Northeastern State University

College of Liberal Arts

Summer 2006 syllabus for

SPCH 3803 Interviewing Techniques and Concepts

Broken Arrow Campus

(last updated 05.09.06)

Instructor: Amy Aldridge Sanford, PhD Office: Leoser Center (Tahlequah Campus)

Ext.: 2896

E-mail: aldridga@nsuok.edu (This is the best way to contact me) Office Hours: By appointment only in the summer.

Your professor’s philosophy of education: I expect excellence from my students and may challenge you beyond your normal comfort level. I am not a fan of letter grades and believe they are too often the only motivation for students to complete assignments. A college education should be viewed as a privilege and an opportunity to become learned and scholarly. However, until there is a better system, grades will be assigned in this class. Work that meets the minimum requirements of an assignment, is completed on time and displays average involvement with the course content is deserving of a “C.” Higher grades are awarded to work that goes above and beyond the minimum standards to produce papers and presentations that reflect superior intellectual effort, excellence in critical analysis and overall creativity in the approach towards any given assignment. In other words, grades are earned in this class. An “A” is attainable but will require more than minimal effort.

Required Text:

Anderson, R. and G. M. Killenberg (1999). Interviewing: Speaking, listening, and learning the professional life. Mountain View, CA, Mayfield.

ISBN: 1-55934-956-5

Optional Text (you will find it helpful):

The Associated Press stylebook, 2004.

Catalogue Description of Course: Study of the interview as a technique for gathering information in order to meet a variety of personal needs. These include research interviews, employment interviews, appraisals, sales, and counseling.

Pre-requisites: none

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, you will have…

Created a resume, cover letter, and follow-up letter.
Compiled interview questions.
Taken part in interviews as both an interviewee and an interviewer.
Made a written recommendation to hire or not hire the person you interview.
Intellectually critiqued the interviewing process.
Understand the process of news writing.

Found the focus, visual elements, and other elements within the journalism text.
Conducted journalistic interviews and understood attribution and quoting.
Generated many story ideas.
Located sources.

Wrote an interview schedule and project proposal.
Scheduled and conducted interviews with members of the community.

Attended class regularly (with penalties for more than three hours of unexcused absences) and have actively participated in your learning.

Class Attendance: You are allowed three hours of unexcused absences in this course. For every unexcused absence over the three hours, there will be a 20-point deduction from your final point total. Absences will be excused only under the following circumstances:

Absence while under a doctor’s care (written documentation required).
Absence due to participation in an authorized college activity (written documentation required).
Absence due to attendance at legal proceedings requiring your presence (advance notification and written documentation required).
Absence due to the death or serious illness of an immediate family member (written documentation required).

I consider an excused absence one in which the absence is beyond your control. (For example, the time of a check up or a dental appointment can be controlled). I will not excuse an absence in which you have to take somebody else to the doctor, hospital, dentist, court, etc. That is why I give you the three hours of unexcused absences. Use them wisely. I think good attendance is very important. All written documentation is due the class period before the final.

Missed/Late Assignments:

Written Work: For each class session that an assignment is turned in late, you will be assessed a penalty of 10 points for that particular assignment.

E-mailing assignments/computer problems: You will need to submit most of your assignments in hard copy. On occasion, it will be possible to submit assignments via e-mail. Please note: your computer breaking, printer not working, etc. will never be accepted as an excuse for late work. It is your responsibility to begin work early enough to accommodate unforeseen circumstances. In addition, e-mailed work is recorded as “turned in” according the time stamp in the introduction to your message. “I got your address wrong” or “my e-mail wasn’t working” will not be accepted as reasons for late assignments.

Presentations: If you miss an assigned speech, we may not have time to allow you to present it later. If you know you are going to miss an assigned speech, trade speaking dates with someone in the class, and let the instructor know about the change. Failure to make a presentation will result in a zero for that assignment.

Class Participation: You are expected to attend class regularly and be prepared so that you may intelligently discuss assigned material. Proper preparation means reading the assigned chapters and completing daily assignments. Warning: This instructor is well known for counting students absent when they are not prepared for class.

Classroom Climate: The success of this course is directly related to the sense of community that we will develop in this classroom. Participation is essential to this process. I encourage you to share your views and listen to those of others. Debate and discussion are an important part of the learning process. While there will no doubt be disagreements, I expect the members of this community (including myself) to challenge ideas in a manner that reflects respect and recognition of opposing viewpoints without attacking individuals. There is no doubt in my mind that controversial topics will come up during the course of this class. They always do. If you are a person who is easily offended by the topics of sex, alcohol, abortion, the death penalty, racial stereotypes, and other potentially controversial topics, then it is advised that you enroll in another communication course not taught by this instructor.

Outline of Course: This class will be divided into multiple sections: employment, journalism, research, appraisals/organizations, sales/persuasive situations, and counseling. The expected course outcomes will be realized through a variety of instructional strategies. Those strategies include, but are not limited to, the following: discussions, interviewing, quizzes, exams, demonstrations, inquiry and group activities. All of the following assignments and point totals are considered tentative and may change over the course of the semester due to your progress and interests.

Orientation to Class

Expected Assignments: Name tents

Section 1: Employment and introduction to interviewing (Ch 1-6)

Expected Assignments: résumé, cover letter, interview, follow-up letter (100 points); extended interview assignment (200 points)

Section 2: Print and Broadcast Journalism (Ch 8, Ch 12)

Expected Assignments: generate story ideas; identify elements in print media; locate sources; write questions; conduct an interview; discussion on journalistic styles found in broadcast media (e.g., Oprah Winfrey, Michael Moore, NPR) (between 100-200 points possible)

Section 3: Research (Ch 9)

Expected Assignments: research proposal (100 points) and interview schedule (100 points)

Section 4: Appraisals (Ch 7), Sales (Ch 11), and Counseling (Ch 10)

Expected Assignments: presentations (200 points)

Tentative Calendar for Summer 2006

All students must take their final on their scheduled date. Put this in your calendar. The test WILL NOT be given early and CANNOT be made up. The final will be comprehensive from the quizzes, lectures, in-class activities, and reading assignments.

