Positioning public relations as an academic discipline in Australia


Autoria(s): Hatherell, William; Bartlett, Jennifer L.
Data(s)

2006

Resumo

Academic public relations in Australia appears to be entering a new phase in its relatively short history. The early model, in which tertiary courses were confined to teaching – focused institutions and conducted largely by teacher-practitioners, is being supplanted by one in which the discipline is now offered in most Australian universities, is increasingly embracing research, and is being taught by staff following more traditional academic career paths. Despite the formal association with the communication discipline through Australian and New Zealand Communication Association, public relations academics have increasingly asserted the independence of their discipline and in reality have very little dialogue with the other strands of the communication discipline. These developments call into question the most appropriate knowledge base for public relations as an academic discipline in Australia and its proper relation to the profession (and the Public Relations Institute of Australia as the professional body). One danger associated with the assertion of disciplinary independence lies in the risk of excessive reliance on a relatively narrow body of work emanating from the more established United States public relations academy, in the process ignoring much richer work in surrounding disciplines such as social theory, rhetoric, organisation communication, and business and society. The emphasis on disciplinary demarcation also seems curious during a time of growing ‘interdisciplinarity’ in the humanities and the social sciences. This paper critically reviews the construction of public relations as an academic discipline in Australia, drawing on some of the literature on academic disciplinarity to propose a repositioning of the discipline, one that is less focused on asserting difference than on finding connections with other bodies of knowledge while maintaining close links with professional practice.

Formato

application/pdf

Identificador

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/32515/

Publicador

Deakin University, School of Communication and Creative Arts

Relação

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/32515/1/32515.pdf

http://www.deakin.edu.au/arts-ed/apprj/vol6no2.php

Hatherell, William & Bartlett, Jennifer L. (2006) Positioning public relations as an academic discipline in Australia. Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal, 6(2), pp. 1-13.

Direitos

Copyright 2006 [please consult the authors]

Fonte

QUT Business School; Division of International and Development; School of Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations

Palavras-Chave #150500 MARKETING #Public Relations #Profession #HERN
Tipo

Journal Article