Upper-division Writing Requirement Review Form (5/4/09) I. General Education Review – Upper-division Writing Requirement Dept/Program Communication Studies Course # (i.e. ANTH COMM 395 Subject 455) or sequence Course(s) Title Communication and Conflict-Writing Description of the requirement if it is not a single course Communication Studies has several writing-intensive courses that may be used by Communication Studies majors to fulfill the Upper-Division Writing Requirement. We are requesting one-time approval for COMM 395 (Communication and Conflict-Writing) to be included in the list of COMM courses that satisfy Upper-Division Writing. COMM 395 will be taught Spring, 2011. We are submitting separate requests to make this a permanent course (COMM 413) that satisfies Upper-division Writing as of the 2011 catalog. II. Endorsement/Approvals Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office. Please type / print name Signature Instructor Alan Sillars Phone / Email X4463 Date 9/13/10 alan.sillars@mso.umt.edu Program Chair Steven Schwarze III Overview of the Course Purpose/ Description 9/13/10 This course examines the nature of human conflict with special attention to communication processes that escalate, manage, and mediate disputes. The course addresses such topics as the basic elements and nature of conflict, conflict styles, strategies, and patterns, subjective and discursive framing of conflict, power and resistance, interest-based negotiation, and conflict mediation. The concepts and theories discussed in the course are broadly applicable to different types of conflict, including interpersonal, political, environmental, organizational, and family conflicts. The content of COMM 395 (Communication and Conflict-Writing) is equivalent to COMM 412 (Communication and Conflict); however, COMM 395 is a writing intensive class designed to fulfill the Upper Division Writing Requirement of UM’s general education requirements. Credit is not allowed for both COMM 395 and COMM 412. IV Learning Outcomes: Explain how each of the following learning outcomes will be achieved. Students generate their own questions for Student learning outcomes : investigation in the conflict case study by Identify and pursue more sophisticated applying and extending theoretical material questions for academic inquiry covered in the class. The questions are synthesized in the central thesis for the case study, justified by the report’s rationale, and developed through the observations and conclusions in the report. Students conduct a conflict case study in which Find, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize they locate documents describing conflict from information effectively from diverse sources (see http://www.lib.umt.edu/informationliteracy/) the perspective of the principal parties and analyze these texts based on theoretical concepts in the conflict literature. The research paper integrates research involving academic books and journals with students’ own structured observations. The research paper requires that students Manage multiple perspectives as appropriate manage and clearly distinguish multiple perspectives, including contrasting perspectives of principal parties in conflict, third-party perspectives (e.g., news reports, historical accounts), theoretical perspectives, and the students’ own observations, inferences, and speculations. Instructions for the paper specify that it should Recognize the purposes and needs of be written in a voice appropriate to a report of a discipline-specific audiences and adopt the research project directed to those who study academic voice necessary for the chosen conflict management (students, professors, discipline practitioners). The qualities of appropriate voice will be reinforced through in-class writing workshops and writing critiques. The major research paper will be submitted in Use multiple drafts, revision, and editing in conducting inquiry and preparing written work stages, with instructor and peer critiques on initial drafts. The final paper requires revision based on instructor critiques. The paper requires citation of sources and other Follow the conventions of citation, formatting in APA style. documentation, and formal presentation appropriate to that discipline Students will be required to utilize UM library Develop competence in information data bases, such as ComAbstracts and technology and digital literacy (link) Communication and Mass Media Complete, when conducting their literature review. They will also be introduced to Web resources for the study of conflict and alternative dispute resolution (e.g., Conflict Research Consortium, Campus Conflict Resolution Resource Project). V. Writing Course Requirements Check list Is enrollment capped at 25 students? If not, list maximum course enrollment. Explain how outcomes will be adequately met for this number of students. Justify the request for variance. Are outcomes listed in the course syllabus? If not, how will students be informed of course X Yes No X Yes No expectations? X Yes No There is a detailed description of the major research paper in the syllabus. Additional detail is provided in a separate handout (attached). Guidelines for the paper will be reinforced in class throughout the semester. Other writing assignments (reaction papers, writing selfassessment and peer critiques) will be explained in class. Briefly explain how students are provided with Students will read and apply sections of Lunsford tools and strategies for effective writing and editing (2005), The everyday writer. In-class writing in the major. workshops will be used to indentify principles of effective writing and common writing errors. Students will conduct a writing self-assessment and perform peer critiques. The instructor will critique drafts of the major research