College
of Liberal Arts
Department
of Communication, Art, and Theatre
Spring
2010 syllabus for
COMM
4623 & COMM 5063 Group Dynamics and Conference Leadership
(last updated 03.28.10)
Professor: Amy Aldridge Sanford,
PhD
Office: 351 SH (Tahlequah Campus)
Ext.: 3608
E-mail: aldridga@nsuok.edu
(This is the best way to contact
me)
Office Hours: See Contact Info on webpage.
Facebook: Amy
Aldridge Sanford
Your professorÕs
philosophy of education: I am a
facilitator of learning. The participants in any given classroom enter
with different paradigms and truths. I aid in the exploration of those
truths. I do NOT believe that the instructor is THE holder of Truth;
therefore we must all participate to co-construct knowledge and create
synergy. When a student starts to feel uncomfortable in his/her existing
paradigm that means s/he is growing as a scholar. My desire is that
all of my students feel the joy of discomfort from time to time.
Grading
Philosophy: "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)
I prefer intrinsic motivations, and
therefore, am not a fan of letter grades. I believe this extrinsic reward
is 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 ÒC.Ó 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 ÒAÓ is attainable but will require far more than minimal
effort.
Required Texts:
Allison, Graham and Philip Zelikow. (1999). Essence of decision:
Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis. (2nd edition).
Longman. ISBN: 9780321013491.
Burtis, John O. and Paul D. Turman.
(2006). Group communication pitfalls: Overcoming barriers to an
effective group
experience. Sage Publications.
ISBN: 9781412915359.
Vaughan, Diane. (1996). The
challenger launch decision: Risky technology, culture and deviance
at NASA. The University
of Chicago Press. ISBN: 9780226851761.
Recommended
Additional Texts:
Griffin, Em.
(2008). A first look at communication theory.
(7th ed.) Boston: McGraw Hill. ISBN: 9780073385020.
Janis,
Irving L. (1989). Crucial
decisions: Leadership in policymaking and crisis management.
The Free Press.
ISBN: 9780029161616.
Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). (6th ed.) (2009). American Psychological
Association. ISBN: 9781433805615
Yin, R. K. (2003).
Case study research: Design and methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage Publications. ISBN: 0761925538
Catalogue Description
of Course:
Investigates the
capacity and potential of the group in terms of problem solving, fact finding,
and the inherent capabilities of the group versus the individual.
Considerable time devoted to an investigation of the leadership role and its
influence on leadership styles.
Pre-requisites:
Graduate-level course.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, you will haveÉ
á Recognized
group communication pitfalls and be able to identify groups in history that
suffered pitfalls.
á Worked in
groups and be able to critique you own work and that of others.
á Read
multiple scholarly articles on group communication and leadership and formulate
written reading responses to those articles.
á Written a
scholarly paper based upon a case study.
á Presented your scholarly paper to your classmates.
á Made at least one group presentation.
á Attended
class regularly and participated in academic discussions.
á Planned and
executed a symposium.
Attendance:
An attendance sheet will be passed out
at the beginning of every class period. NOTE: You are absolutely,
positively 100% responsible for signing the attendance sheet each class
period. If you are late, you must get the sheet and sign it after classÉ
ÒI forget to sign itÓ or ÒIÕm sure I was thereÓ will not be sufficient to
document your attendance at the end of the semester.
The emphasis on performance and
participation in this class requires close attention by students and the
instructor to attendance. You are allowed three hours of unexcused
absences (i.e., three unexcused absences for a MWF class, two unexcused
absences for a T Th class, or one three hour session
in the summer or with an evening class). For every unexcused absence over
the limit, 2% will be deducted from your final grade. Absences
will be excused only under the following circumstances:
Absence
while under a doctorÕs care (written documentation required).
Absence due
to participation in an authorized college activity (advance notification and
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 unexcused
absences. Use them wisely. I think good attendance is very
important. Documentation is due by the last day of classes before finals
week. An excused notes will only excuse
one day of absence unless a memo is attached explaining why multiple dates
should be excused.
Missed/Late Assignments:
á Getting
the Homework: If you miss class, please consult with one of your
fellow students for the notes and/or homework. Write down two of your
classmatesÕ names and contact information here:
name___________________________________
contact info___________________________________
name___________________________________
contact info___________________________________
If you cannot reach either
one of them after a few attempts, you should contact me.
á
Written Work: Assignments are due at the beginning of the
hour. It is late after that. For each class session that an assignment is
turned in late, you will be assessed a penalty of 10 points for that particular
assignment.
á
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 Òturned inÓ according the time stamp in the introduction to your
message. ÒI got your address wrongÓ or Òmy e-mail wasnÕt workingÓ will
not be accepted as reasons for late assignments.
