Public Relations History in Public Relations Education in Türkiye: Meeting the Past in the Present

Abstract

In this study, the status of the courses of history of public relations in public relations education at undergraduate (B.A.) and graduate (M.A./M.Sc. and PhD) levels in Türkiye, the position and scope of these courses in the curricula, and the way in which these courses are structured are examined within the framework of a two-phase quantitative and qualitative research design. In the quantitative research, which constitutes the first stage, the courses of history of public relations offered in undergraduate and graduate public relations programs in Türkiye were identified, and the structures of the courses were examined through content analysis. In the qualitative research, which constitutes the second stage, based on the data obtained in the first stage, structured written interviews were held with the academics instructing the courses. In this regard, evaluations and suggestions were presented from a holistic perspective for different levels of the related courses. The study revealed that these courses are very limited in public relations education curricula. The opinions and suggestions of the academics leading the courses shed light on how to ensure interest in and support for the related courses.