COM 623, Organizational Communication
Syllabus
Fall 2009

Course Overview
Description
In COM 623, we will read, analyze, discuss and write about major concepts and processes of organizational communication. COM 623 is a core course in the communication M.A. for students specializing in organizational/intercultural communication. The catalog description reads: Communication theory/research applied to formal organizations; assessments of strengths and weaknesses of organizational communications systems.

We will learn about the following:

• communication as a central process in organizations
• classical theories of organizational communication
• applied contemporary organizational theory
• organizational culture
• strategic organizational communications and public relations
• use of information technologies in organizational contexts

Objectives
Success in this course means you will:

1. write well about perspectives of organizational communication
2. orally discuss perspectives of organizational communication
3. analyze organizational communication processes
4. apply organizational communication concepts to your own experience in organizations
5. apply organizational communication theory to your academic and professional interests (e.g., research project development)
6. offer informed critique of organizational communication practices
7. explore your scholarly and professional options in organizational communication

Expectations 
Your final grade will be based on weekly writing, class participation, a midterm exam, a term paper and in-class presentations including a book review of a general org com textbook.

Final Grade Requirements
A = 90-100% 
B = 80-89% 
C = 70-79% 
D = 60-69% 
F = Below 60% 

Grading Weight

Weekly writing	30%
Participation & attendance	10%
Book review	10%
Exam	20%
Term paper (written audit or review)	20%
Oral presentation (audit or review)	10%

Weekly Writing (30%)
Primary Objectives: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6

By noon on most Wednesdays (see course timeline), you're required to e-mail me a written response (no more than 500 words) in which you discuss and react to the assigned reading material for that week. Here's what I'll look for in the response e-mail:

• Grammar and style. Poorly constructed sentences can be an obstacle to meeting all the criteria that follow.
• Clarity. These short writing assignments can be written in a conversational tone, but clarity is key. Clear writing reflects clear thinking.
• Evidence that you've read the material carefully. I don't expect you to respond to each and every point made in each assigned reading, but an e-mail that lacks any meaningful reference to at least some of the more subtle details of the assigned readings will make me wonder.
• Application. Are you able to apply the concepts you've learned to real-world events, including your own experiences?
• Evidence that you've thought critically about the material. While it should be clear from reading your e-mail that you're familiar with the material as it was presented, don't forget the "response" part. This is where your informed opinion counts, and where you get to show off those critical thinking skills. Keep in mind that critical thinking doesn't necessarily mean negative thinking.

Participation and Attendance (10%)
Primary Objectives: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The participation portion of your grade will reflect your contributions as an individual and as a member of the class as a whole. Your participation in class discussions should reflect your reading and preparation. Here are some examples. Of course, many combinations of factors are possible. These are only examples.

Participation Grade	Example
10	perfect attendance in class; regularly made resourceful and constructive comments in class discussions that reflected reading, preparation and a solid understanding of the material covered; always prepared to make connections between required readings and outside literature, research projects, etc.; recognized by peers as class leader in discussions
9	good attendance, participated regularly in class, clearly kept up with reading
8	good attendance, getting a little behind on the reading at times made it hard for this student to get involved in discussions of more advanced concepts
7	good attendance and participation, but didn't seem to take non-graded assignments and deadlines very seriously
6	attendance issues, often seemed unprepared

Book Review Assignment (10%)
Primary Objectives: 1, 2, 3
In small groups, you will select a general organizational communication textbook to review. You will summarize the main points made in the book, evaluate the approach the authors take, and explain why you would or would not recommend the book to other students and faculty. The review will include a written report and an in-class presentation on September 30. Assignment details will be discussed in class near the beginning of the semester.

Midterm Exam (20%)
Primary Objectives: 1, 3, 5
This will be an open-book, open-note exam in class on October 21. Laptops are welcome. Basically, the exam will include a few open-ended questions or scenarios that will serve as prompts. Your job will be to respond to the prompts by choosing appropriate concepts and theories covered in class and applying those.

Term Paper (30% = 20% written plus 10% oral)
Choose one of two options: a communication audit or a topic-oriented theoretical review.