Quizzes: You will be quizzed over textbook chapter(s). For these quizzes, you are allowed to use one 4x6 note card. The chapter quizzes are worth 10 points and are multiple choice. Periodically you will also be given quizzes over the lecture material. Those are also worth 10 points and are typically short answer. Your lowest two quiz scores will be dropped. Quizzes cannot be made up—no matter the reason for the absence. If a student misses the quiz as a result of a university-authorized absence, the missed quiz will not be calculated in the student’s final grade. This policy is in compliance with Section 10.242 in the NSU Faculty Handbook. (Amended 09.24.04)

Grading: Your grade for this course is based on a point system. Each assignment is worth a set number of points. To determine a letter grade for each assignment, calculate 10% of the points and subtract accordingly. For example, on an assignment worth 75 points, 67.5-75 is an “A,” 60-67.74 is a “B,” etc.

Here’s a place to keep your grades:

Assignment Due Date Points Possible Points Received

____________ ________ ____________ _____________

Total = ___________ divided by __________ = _____%

Percentage breakdown: 90-100% A; 80-89% B; 70-79% C; 60-69% D

"A grade (is) an inadequate report of an inaccurate judgment by a biased and variable judge of the extent to which a student has attained an undefined level of mastery of an unknown proportion of an indefinite amount of material." (Author Unknown)

Class Grievances:

I am willing to meet with you to discuss our class and/or particular assignments. I ask that you please wait 24 hours after you have received a graded assignment to come see me. Before we discuss your work, you are required to type out a document detailing what particular elements of your work you feel merit discussion.

Students with Disabilities: If any member of the class feels that he or she has a disability and requires special accommodations, of any nature whatsoever, I will work with you to ensure that you have a fair opportunity to perform in this class. Please advise me of such disability and the desired accommodations at the close of the first class period. Students with disabilities who need accommodations to achieve course objectives should visit the Office of Student Affairs, Ext. 2120.

Plagiarism: According to Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary (1983, 2^nd Ed.), to plagiarize is “to steal or pass of ideas or words of another as one’s own…to use created productions without crediting the source…to commit literary theft…to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source” (p.1371). Students in this course will be responsible for authenticating any assignment submitted to the instructor. If asked, you must be able to produce proof that the assignment you submitted is in fact your own work. Therefore, it is recommended that you engage in a verifiable working process on assignments. Keep copies of all drafts of your work, make photocopies of research materials, write summaries of research materials, keep logs or journals of your work on assignments and papers, learn to save drafts or versions of assignments under individual file names on computer diskettes, etc. In addition to requiring a student to authenticate his/her work, the instructor may employ various other means of ascertaining authenticity—such as engaging in internet searches, creating quizzes based on student work, requiring students to explain their work and/or process orally, etc.

NSU’s policy on Academic Misconduct (from http://www.nsuok.edu/policies/academic/misconduct.html): Academic misconduct includes cheating (using unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise), plagiarism, falsification of records, unauthorized possession of examinations, intimidation, and any and all other actions that may improperly affect the evaluation of a student’s academic performance or achievement, or assisting others in any such act or attempts to engage in such acts. Academic misconduct in any form is inimical to the purposes and functions of the University and therefore is unacceptable and prohibited. Any faculty member, administrator or staff member may identify an act of academic misconduct and should report that act to the department head/college dean, Vice President for Academic Affairs or administrative supervisor. Students violating the standards of academic honesty are subject to disciplinary action including reduction of a grade(s) in a specific course, assignment, paper, or project; a formal or informal reprimand at the professorial, dean, or academic vice president level; expulsion from the class in which the violation occurred; expulsion from a program; or expulsion from the University.

Inclement Weather/Disaster Policy: The following are basic premises for the inclement weather policy at Northeastern State University:

1. Classes are expected to be held if at all possible.
2. It is the student's responsibility to receive the information when weather is questionable.
3. Neither students nor faculty are expected to risk life or limb.
4. Faculty members are obligated to hold classes if the University is not closed, unless the faculty member is unable to get to campus.

Policy: During times of inclement weather, decisions concerning day classes will be made by 6:00 a.m. in order for the media to be notified and for students to receive the announcement before they leave home. Decisions concerning night classes will be made by 3:00 p.m.

The following media will be notified regarding closing of the campus:

Radio Stations	Television Stations
KRMG 740 AM Tulsa	KJRH Channel 2 Tulsa
KAYI 107 FM Tulsa	KOTV Channel 6 Tulsa
KTLQ 1350 AM Tahlequah	KTUL Channel 8 Tulsa
KEOK 102 FM Tahlequah	KFSM Channel 5 Fort Smith
KBIX 1490 AM Muskogee	Cable Channel 96 Tahlequah
KMMY 97 FM Muskogee
KVOO 1170 AM Tulsa

The automated attendant message on 918-456-5511 will be modified to include information concerning campus operations during inclement weather.

Additional information:

Please turn all cell phones/pagers on silent while you are in class. Check your messages AFTER class and return the calls then.
Do not pack up before I dismiss you. You never know when I may say something important or give a last minute assignment. You’re going to want to have that pen and paper handy.

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