Hawks Blog

Dr. Jeanne Persuit, Director of the M.A. Integrated Marketing Communication program at UNCW, has changed the way she teaches diversity and ethics in IMC. Recently, she shared this with the new students in the M.A. program: “I used to teach about diversity and ethics in separate modules. In light of the Black Lives Matter protests surrounding the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, I need to emphasize that a commitment to diversity IS an ethical responsibility.”

The American Marketing Association, in their Statement of Ethics, acknowledges: “As marketers…we not only serve our organizations but also act as stewards of society in creating, facilitating and executing the transactions that are part of the greater economy.” To be ethical, Dr. Chadwick Lee Roberts, UNCW COM faculty member says, practitioners must be “able to give an account of what they have created, one enriched by awareness, research and dialogue regarding diversity and inclusion.” To reach that level of awareness, practitioners must “engage critically with the controlling images and stereotypes of the past that continue to influence our thinking about minority groups” and create messaging that “speaks TO these historically marginalized groups instead of merely THROUGH them.”

Ethical communication and diverse and inclusive messaging are core values of UNCW COM – that’s why, when designing the M.A. in Integrated Marketing Communication, we included the courses Communication Ethics and IMC and Diversity, Inclusion, and the IMC Challenge in the curriculum. Communication Ethics focuses on multiple approaches to help practitioners think deeply about how to be the best possible stewards of society. Diversity, Inclusion and the IMC Challenge addresses integrated marketing communication and branding in terms of ethics, diversity and inclusion. Topics include IMC’s history and role in terms of diversity and messaging as well as cultural, ethnographic and rhetorical approaches to analyzing IMC practice.

Russ Klein, CEO of the American Marketing Association, recently wrote; “It is not a time for passivity…We can do more, be better, and be held accountable for turning tomorrow’s hope into today’s action.” Being better takes more than good intentions; it requires education and a commitment to change.

The M.A. in Integrated Marketing Communication program is fully online, 30 credit hours with six admission cycles per year. Application deadline for Fall 1 is July 25. Classes begin August 24.

https://uncw.edu/com/graduate.html

Photo by Nicole Baster on Unsplash

As a transfer student, I have not spent more than 2 years at UNCW. However, my time here has been wonderful and I am beyond proud to be a Seahawk. I believe it is where I am supposed to be, despite the trials and tribulations. Anyone at UNCW during the last two years knows what I am talking about. If not, here are a few highlights and different ways that I got through them (or am still getting through them).

The wrong department.

When I first transferred to UNCW from Cape Fear Community College, I started off in the Cameron Business School. I knew I was interested in marketing but was completely lost in all of my classes. Things like financial accounting, microeconomics, etc. just weren’t for me. I did not feel a sense of community and had a hard time overall. Then, I learned about IMC classes and the Communication Studies Department. I quickly made the switch and, ever since then, I’ve felt entirely at home with my COM friends and professors! My advice to anyone not 100% sure which path to take is to explore ALL options first (especially before wasting an entire semester in the wrong place, like I did). There is a place here for everyone. We just have to find it. I sure am glad I found mine along with the wonderful friends that came with it.

Hurricanes.

Ah, the lovely storms that love to threaten (and damage) our beautiful campus. During my time at this school, my fellow students and I, have experienced the infamous Hurricane Florence, Tropical Storm Michael, and Hurricane Dorian. While Michael and Dorian did not cause us too much trouble, Florence did. That was a scary time for the entire UNCW community with school being closed, no one allowed on campus, copious amounts of damage, and a struggling community. I got through it the best way I knew how…by pushing forward. I stayed in contacted with all professors and many of my peers, stayed up to date on information, and did not give up on our school. Soon, everything was (somewhat) back to normal. The best thing anyone can do in that situation is to stay open-minded and trust that everything will be okay.

A global pandemic.

Whoa. Who knew this was going to happen? It has raised all sorts of anxiety, hardship, and uncertainty for many students. The Coronavirus is scary and uncharted territory for us, but the UNCW faculty and staff have dealt with it gracefully and promptly. One reason why I love UNCW so much – we have some great people backing us! With all of our classes going online, there are many challenges. If you’re like me, you simply are not an online school kind of person – maybe focusing is hard, there’s a lot going on at home, etc. but giving up is not an option. Thankfully, most professors at UNCW are extremely understanding and willing to help (especially those in the COM department). By writing down due dates and checking them each day along with staying in contact with professors, I have been able to get by. It takes a lot of strength, energy, and self-motivation but we Seahawks are forces to be reckoned with. We can get through anything.

Amongst many other challenges that you may face while at UNCW, always remember this: you are never alone, and things won’t be tough forever. I am blessed to have shared experiences with my peers, whether they be good or bad, and I am sad to end this chapter of my life in a virtual platform. All in all, I’ll forever love The Dub. Through the good times and bad.

Tina King, UNCW COM Class of Fall 2020