A Look Inside FUA’s Classrooms: Social Media and SPEL Public Relations

written by Ava Lees for SPEL: Public Relations

As an FUA student, there are an abundance of courses offered to suit a student's interest and needs. In my semester abroad, I’ve taken a few courses and will highlight two of those in this article to give an idea of what FUA classes are like!

I am a strategic communications major, so when I chose my courses for this semester, I tried to find ones that would fit my interest and provide credit for my graduation. In this search I found two classes that I was especially drawn to. The first of which was a course on Social Media. This course, taught by Alex Klein, who is the social media coordinator at FUA, covers social media. From the history of how social media began to how using social media can grow a brand, the class gives students a tool to better understand how social media can be used to market to many different demographics.

Like many courses at FUA, this class gives students the opportunity to learn by doing. As part of the class, we as students attend Palazzi Community Center events, which are events run and organized by FUA that allow for students to work on events that cater towards a more local demographic through events like book readings, film presentations, and art exhibitions.

As social media students, we are divided into groups and attend these events to gather content. We all take photos and videos and after the event, group members who were not at the event create captions, edit photos, and use video content to make reels that are then submitted and potentially posted to the real Palazzi Community Center account.

This allows for us students to have our work posted on real social media accounts and gain experience in creating this content. On weeks without community center events, we have alternative assignments such as creating a day in the life reel or blog, taking a walk through Florence and gathering content for interesting posts, and visiting famous Florence locations like the Santa Croce Christmas Market to create interesting and engaging content.

This class is a great way for students to learn more about how to use social media as a tool. My class is made up of all different majors and all of us will be able to walk away knowing that we have experience in creating content on social media and with reels and photos that we can use in a portfolio.

For me, a perfect pairing for this class is my other course for the semester, which is a SPEL Public Relations course. SPEL stands for special project experiential learning and in this course, I work alongside FUA staff to help with tasks relating to public relations. This has included giving tours to visiting university and program delegates, attending events and welcoming guests, writing press releases and blogs, and more.

Alongside the social media class, this SPEL course has given me as a student real life experience that will contribute to my portfolio and resume while also teaching me things outside of a traditional classroom. It is similar to an internship in the States but provides the credits that a typical class would, making it an interesting option for students who prefer to learn by doing.

Both of these FUA courses are great options for students studying abroad who want to make the most of their experiences. FUA offers many amazing and unique courses but for students interested in social media, marketing, or public relations, these are two amazing options!