As part of the Public Affairs Communications certificate, I took Introduction to Public Affairs Communications (ADPR 3860) and Advanced Public Affairs Communications (ADPR 3960). These courses provided an understanding of the role that public affairs and advocacy play in shaping public policy. This included learning about the essential elements and tools that are necessary for a successful public affairs campaign. Below are samples of the work I had the opportunity to create throughout these two courses.
Letter-to-Editor
This letter-to-editor is written from the perspective of a hypothetical public figure on an important policy issue. It is meant to address the op-ed that the author Michael Bloomberg wrote in terms of addressing the immigration crisis in the United States.
Key Messages
This key messages document is an example assignment building up to the final campaign created in the Advanced Public Affairs Communications course. This document focuses on why abortion should be legalized across the nation included main ideas supported by statistics and data.
Advertising Script
This advertising script is another example assignment building up to the final campaign plan created in the Advanced Public Affairs Communications course. This document creates a hypothetical advertisement based on a public policy issue using visuals and emotions to connect with the audience.
Op-Ed
An op-ed, or opinion editorial, is based on a specific policy issue. The author writes the issue based on a strong and informed opinion backed by data. The opinion of the author doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinion of a publication, rather it gives the author a chance to express their ideas about a specific issue. The first op-ed, written in the Introduction to Public Affairs Communications course focused on human trafficking, and how it needs to be more heavily addressed on the national level. The second op-ed, written in the Advanced Public Affairs Communications course was another part of the building blocks to the final campaign plan. This piece focused on legalizing abortion across the nation, addressing the maternal healthcare crisis.
Infographic
An infographic is used to factually and visually display information based on a public policy issue. This was the final assignment in the Advanced Public Affairs Communications course used to once again, highlight an important public policy issue in a visually appealing manner.
Final Campaign Plan
The final campaign plan was a culmination of all the tools and elements learned throughout the Advanced Public Affairs Communications course. As described earlier, this project focuses on creating a hypothetical public policy campaign, incorporating previous assignments that were used as building blocks for this final project.