication skills to pitching to public speaking, to writing press releases).
• The subject will give students an understanding of the history of and future of communication.
• An emphasis will be placed on information literacy and understanding the nature and veracity of sources.
• There will be an emphasis on understanding the communication of others, and meeting the challenges of global communication, through critical discourse analysis and intercultural communication skills.
• The subject will cover basic ethical and legal matters to do with communications, such as intellectual property, copyright, privacy and defamation.

1. Development and presentation of an organisational report, 2,000 words (40%) due during teaching period.
2. Evaluation of an existing communications strategy, 3,000 words, (60%) due 2 weeks after end of teaching period.

Assessment Extension Policy and Special Consideration

If circumstances beyond your control have severely hindered your ability to complete assessed work, you can ask for an extension of the due date for that work. The marks you receive will not be raised to take account of your difficulties. Assessed work is graded 'on merit'. How you ask for an extension depends on the length of time for which your work is delayed:

A. Permission from the subject coordinator of the subject you are studying For extensions of up to 10 days, you must seek approval from the coordinator of the subject. Except in unusual circumstances, you must speak to him or her before the due date for the work and provide an extension form, which can be downloaded here. These forms should be filled in and given to the subject coordinator before the submission date. Extensions will not be granted after the due date has passed. An individual extension request must be made to each subject coordinator.

B. Special Consideration

For extensions longer than 10 days you must apply for Special Consideration from the Faculty of Arts. This applies to work affected by circumstances that are:

• Unavoidable
• Unforseen,
• Outside your control
• Not primarily your fault

If your circumstances fit this pattern you should apply for Special Consideration through the Student Portal. You will have to provide documentation to back your request. Details about this documentation, and further details about the process are given on the Student Portal and at the Faculty of Arts Special Consideration webpage. The Faculty will then will tell subject coordinators by email of the outcomes of your application for special consideration. In severe cases affecting multiple subjects, it is also advisable to contact the EMA Course Coordinator.

A subject reader will be made available.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students who complete this subject should:

• High-level written and oral communication skills through contribution to class discussions and the completion of assignments.
• A capacity for effective teamwork through group discussions and assignments.
• Skills in research through the preparation of class papers and assignments, including the use of online and print-based materials.
• Skills in time management and planning through managing workloads for recommended reading, tutorial presentations and assessment requirements.
• A capacity for critical thinking and theoretical analysis through readings, discussion and class exercises.