A Free Communications Curriculum for
PR & Communications Educators

A modular, ready-to-use course from the PRMuseum that uses the American Revolution as a case study in persuasion, messaging, and media — with materials available beginning in March.

What This Program Is

The PRMuseum has developed a free supplemental curriculum designed for college-level public relations and communications courses.

The program uses the American Revolution as a powerful historical case study to explore how ideas, messaging, and media can move hearts and minds — and how those lessons apply directly to modern public relations practice.

The materials are designed to be modular and flexible, allowing educators to integrate individual components into existing courses without restructuring their syllabus.

Why the American Revolution?

The American Revolution (1765–1787) represents one of the most consequential applications of public relations in history.

Colonial leaders — lacking a shared identity and facing overwhelming odds — used persuasion, symbolism, messaging strategy, and emerging media to unify 2.5 million people behind a common cause.

This course examines how:

  • Messaging strategies shaped public opinion

  • Visual communication reinforced shared identity

  • Media channels amplified ideas and mobilized action

  • Persuasion helped turn disagreement into unity

The result is a compelling, real-world framework for teaching how communication drives social progress.

What’s Included

Educators who sign up will receive access to a growing library of course materials, including:

PowerPoint Presentations with historical context and modern parallels

Educator Guide with summaries of key events, figures, and issues

Discussion Guide for classroom use

Plus

Videos Video interviews with experts provide context on events and major communication strategies. They can be used with the PowerPoint presentation or separately.

Project Guide The course material includes an analysis of the Revolution as social movement. And it provides an exercise in which students can design their own movement.

Booklet A 50-page booklet gives educators a fuller briefing on PR’s role in the American Revolution. It will only be available to educators who sign up for this course material.

Materials are designed to support critical thinking, analysis, and practical application.

How the Materials Can Be Used

The course materials are designed to be easily integrated into:

  • Introductory or advanced PR courses

  • Communications strategy classes

  • Media, messaging, or persuasion modules

  • Ethics, advocacy, or social impact coursework

Educators may use the materials as:

  • Standalone lessons

  • Multi-week units

  • Supplemental case studies

PowerPoint slides and videos may be used in class or assigned for independent study.

Timeline & Availability

  • Course materials will begin rolling out in March

  • Additional modules will be released over time

  • Educators who sign up will receive materials as they become available

Signing up now allows you to preview the program and plan how it might fit into your courses.

Please NOTE: Course materials may include short excerpts of copyrighted audiovisual works used under Fair Use and the TEACH Act for educational purposes. Redistribution is prohibited. 

SIGN UP FOR YOUR FREE COURSE MATERIALS

Free for educators. No obligation. Designed exclusively for academic use.