Northeastern
State University
College
of Liberal Arts
Department
of Communication, Art, & Theatre
Tahlequah,
OK
COMM
3803 Interviewing Techniques and Concepts
(last
updated 12.18.11)
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
Class Meetings:
MWF 1-1:50 p.m.; 109 SH
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.
Pre-requisites: none
Description of
Course: 3 Hours. 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.
Course Purpose:
Informs our students about the
interviews they are most likely to use whether they immediately go into the
work world or pursue graduate degrees.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, you will haveÉ
Created a rŽsumŽ, 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.
Wrote an interview schedule and project proposal.
Scheduled and conducted interviews with members of the community.
Required Text:
None.
Optional Texts (you
will find them helpful):
The Associated Press
stylebook. (2007). ISBN:
978-0-917360-51-0.
Publication Manual of
the American Psychological Association (APA).
(5th ed.)(2001). American Psychological Association. ISBN:
1557987912.
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 one hour of unexcused absence over the
limit, 2% will be deducted from your Participation & Attendance grade.
Absences will be excused only under the
following circumstances:
á Absence
while under a doctorÕs care (written documentation required);
á Absence due
to participation in an authorized college activity (advance notification and
written documentation required);
á Absence due
to attendance at legal proceedings requiring your presence (advance
notification and written documentation required); and/or
á 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 note will only excuse one day of
absence unless a memo is attached explaining why multiple dates should be
excused.
Administrative
Withdraws:
Students who enroll this course and
have poor attendance and/or poor participation (as determined by the
instructor) may be administratively withdrawn (involuntarily).
Students who are administratively withdrawn will be responsible for
payment and repaying any financial aid received for the course or courses that
must be returned to the provider. If you are concerned about your absences,
progress, or success in a particular course, meet with your instructor
immediately.
Missed/Late
Assignments:
If you miss class, please consult with one of your fellow students for the
notes and/or homework. You should contact me AFTER you have tried
contacting multiple classmates multiple times.
Assignments are due at the beginning of the hour. It is late after
that.
If you miss a class the day an assignment is due, you must get the work to me
BEFORE class. ÒI got your address wrongÓ or Òmy e-mail wasnÕt workingÓ
will not be accepted as reasons for late assignments.
If work is accepted late, it will be 10% off for every day it is
late. There are some exceptions for excused absences.
Your computer crashing, printer not working, etc. will never be accepted as
excuses for late work. It is your responsibility to begin work early
enough to accommodate unforeseen circumstances.
Class Participation: You are expected to attend class regularly and be prepared
so that you may intelligently discuss assigned material. Warning:
I have been known to count students absent when they are not prepared for
class.
Food and Drink:
I realize many of you probably do not
have a lunch hour. Feel free to bring food and drink to class. Just
be sure to dispose of it properly when you are finished.
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.
Visitors in the
Classroom: We may have visitors in our
classroom from time to time. Please make them feel welcome.
Encourage them to participate if they would like. Let them know that we
are happy to have more voices in our classroom.
Outline of Course: This class will be divided into multiple sections.
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.
|
Section |
Activities |
Assignments |
|
Orientation to Class |
Syllabus Name tents |
|
|
Introduction to interviewing and
Employment |
Lecture |
Extended Communication Lab interview assignment |
|
Research |
Lecture |
|
|
Journalism |
Documentary (Moore, Spurlock, etc.) Lecture on Journalism TV Interviews (Winfrey & Frey;
Lehrer & Bradlee; Brokaw & Woodward; Couric & King; King &
Moore; Clinton & Wallace), ÒThe AnchorsÓ, FOX news documentary, ÒAll the
PresidentÕs MenÓ |
Brainstorming Stories & Sources; NPR worksheet |
|
Final |
|
|
All students must
take the final on the scheduled date. Put it in your calendar. The
test WILL NOT be given early and CANNOT be made up.
Quizzes: You will be given quizzes over the readings and/or lecture
material. 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
studentÕs final grade. This policy is in compliance with Section 10.242
in the NSU Faculty Handbook.
Student
Evaluation:
Attendance &
Participation 20%
Job Search
Packet
20%
Comm Lab
Essay
20%
Research Proposal
10%
Interview
Protocol
10%
Presentations
20%
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.
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.
Please go to http://offices.nsuok.edu/academicaffairs/SyllabiInformation.aspx for required information pertaining to:
Academic Misconduct
American Disabilities Act Compliance
Inclement Weather/Disaster Policy
Teach Act
Accessibility
Release of Confidential
Information
Common courtesies:
Please turn off your cell phones while in class. Do not answer the phone
OR text during class. It is rude and makes me very unhappy. If you
are expecting a very important call, please let me know before class.
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.