Organizational Communication Fall 2003

Times	Days	Location
10:00 – 10:50	MWF	GAB 318

Professor: Brian Richardson Office Hours:

Office: Terrill Hall 240 MW 2:30–3:30

Phone: 565-4748 (office) F 9 – 9:45

Email: richardson@unt.edu & by appt.

Disability Accommodation:

The instructor will cooperate with the university's Office of Disability Accommodation to provide reasonable accommodation to students who need it. Students who wish to self‑identify and request assistance under this policy should register with the Office (located in the University Union) by the second class day.

Course Rationale:

In general, the purpose of this course is to introduce students to the scholarly (and practical) domain of Organizational Communication. At the conclusion of this course, students should have a basic understanding of the dimensions of organizational phenomena that are of interest to organizational communication scholars and have a rudimentary knowledge of the theoretical and empirical approaches taken toward those phenomena. Specifically, the goals for this course are that students will (1) develop a strong basic vocabulary and understanding of concepts relating to organizational communication phenomena, (2) learn researching skills in locating, reading, and evaluating scholarly readings appropriate to the organizational communication domain, (3) become familiar with the historical, current and future issues and problems facing organizations and the communication-relevant aspects of these issues, and (4) gain practice applying theoretical perspectives and concepts to specific real-life organizational situations and settings.

Textbook and Readings:

Miller, K. (2003). Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes (3^rd Ed.) New York: Wadsworth.

Additional readings will be distributed in class. These are not “optional readings.” They are relevant to the lecture material, the course assignments, and to the exams. You are responsible for ensuring that you get copies of all class handouts.

ASSIGNMENTS

I. Required Midterm Exam: All students are required to take a midterm exam that will have an objective format (e.g. multiple choice, true/false, matching). The exam will be held Monday, Oct. 13, and will cover material from the first and second units of the course including lectures, reading, video, and guest speakers. (240 points)

II. Required Final Exam: All students are required to take a final exam that will have an objective format (e.g. multiple choice, true/false, matching). The exam will be held during finals week and will cover material from the third and fourth units of the course including lectures, reading, video, and guest speakers. (240 points) Date: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 8 – 10 a.m.

Note: There are no makeup exams for the midterm or final. If you miss an exam, you lose the points associated with it. The only exceptions are due to documented sickness, death in the family, or some other catastrophe. I am very unlikely to allow you to take an exam after the scheduled time if you do not contact me prior to the exam.

III. Applied/written final assignment: This is a written project that will be due on December 5 (240 points). For information about the final project, please see the Assignment Instruction’s packet.

IV. Two case study written assignments: Students will complete two of three case study assignments (100 points each). This assignment requires students to analyze the case studies at the end of three chapters of the Miller text. This analysis will include determining and describing the problem that is present in each case, describing how the problem is relevant to course material, and offering potential solutions to the problem. Solutions should also be related to course material when possible. The entire analysis should be detailed in a 3-4-page paper. A description of how case studies are written is included in the Assignment Instruction’s packet. Note: Case studies are due on the following dates:

Unit 1 – Ch. 2 - Sept. 19

Unit 2 – Ch. 7 - Oct. 20

Unit 3 – Ch. 9 - Nov. 10

IV. Participation Assignments: On eight occasions this semester, you will have an opportunity to earn 10 points (80 points total) for successfully completing an assignment that will be introduced in class. Such an assignment could be a pop quiz, an in-class movie review, or a homework assignment. Dates for these assignments have already been determined and may even occur during the final week of the semester. These assignments will cover readings from the current day up to two class periods before, and may include information covered in the lecture. If you have thoroughly read and thoughtfully considered the readings you should excel. You will be graded on these assignments for your quality of work, not merely being here on the day the assignment was introduced. There will be NO make up opportunities for these assignments and any pop quizzes MUST be completed during the first 10 minutes of class. (10 points ea. = 80 points).

Total points breakdown

Midterm exam 240 pts.

Final exam 240 pts.

2 case Studies 200 pts. (2 assignments at 100 pts each)

Written assignment 240 pts.

8 in-class assignments 80 pts. (8 x 10 pts. each)

Total 1000 pts.