paper, applying writing principles discussed in class and in the writing textbook. Which written assignments include revision in Students are required to revise the major research response to instructor’s feedback? paper (a conflict case study) based on instructor feedback. Are expectations for Information Literacy listed in Yes X No the course syllabus? If not, how will students be Written guidelines for the conflict case study informed of course expectations? indicate that students should review relevant background literature, relying on academic books and articles. During class, the instructor will discuss differences between research literature written for an academic audience versus popular literature targeted to a mass audience. The instructor will reinforce this distinction by discussing examples of sources and their appropriate uses and limitations. The instructor will also demonstrate library data bases that are most useful for accessing academic research on communication and conflict. The major research paper will develop students’ skill at integrating outside sources with the students’ own observations and analysis, based on an original case study. VI. Writing Assignments: Please describe course assignments. Students should be required to individually compose at least 20 pages of writing for assessment. At least 50% of the course grade should be based on students’ performance on writing assignments. Clear expression, quality, and accuracy of content are considered an integral part of the grade on any writing assignment. Conflict case study drafts (8-12 pages) Formal Graded Assignments Conflict case study revision (8-12 pages) Reaction papers (4 papers, each 2-3 pages) Writing self-assessment (4-6 pages) Peer critiques – students will use a template to Informal Ungraded Assignments critique drafts submitted by other students Are detailed requirements for all written assignments including criteria for evaluation in the course syllabus? If not how and when will students be informed of written assignments? Please attach one example of instructions for written assignment. VII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form. The syllabus should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html Paste syllabus here. SYLLABUS, COMM 395 COMMUNICATION AND CONFLICT-WRITING PROFESSOR: Alan Sillars Office: LA 345 Office hours: email: alan.sillars@mso.umt.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION Conflict is a common feature of personal, professional and public life that has a variety of potential consequences. Although conflict can be a disruptive force, it can also lead to innovation, improved adjustment, and better decisions. By studying conflict, we hope to gain competency at managing conflicts and to move them in a productive direction. This course examines the intricacies of human conflict with special attention to communication processes that escalate, manage, and mediate disputes. We will cover such topics as the basic elements and nature of conflict, conflict styles, strategies, and patterns, subjective and discursive framing of conflict, power and resistance, interest-based negotiation, and conflict mediation. The concepts and theories discussed in the course are broadly applicable to different types of conflict. We will analyze examples of interpersonal, political, environmental, organizational, and family conflicts. Both theory and application are stressed, with an emphasis on their inter-relationship. The content of COMM 395 (Communication and Conflict-Writing) is equivalent to COMM 412 (Communication and Conflict); however, COMM 395 is a writing intensive class designed to fulfill the Upper Division Writing Requirement of UM’s general education requirements. Credit is not allowed for both COMM 395 and COMM 412. If you have already taken COMM 412 or are now taking that class, you are not eligible to enroll in COMM 395. We will work to enhance writing proficiency through in-class workshops focused on principles of effective writing and identification of common writing errors. Peer critiques and a writing self-assessment will help students identify writing strengths and areas for improvement. You will submit five papers for the course, including four short reaction papers that respond to assigned readings and a major research paper consisting of a conflict case study. You will submit portions of the case study in stages over the course of the semester and revise the paper based on instructor and peer feedback. Papers will be graded based on writing as well as content. WRITING OBJECTIVES By the end of the semester, students should achieve the following learning outcomes for upper-division writing courses: Identify and pursue more sophisticated questions for academic inquiry Find, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize information effectively from diverse sources Manage multiple perspectives as appropriate Recognize the purposes and needs of discipline-specific audiences and adopt the academic voice necessary for the chosen discipline Use multiple drafts, revision, and editing in conducting inquiry and preparing written work Follow the conventions of citation, documentation, and formal presentation appropriate to that discipline Develop competence in information technology and digital literacy TEXTS Wilmot, W.W. & Hocker, J.L. (2005). Interpersonal conflict (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Fisher, E., Ury, W., & Patton, B. (1991). Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton-Mifflin. Lunsford, A. A. (2005). The Everyday Writer, (3rd Edition). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS Electronic Reserve (Mansfield Library) Sillars, A. Roberts, L., Dun, T., & Leonard, K. (2001). Stepping into the stream of thought: Cognition during marital conflict. In V. Manusov & J. H. Harvey (Eds.), Attribution, communication behavior, and close relationships (pp. 193-210). