Write an essay on one of the following topics.

Briefly outline a public communication problem (e.g. a real situation or a hypothetical example) and discuss how the seven traditions of communication research and scholarship examined in this subject can inform practice, and the describe the perspectives and insights that they each offer.

1. Public relations and advertising are often accused of being manipulative, propagandistic and deceitful. How would you defend PR and/or advertising against such allegations based on theories and models of practice that you have learned?

2. Discuss links between the critical and sociocultural traditions of communication research and scholarship and how these two approaches are quite different to the sociopsychological tradition. Discuss the theoretical differences and give examples of applications in practice thattradition. Discuss the theoretical differences and give examples of applications in practice that illustrate your points. How does the study of language, including semiotics and rhetoric, inform understanding of public communication such as public relations and/or advertising. Give examples as well as discussing theoretical knowledge.