The Communication Studies and Public Relations Departments will offer a new interdisciplinary major and minor in Public Advocacy beginning Fall of 2022.

The purpose of this interdisciplinary program is to prepare students for lives and careers focused on the use of communication to improve the public good. This purpose reinforces our Belmont commitment to prepare students to “engage and transform the world” with a focus on care for the “least of these” (see Matthew 25:20).

Equipping students with communication skills aimed at creating and sustaining social change requires, in addition to personal communication skills, a deep understanding of historical and cultural roots of our current situation. Consequently, at its core, Public Advocacy is situated at the nexus of the liberal arts and professional action.

The emphasis on understanding the deep context of contemporary society leans heavily on liberal arts traditions in the Social Sciences and Humanities since these are the disciplines which most closely explore and examine the human condition. At the same time, Public Advocacy is about creating change and requires professional skills in audience analysis, message development, and use of communication tools. Because there is significant potential for use of these skills and understandings for personal gain and power, this program will emphasize ethical choices, integrity, service, and humility.

Three new courses will be part of this major.

• Yesterday’s Times: This course deepens understanding of the political and cultural contexts of contemporary public communication by identifying, researching, and cataloging, current issues of public importance. Public Advocacy majors must take this 1-credit course three times in different semesters.
• Public Advocacy: As an introduction to practices of public advocacy this course improves understanding of the connections between public audiences and message content. As an ethical public communicator you will improve your appreciation of the responsibilities inherent in attempts to impact public perception and understanding.
• Public Advocacy Practicum: This external practicum in public advocacy provides significant experience with an organization engaged in advocacy for the public good. This practical experience enhances your vocational objectives and is normally taken in your final year of college.

Here is a complete listing of major requirements:

Major in Public Advocacy (30 credits)

• COM 1040, Yesterday’s Times (1) Must be repeated 3 times in 3 different terms, total of 3 credits required.
• COM 2200, Persuasion (3)
• COM 2040, Public Advocacy (3)
• PRL 2820, Public Relations Design and Production OR COM 1940, Communication Tools. (3)
• PRL 3210 Digital Advocacy (3)
• PRL 3180, Public Relations Research (3)[1]
• COM 3210, Rhetoric of Social Movements (3)
• COM 4040, Public Advocacy Practicum (3)

Electives in the major…choose two classes from this list (6)

• • COM 3220, Environmental Communication (3)
  • COM 3200, Messages in Society
  • HIS 2020, The American Experience Since Reconstruction (3)
  • HIS 4330, American Thought and Culture since 1865 (3)
  • PSC 2200, American Political Institutions (3) (PSC 1210 Pre-req)
  • PSC 3210, State and Local Politics (3)
  • REL 3520, Faith and Justice (3)

Minor in Public Advocacy (19 credits)

• COM 1040, Yesterday’s Times (1)
• COM 2200, Persuasion (3)
• COM 2040, Public Advocacy (3)
• PRL 2820, Public Relations Design and Production OR COM 1940, Communication Tools. (3)
• Electives in the Minor (9)
  • PRL 3040 Digital Advocacy (3)
  • PRL 3180, Public Relations Research (3)
  • COM 3220, Environmental Communication (3)
  • COM 3200, Messages in Society (3)

[1] Before you take PRL 3180 you must take COM 2040, Public Advocacy