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Rogan, R.G. (forthcoming). A terrorist’s messages to the world: A frame analysis of Osama bin Laden’s fatwas. In Donohue, W.A., Kauffman, S.,& Rogan, R.G. (Eds), Framing in Negotiation: State of the art. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. Lutgen-Sandvik, P. (2006). Take this job and…: Quitting and other forms of resistance to workplace bullying. Communication Monographs, 73, 406-433. Web Readings Rosenberg, S. Face. Beyond intractability. G. Burgess & H. Burgess (Eds.), Conflict Research Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted February, 2004 to http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/face. REQUIREMENTS Exams There will be two exams over the lectures and readings. The exams will be a combination of objective and short essay questions. The second exam will be noncumulative. Conflict case study You will write a paper analyzing a conflict that is in the public domain, for example, a conflict that is portrayed in the news, on the internet, in historical documents, or in literature. The conflict can be real or fictional and either historical or contemporary, provided that you can locate sufficient material to conduct an in-depth analysis. To conduct the analysis, you will need written texts (for example, letters, blog posts, speeches, news reports) that give background on the conflict and also provide first person accounts of the conflict from the perspective of the principal parties. One of the goals of the paper is to analyze how people subjectively and discursively frame conflict, so you need statements from parties who are directly involved in the conflict describing the situation in their own words. Third party analysis (such as news reports, historical analysis, or editorials by third parties) may be useful as background but you will also need first person accounts to conduct the analysis. The paper may take the form of either: 1) a frame analysis in which you identify subjective and discursive frames in a conflict and analyze their implications (see the Rogan reading as a model), or 2) a conflict assessment focusing on particular aspects of conflict (e.g., power, goals, culture) that seem important to the case that you are analyzing (see Wilmot and Hocker’s Conflict Assessment Guide for ideas). Some examples of suitable material for either analysis include: 1) documents or web pages produced by organizations involved in a local environmental conflict; 2) speeches, interviews, and other public statements by political figures involved in international disputes; 3) a novel that provides a complex account of family conflict, 4) counter-institutional web sites that vent employee and customer dissatisfactions (e.g., targetsucks.com, radioshacksucks.biz, walmartsucks.org); 5) public testimony at meetings (such as City Council meetings) that involve conflicts over land use or neighborhood planning; 6) blogs and other web posts that air conflicts involving celebrities, sports figures and/or their fans; or 7) news stories that reveal differences in media framing of conflict (e.g., stories about Middle East conflicts by U.S. vs. Middle Eastern news sources). There are other possibilities and I will consider creative ideas but keep in mind that this is not a self-analysis paper, so the conflict should not be one that you have personally experienced or that involves your own circle of acquaintances. In addition, you must work from written texts. Movies and television shows do not provide sufficient material, unless supplanted with transcripts and other documents. In most cases, you cannot conduct your own interviews with disputing parties without first obtaining approval from UM’s Institutional Review Board. Other ideas and guidelines for the research paper will be covered in class. Attendance, participation, and class preparation Class attendance and participation are essential because much of the course content will be presented through class discussions and activities, including writing workshops. More than three absences will result in a grade reduction, with the number of points deducted based on the number of absences over three. In addition, you have to be in class on days when reaction papers are due to get credit, since the reaction papers are designed to stimulate class discussion of the readings. Of course, I will show flexibility toward someone who misses days for reasons that are truly unavoidable, such as an extended illness or family emergency. Please email me if such a situation arises. Before reaction papers are due, I will distribute a set of questions about the reading that you might consider and write about. Please come to class prepared to discuss the questions and the content of your reaction paper. There will also be a few mini-assignments (peer critiques and a writing self assessment) that require some out-of-class preparation. Grading Grades will be assigned using the +/- system on the following basis: Exam 1 Exam 2 Conflict case study – draft intro. and background Conflict case study – draft analysis, results, conclusion Conflict case study -- completed, revised Reaction papers (4) Peer critiques and writing self-assessment 100 points 100 points 50 points 75 points 75 points 60 points 40 points 500 total possible DATES AND DEADLINES February Submit a brief description of your plans for the conflict case study, including the texts that you plan to analyze. March Submit draft of conflict case study, initial sections (introduction and background). March Exam 1 April Submit draft of case study, remaining sections (analysis, results, conclusion). May Completed, revised conflict case study paper due May Exam 2 READING SCHEDULE Exam 