Northeastern
State University
Department
of Communication, Art, & Theatre
College
of Liberal Arts
Spring
2011 syllabus for
COMM
4623 and COMM 5623
MC
4203 and MC 5013
Nonprofit
Organizational Communication
(last updated 12.12.10)
Professor: Amy Aldridge Sanford,
PhD
Office: SH
351 Ext.:
3608
E-mail: aldridga@nsuok.edu
Office Hours: See Contact Info on
Webpage
Webpage: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~aldridga/
Facebook: Amy Aldridge Sanford
Class Meetings:
M and W, 2-3:15 p.m. in SH 204
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: 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: This is a special topics course
on communication in nonprofit organizations. It will be taught like a
graduate seminar course. Emphasis will not be
placed on lecture, but on class discussion, co-construction of knowledge, and
analytical thought by the students.
Course Purpose:
Many of our students are seeking
employment in the nonprofit sphere after graduation. This course allows
them to study non profit organizations both through
texts and service learning.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, you willÉ
Have performed
service learning a minimum of 20 hours at a nonprofit organization.
Understand the
fundamentals of nonprofit organizations, including boards of directors,
fundraising, grant writing, grant management,
strategic plans, supervising, personnel issues, managing volunteers, and
community coalitions.
Have written
reflective responses on assigned readings.
Participated and
lead class discussions.
Written a
consultation report about an existing nonprofit or created a strategic plan for
a potential nonprofit organization.
Presented your
consultation report or strategic plan to your classmates.
Attended class
regularly (with penalties for absences) and have actively participated in your
learning.
Required Texts:
Brinckerhoff, P.C. (2009). Mission-based
management. (3rd ed). New York:
John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 978-0-470-43207-5.
Sand, Michael A. (2005). How to manage an effective nonprofit organization.
Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press. ISBN: 1-56414-804-1.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Food and Drink:
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. 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.
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: 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. We will use them for
teaching, scholarship, research, criticism, and comment. You cannot
financially profit from these works.
|
Week |
Topic |
Activities |
Readings |
Supplemental Materials |
Guest Lecturer |
Due |
|
1 1/10 1/12 |
Orientation |
Syllabus; Name tents |
|
|
Evelyn Woods and Laura Boren, NSU
Student Affairs (1/12) |
|
|
2 1/19 |
Boards of Directors and The Mission |
MLK Day is 1/17. There will be
no classes. Instead, you are encouraged to participate in the Day of
Service. |
Sand Ch 1; Brinckerhoff Ch 3, 4, 6 |
|
RR1 Return Service Learning contract |
|
|
3 1/24 1/26 |
Boards of Directors and The Mission (cont) |
|
Brinckerhoff Ch 1, 2 |
|
Penny Moore, NSU Development (1/24); Jo Prout, CASA (1/26) |
RR2 |
|
4 1/31 2/2 |
Finances, Grant Writing and Managing Grants |
|
Sand Ch 2, 3 & 4; Brinckerhoff Ch
11 |
Kathi
Schoonover, NSU Grants Office (2/2) |
RR3 |
|
|
5 2/7 2/9 |
Finances, Grant Writing and Managing Grants (cont) |
|
|
|
Billie Jordan, Tahlequah Public
Schools (2/9) |
|
|
6 2/14 2/16 |
Managing Volunteers & Policies |
|
Sand Ch 8; Brinckerhoff Ch 13, 5 |
|
|
RR4 |
|
7 2/21 2/23 |
Managing Volunteers & Policies
(cont) |
|
|
|
Linda Cheatham, Habitat for Humanity
(2/21) |
|
|
8 2/28 3/2 |
Leadership, Supervising and Personnel
Issues |
|
Sand Ch 6 & 7; Brinckerhoff Ch 7 |
|
Todd Enlow, Cherokee Nation (2/28) |
RR5 |
|
9 3/7 3/9 |
Leadership, Supervising and Personnel
Issues (cont) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 3/21 3/23 |
Strategic Plans |
|
Sand Ch 5; Brinckerhoff Ch 12 |
|
Danny Johnson (3/21) |
RR 6 |
|
11 3/28 3/30 |
Strategic Plans (cont) |
|
The password is comm4623 |
|
Walt Eilers, Gardner & Associates
(3/30) |
|
|
12 4/4 4/6 |
Community Coalitions, Marketing and
Technology |
Talk about final paper presentations |
Sand Ch 9; Brinckerhoff Ch 8, 9, 10 |
|
Rick Gassaway, Cherokee Nation (4/6) |
RR7 |
|
13 4/11 4/13 |
Community Coalitions, Marketing, and
Technology (cont) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
14 4/18 4/20 |
Presentations |
|
|
|
|
Final paper presentations |
|
15 4/25 4/27 |
Conclusion |
|
Sand Conclusion & Appendix; Brinckerhoff Ch 14, 15 |
|
|
RR8 |
|
Final 5/2 1-2:50
p.m. |
Final & Make up |
|
|
Dana Wilkes, Oklahoma Center for
Nonprofits |
Final papers due |
Electronic
Readings: The readings provided
here are for educational purposes only. We will use them for teaching,
scholarship, research, criticism, and comment. You cannot financially
profit from these works.
Grading:
Reading Responses (20%): Reading
responses are reflections you have on the reading. They should be one to
two pages and thoroughly thought out. 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 will be
chosen at random to share their responses and lead the class in
discussion. This will also affect your participation grade.
Service Learning (20%): You are
required to complete a minimum of 20 service learning hours at one
nonprofit organization during the course of this semester. Activities
during that time should include visiting the office of the nonprofit, attending
board meetings and functions, attending volunteer training if applicable,
etc. The 20 hours should not include the time you spend typing,
printing, or writing your paper. Please keep a log of your hours and turn
it in with your final paper. You must return your contract
by the 3rd week of this class.
Final Paper (30%): Graduate
studentsÕ papers should be at least 14 pages in length (not including cover
pages and reference pages). Undergraduate papers must be a minimum of 8
pages (not including cover pages and reference pages). They should be
formatted in APA style (i.e., double spaced, 12 point TNR font, 1Ó
margins). Ideally IÕd like to see some of your papers submitted to a scholarly
conference. Please pay attention to deadlines throughout the semester
pertaining to this paper.
You have two choices for your final
paper: a consultation report or a strategic plan.
Consultation Report: You will choose a minimum of five areas from the
readings (i.e., boards of directors, fundraising, leadership, planning,
marketing,
supervising, etc.) and write a consultation
report about the NP at which you have volunteered a minimum of 20 hours.
Tell us about the things they are doing well
and what could be approved upon. Be sure to include
suggestions for improvement. Draw upon participant observation,
interviews with stakeholders, and/or
academic research to support your findings. You may use
pseudonyms for the organization and any identifiers (including names of the
interviewees).
Student Example
of a Consultation Report—Fall 2007
Strategic Plan:
Create a strategic plan for a new nonprofit
you would like to start. Use your in-class readings as a guide.
Additionally, draw on the things you learned during your service learning
hours. Draw upon participant observation, interviews with stakeholders,
and/or academic research to support your findings. You may use pseudonyms
for the service learning organization and any identifiers (including names of
the interviewees). A table of contents is mandatory with this
document.
Student Example of a Strategic
Plan—Fall 2007
Final Paper Presentation (10%):
In a 6-8 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.
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. Visiting the Communication Lab (ext. 2875) will
help your performance.
Class Participation (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.
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:
á
Please turn all cell phones on silent while you are in class. Check your
messages AFTER class and return the calls then. Do not text during class.
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.