Browning wins Most Promising New Textbook Award from TAA
Associate professor Nicholas Browning — along with co-author William Thompson — won the Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association.
Works were judged based on four categories, including pedagogy, content/scholarship, writing, and appearance & design. Rather than being judged based on other entrants, each submission was judged on its merits.
According to Browning, “Writing for Public Relations and Strategic Communication” equips students with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to write persuasively. The book underscores the importance of strategic analysis at the beginning of the writing process. Utilizing an audience-centered perspective, it shows how persuasive writing emerges organically after critically assessing the goals of an organization’s message in light of its intended audience.
Students learn essential strategic thinking and planning skills to create effective and intentional writing. The book presents the theoretical underpinnings of behavior, which students can then employ to generate prose that prioritizes the audience’s reasons for attending to the message. The book is unique in presenting a primer on communication, persuasion, and moral theories that provide students with a roadmap for constructing effective, ethical arguments. Throughout, anecdotes, examples, quizzes, and assignments help connect theory to practical, real-world applications.