á
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 professor 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: 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. The readings provided here are for
educational purposes only. They are password protected. We will use
them for teaching, scholarship, research, criticism, and comment. You
cannot financially profit from these works.
|
Date |
Reading |
Movie |
Activity |
Assignment Due |
|
1/13 |
Syllabus |
|
Syllabus |
|
|
|
Groups: An
introduction |
|
|
|
|
1/18 |
|
|
No
class-MLK Day |
|
|
1/20 |
|
|
Lecture:
9 Characteristics of Effective Groups |
Name
tent |
|
1/25 |
|
|
Lecture
(cont) |
|
|
1/27 |
Burtis & Turman-Ch 1 |
|
Discussion |
RR1
(BT 1) |
|
2/1 |
|
Discussion |
RR2
(Gouran) |
|
|
|
Case
Study: Cuban
Missile Crisis |
|
|
|
|
2/3 |
|
|
Watch
Ò13 DaysÓ |
|
|
2/8 |
Allison
& Zelikow (Intro) |
|
Watch
Ò13 DaysÓ (cont) |
RR3
(Ball; A & Z) |
|
2/10 |
Burtis & Turman- Ch 3 & 4 |
|
Discussion Discuss
Research Proposals |
RR
4 (BT 3-4) |
|
2/15 |
|
|
Discussion/Catch
up day |
|
|
|
Case
Study: Challenger
Launch |
|
|
|
|
2/17 |
|
|
Watch
ÒChallenger: The Untold StoryÓ |
Research
Proposals due |
|
2/22 |
Vaughan
(Intro & Ch 1) |
|
Watch
ÒChallenger: The Untold StoryÓ (cont) |
RR5
(Vaughan & Hirokawa) |
|
2/24 |
Burtis & Turman- Ch 5 & 6 |
|
Discussion |
RR6
(BT 5-6) |
|
3/1 |
Vaughan
Ch 8 |
|
Discussion/Catch
up day Discuss
Outlines |
RR7
(Vaughan 8) |
|
|
Case
Study: Tuskegee
Experiments |
|
|
|
|
3/3 |
|
|
Watch
ÒMiss EversÕ BoysÓ |
|
|
3/8 |
Burris
& Turman- Ch 7 and 8 |
|
Watch
ÒMiss EversÕ BoysÓ (cont) |
RR8
(Imes & BT 7-8) |
|
3/10 |
|
|
Discussion |
Outlines
due |
|
3/15-19 |
|
|
No
Class-Spring Break |
|
|
|
A
few more case studies |
|
|
|
|
3/22 |
|
Discussion Watch
ÒWatergate: The Final ReportÓ |
RR9
(Gouran) |
|
|
3/24 |
|
Discussion |
RR10
(Aldridge & Rollie) |
|
|
3/29 |
Burris
& Turman- Ch 9 and 10 |
|
Discussion |
RR11
(BT 9-10) |
|
3/31 4/5 |
|
|
Catch
up days (discuss your research and paper presentations) |
|
|
4/7 |
|
|
Discuss
symposia assignment and assign groups |
|
|
4/12 4/14 |
|
|
No
class-prepare for final paper presentations and/or symposia |
|
|
4/19 4/21 4/26 |
|
|
Paper
presentations |
Presentations |
|
4/28 5/3 |
|
|
Prepare
for symposia and work on final paper |
|
|
5/5 |
|
|
Prepare
for symposia |
Final
Paper due |
|
5/10 |
|
|
|
Symposia |
*These
readings on Functional Theory may be helpful when reading Aldridge and Rollie:
Gouran & Hirokawa, 1996
(functional theory & constraints)
Gouran et al., 1993
(history of functional theory)
Hirokawa, 1999 (lecture w/synopsis)
Grading:
Participation
in class discussion (20%): Students will receive a zero (no credit), 5
(half credit), or 10 (full credit) during each class to represent his/her
participation during that class session. Simply talking does
not guarantee full credit for class participation. Students are expected
to make intelligent verbal contributions to the class. A studentÕs
discourse should reflect his/her knowledge of the text and his/her ability to
synthesize that knowledge with further theoretical implications and application.
Reading
Responses (20%): Reading responses are reflections you have on the
reading. They should be one to two pages and thoroughly thought
out. You are to include information from all of the dayÕs assigned
readings in ONE reading response. Mark up your book/articles while you
are reading and discuss the most interesting things to you in your reading
response for that chapter. Reading responses should include brief
summaries of the text (be sure to use page numbers when directly quoting from
the readings), your analysis of the material, and examples when
appropriate. This will add depth to your responses. At the end of
your response, write some possible discussion questions. Students may be
chosen at random to share their responses and lead the class in
discussion. This will also affect your participation grade.
Final
Paper (30%): Write a case study about a faulty decision made by a group
(see papers by Imes, Rollie,
or Aldridge for guidance). Undergraduates must have a minimum of 8 pages
(not including the cover page, abstract, appendix, or references) and graduates
must have a minimum of 14 pages (not including the cover page, abstract,
appendix, or references). Papers much conform to APA standards. I
would like to see papers from this class sent to an academic conference.
Please pay attention to deadlines throughout the semester pertaining to this
paper.
Final
Paper Presentation (10%): In a 12-15 minute speech, educate your audience
with the material you gathered in your final paper. This gives your
cohorts an opportunity to learn from your research efforts and rhetorical
criticism. Remember, you are the expert in this room on your particular
topic. You will be required to submit both an outline and bibliography
before your presentation. You may only use the outline during your
presentation. Please see the rubric
for the grading criteria.
Symposia
(20%): See link
for more information.
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 WebsterÕs New Universal
Unabridged Dictionary (1983, 2nd Ed.), to plagiarize is Òto steal or pass of ideas or words
of another as oneÕs ownÉto use created productions without crediting the
sourceÉto commit literary theftÉto present as new and original an idea or
product derived from an existing sourceÓ (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.
NSUÕs 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 studentÕs 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 |
|
Common courtesies:
á
Please turn all cell phones/pagers on silent while you are in class.
Check your messages AFTER class and return the calls then.
á
Do not pack up before I dismiss you. You never
know when I may say something important or give a last minute assignment.
YouÕre going to want to have that pen and paper handy.