This May, JMC students are taking their communications talents across the pond. Twenty students in the Global Advertising and Public Relations course are traveling to Dublin and London May 14-30, 2015.
JMC Associate Director Dr. Danielle Sarver Coombs and Associate Professor Michele Ewing have organized the course and the trip, and they are partnering with Professors Aoife Mooney and Christopher Darling from the School of Visual Communication and Design (VCD). In addition to having the opportunity to engage with different cultures and gain a global perspective of communications, students in the course have the benefit of experiencing the world alongside their VCD counterparts.
The mission of the course is “to inspire students to become thoughtful, informed citizens of the world.” To help spark this inspiration, the class was divided into four teams of undergraduate students and two graduate students who spent the spring semester researching best practices in advertising and public relations. Each group was tasked with conducting independent research in their self-selected areas of expertise.
Throughout the spring semester, they completed interviews with industry professionals, people on the street and observation-based investigations. Their research was supplemented with organized group tours to communications agencies Dix & Eaton, Hitchcock Fleming & Associates and Marcus Thomas.
Research areas include: live entertainment PR and advertising best practices; advertising and PR techniques used by The Beatles and U2; humor in the U.S. and abroad; and how millennials are targeted in PR and advertising campaigns. The two graduate students worked individually to investigate travel campaigns and women in advertising.
All of their hard work culminates with the trip. In both Dublin and London, the students will continue working on their projects full-time Monday through Thursday, with group activities built into the schedule.
Meet the teams and see their projects. Follow JMC on Facebook and Twitter for photos and updates during the trip.
Anthem: Focus on live entertainment in PR & advertising
From Hear to There: Focus on PR & advertising techniques in the music industry
International Wit: Focus on humor in PR & advertising campaigns
The Newish Gen: Focus on how millennials are targeted through PR & advertising campaigns
Advertising Herstory: Focus on how women are portrayed in advertising in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States
Why Go Europe: Focus on travel campaigns for Ireland and Britain