Cultural imagination in public relations education

Abstract

Public relations (PR) academics can sometimes experience difficulty in applying interdisciplinary and critical cultural pedagogy within the classroom; while critical cultural approaches are regarded as appealing in theory, the transition to praxis can be challenging. One reason for this is that few published case studies of best practice exist. In this article, I draw on my own experiences within a UK university to explore the value of teaching culture within PR degree programmes before critically evaluating curricular developments in multicultural/intercultural communication and their value for PR theory and practice. I then discuss a framework for (1) teaching a final year undergraduate optional module in ‘multi(inter)cultural communication’ grounded in ethnography and critical pedagogy and (2) designing formative and summative assessment activity that encourages students to develop ‘cultural imagination’ – self-reflection drawn from the study of others’ stories/experiences, and the ethnographic knowledge, skills and competences necessary to embrace their professional practice as culturally sensitive, reflective practitioners.