Grade determination

The points in this class are based on the assignments discussed above. Your final grade is based entirely on the sum of those points assigned in the class, and I will adhere rigidly to those points. The points correspond to the following university guidelines: an A is reserved for excellent work; a B is for above average performance; a C is awarded for average work; a D simply means passing, and an F indicates below average, nonpassing work. Points-wise the grades will be categorized as follows: 900-1000 = A; 800 – 899 = B; 700 – 799 = C; 600 – 699 = D; 0 – 599 = F

Course policies

Attendance and courtesy are expected. In order for this class to be successful, your attendance and participation are imperative. We will conduct this class as a lecture/seminar, performing the roles of teachers and learners simultaneously. This is possible only if everyone prepares in advance for class by giving thoughtful attention to the assigned readings and assumes a constructive role in class discussions, asking questions, thoughtfully attending to the ideas of others, and sharing your own insights. Students who attend class regularly will benefit by enhanced performance on assignments and an opportunity to complete the pop quizzes and in-class assignments. Attendance will not be taken, however, if you miss a participation assignment, then you lose the points associated with it.

** Courtesy of all speakers is required, so turn off your pagers and cell phones prior to coming to class. If you want to check your text messages, do so on your time, not the class’s time. DO NOT COME IN LATE. LATECOMERS INTERRUPT THE SPEAKER, WHICH MAY MAKE HIM/HER VERY UPSET. I plan to start the class at about 10:01 each day.

Late work. Except under the most extreme circumstances (and documentation of those circumstances is required), no late work will be accepted. If you encounter an emergency situation of some kind, it is best to communicate with me about it earlier rather than later. It is not fair to others who met the deadlines if I accept yours late. Also, no longer are printer troubles and computer problems reasonable excuses for late papers. I suggest knowing the equipment well enough and allowing ample time in case of problems. Before attempting any of the written assignments, please see the course packet for instructions and grading criteria. All written assignments are due at the beginning of class or they will be considered late. Late papers on either the case studies or the final project will be graded for half credit. This is a severe penalty, but it is better than zero points (plus, you get the feedback on the paper). It is not fair to others who met the deadlines if I accept yours late. I will not accept any papers more than one week late. Also, no longer are printer troubles and computer problems reasonable excuses for late papers. I suggest knowing the equipment well enough and allowing ample time in case of problems.

Academic Dishonesty. All persons shall adhere to the Code of Student Conduct regarding academic honesty, including acts of cheating and plagiarism. Of particular concern in a course with written and oral assignments is the issue of plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined by Webster’s (1989) as “the appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas, and thoughts of anther author, and representation of them as one’s original work” (p. 1100). In other words, plagiarism is stealing. You must cite your sources accurately and consistently in both your oral and written assignments. Penalties for plagiarism will vary according to severity and will range from a failing grade to prosecution through the University System.

Writing quality assumptions. Every paper you turn in must be of quality, both in content and style. I will not accept papers with grammatical and typographical errors. I expect you to use a computer and to take advantage of the programs that guard against such errors; however, there is no substitute for good proofreading. All papers must conform to the “Writing Guide for Students Papers” in the “undergraduate program” section of the department website.

Completing the Course. Students are expected to complete all assignments for this course during the semester. Assigning a grade of “incomplete” is rare, and in order to request an “I,” the student must meet these requirements: a) The student must have completed at least 75% of the course assignments; b) The student must be passing the course; c) There must be an unforeseen and compelling reason why the course cannot be completed on time; and d) The student must present a plan for completing the assignments within the time period specified in the catalog.

Grade guidelines for all written assignments:

D papers – are challenging to read because they contain so many grammatical and sentence structure errors. The main topics, and how those topics are being addressed, are not clear.

C papers – meet all of the requirements, adequately and accurately explore the topic and are clearly written, well organized, and at least minimally interesting to read.

B papers – exceed basic requirements in several areas, and are very well written. Draws from more challenging literature/material, insightful and creative in presentation and/or analysis, teaches the course material to the reader in its application and use of terminology and theory.

A papers – are exceptionally well written, exceeding requirements in many areas. Translates complex ideas with uncommon clarity, and provokes the reader to think about the topic in new ways. Draws from very challenging literature/material; provides appropriate references to authors and theorist names; teaches the course material to the reader in such a way as to enhance understanding of it.

Final note: This syllabus is not a contract. It is a guide and may be changed by the professor at any time without prior notice.