• Communication Audit. The communication audit option requires you to get (or already have) access to a real organization, to study first-hand its internal and external communications and to report your findings and recommendations in writing. The oral presentation part of the assignment should simulate a business presentation to organizational management highlighting your recommendations and reasoning behind those recommendations. Primary Objectives: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7
• Theoretical Review. The topic-oriented theoretical review should cover theories and research that can be used to better understand and practice organizational communication. This paper will require APA style. The paper should basically answer the following question: "What does theory and research tell us about [insert your interests here] and organizational communication?" The oral part of this assignment is for you to teach a short lesson on your topic. The lesson need not be as theoretically detailed as the paper. Primary Objectives: 1, 2, 5, 7

Seeking Help
This course should provide a great learning experience for all of us. The success of the course depends largely on effective student-teacher interaction. Don't feel like you have to have a pressing problem to talk to me. I look forward to hearing your input. I'll be available during my office hours unless announced otherwise. Of course, I'm often in and available at times not posted as office hours. Generally, I'll leave my office door open if I'm available. If my door is closed, that either means I'm out or that I'm in but working on deadline or getting ready for class. In any case, we can set an appointment if that works better.

Special Accommodations
Students requiring special accommodations must notify me and present appropriate supporting documentation by the end of the second week of class.

Academic Honesty
Academic dishonesty of any sort will not be tolerated. I take plagiarism very seriously. Please see me if you have any questions about academic honesty, and I'll be happy to discuss such issues in advance of you submitting your work.

Preliminary Class Timeline 
This should give you a general overview of what we'll cover. Additional readings, speakers and assignments may be added as we go.

Class Days	General Topics	Assignments and readings
August 26	Course overview and syllabus	Review syllabus by 8/26.
Sept 2	Introduction to organizational communication Classical theory	Miller, K. (2009). The challenge of organizational communication. In Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes, 5th ed. (pp. 1-15). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Richmond, V.P. , & McCroskey, J.C. (2009). The nature of organizations. In Organizational communication for survival: Making work, work (pp. 1-15). Boston, MA: Pearson. Lippert, L. R., & Aust, P.J. (2004). Introduction and history of organizational communication. In J.R. Baldwin, S.D. Perry, & M.A. Moffitt (Eds.) Communication theories for everyday life (pp. 287-306). Boston, MA: Pearson. Weekly writing.
Sept 9	Paradigms and perspectives Discuss text review assignment	Harris, T.E., & Nelson, M.D. (2008). Adopting a perspective. In Applied organizational communication, 3rd ed. (pp. 1-34) New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Kuhn, T. (1996). The route to normal science. In The structure of scientific revolutions, 3rd ed. (pp. 10-22). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Kuhn, T. (1996). The nature of normal science. In The structure of scientific revolutions, 3rd ed. (pp. 23-34). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Weekly writing.
Sept 16	Perspectives	Littlejohn, S. (2002). Communication and organizational networks. In Theories of human communication, 7th ed. (pp. 281-302). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Mumby, D. (1987). The political function of narrative in organizations. Communication Monographs, 54, 113-127. Monge, P., & Poole, M.S. (2008). The evolution of organizational communication. Journal of Communication, 58, 679-692. Weekly writing. Notify professor of text to be reviewed.
Sept 23	Overlaps with public relations	Cutlip, S.M., Center, A.H., & Broom, G.M. (2000). Theoretical underpinnings: adjustment and adaptation. In Effective public relations. (pp. 219-248). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Kennan, W.R., & Hazleton, V. (2006). Internal public relations: social capital and the role of organizational communication. In Public Relations Theory II. (pp. 311-338). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Weekly writing.
Sept 30	Textbook reviews	Textbook review assignments
Oct 7	Management	Clegg, S., Kornberger, M., & Pitsis, T. (2008). Introducing the field of managing and organizations. In Managing and organizations. (pp. 1-45). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Weekly writing.
Oct 14	Management and strategy	Aguirre, D.M., Howell, L.W., Kletter, D.B., & Neilson, G.L. (2005). A global checkup: Diagnosing the health of today's organizations. Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.: McLean, VA. Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W.M. (2002). Communities of practice and their value to organizations. In Cultivating Communities of Practice. (pp. 1-21). Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Wilson, L.J. (2001). Extending strategic planning to communication tactics. In R.L. Heath (Ed.). Handbook of public relations. (pp. 215-222). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Weekly writing.
Oct 21	Midterm
Oct 28	Audits & applied research tools	Diggs-Brown, B. (2007). The communication audit. In The PR styleguide: Formats for public relations practice, 2nd ed., (pp. 40-47). Belmont, CA: Thompson. Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) and related measures on Sampson's Comparison of Communication Audit Questionnaire. Weekly writing.
Nov 4	Academic research	Jones, E., Watson, B., Gardner, J., Gallois, C. (2004). Organizational communication: Challenges for the new century. Journal of Communication, 54, 722-750. Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27, 425-478. Weekly writing.
Nov 11	No Class - Veterans Day
Nov 18	Academic & applied research examples	Project examples. Weekly writing.
Nov 25	Work sessions for term-papers, peer discussion and editing	Rough draft due for peer editing
Dec 2	Student presentations
Dec 9	Student presentations	Term paper due