1: Wilmot & Hocker, chapters 1-3,5,7,10 Sillars Rogan Exam 2: Wilmot & Hocker, chapters 4,8,9 Fisher, Ury, & Patton, chapters 1-5 Lutgen-Sandvik Rosenberg I will notify you in advance and give you questions to consider before the days when we will discuss specific readings and when reaction papers are due. Academic Misconduct: Academic misconduct includes cheating on exams, plagiarism, interfering with the work of another student, and fabrication of research. Plagiarism entails using the words or ideas of another source without giving appropriate credit to the source. See Lunsford’s The Everyday Writer for guidelines about plagiarism and ways to avoid it. Depending on the severity of the violation, plagiarism or other misconduct will result in an “F” on the assignment, failure of the course, and/or recommendation of a University sanction. CONFLICT CASE STUDY Analysis Guidelines 1. Text a. Your “texts” consist of written material that you analyze for the case study (a play, web blog, personal or organizational web pages, etc.). b. The texts should be of sufficient length and complexity to allow you to analyze the conflict in depth. c. The texts should provide first-person accounts of conflict. This means that the texts include statements by people who are directly involved in the conflict (e.g., employees protesting the actions of their employer, representatives of organizations involved in environmental disputes, political figures involved in national or international conflicts, individuals expressing conflict on the web, literary figures embroiled in conflict). d. Good texts for analysis should reveal the perspectives of disputing parties about: 1) their own role in the conflict; 2) the role played by the other party or parties to the dispute; 3) the relationship between the conflicting parties; and 3) how they view the conflict as a whole – what the issues are and what the overall story (history of events) looks like. e. It is generally best to have texts that portray multiple sides to a dispute (e.g., what employees say about a contentious policy versus what the company says). 2. To conduct the analysis: a. Start with a set of general “codes” (categories) that represent important basic distinctions that you will use in your analysis. i. For a frame analysis, use the frame categories from the Rogan reading – whole story frames, identity/self-presentation frames, characterization frames, conflict management frames, relationship frames, moral judgment frames. If some of these categories are more important than others in your text, then narrow it down (e.g., focus only on whole story frames, self frames, characterization frames, and relationship frames). ii. For a conflict assessment, your codes should reflect concepts that are the central focus of the paper. For example, if you wish to analyze types and levels of conflict, you might distinguish content, relationship, identity, and process goals, using Wilmot and Hocker’s Conflict Assessment Guide, or act-based issues, value-based issues, interest-based issues, and nonrealistic issues, based on Wehr’s Conflict Map. b. Read through your texts and mark examples where the text reveals something about any of the codes that you began with. For example, if a particular statement suggests a whole story frame, underline the passage and write “HS” (or another abbreviation) in the margin. If you doing a conflict assessment and one of your codes is power assertion, mark “PA” next to any passage that you think reveals something relevant to the code. c. Also record short phrases (secondary codes) that reveal more specifically the content of the text that you have marked. These phrases should identify specific frames or themes under the general categories. For example, if you were analyzing employee complaints about Radio Shack for power relations, you might write “RS is a bully” or “bully” next to any “PA” code that suggests that Radio Shack bullies its employees. i. You can start assigning secondary codes either when you first mark the original codes or later as you go back through the text. ii. You can also review and revise these secondary codes as you code more of the text. For example, perhaps the “bully” theme noted above did not occur to you initially but as you code the text you find several similar examples. At this point, you can go back and remark any examples that suggest the “bully” theme. (This is easier to do if you code the texts electronically using a word processing program.) iii. Look for secondary codes (specific frames or themes) that represent a cluster of similar examples from the text; for example, several statements about the organization bullying its employees. d. Once you have finished coding your text, look for overall trends in the kinds of examples you have identified and begin to summarize these trends. e. Think about the implications suggested by your analysis: What is the overall story of this conflict from the perspective of the different parties? How does the perceived imbalance of power contribute to the conflict? What does your analysis suggest about the depth of the conflict and potential for constructive management? Note that these questions are just examples. There is no set of stock questions here you should address about the implications. Talk about the implications that are important given the focus of your analysis. ORGANIZATION AND STYLE Organization The paper should include the following sections: 1. Introduction a. The introduction should consist of a few paragraphs at the beginning that draw attention to the topic, explain your focus, state your thesis, preview the paper as a whole, and provide a transition to the next section. By a thesis I mean one sentence that summarizes the main conclusions of your analysis – what it reveals (or is designed to reveal) about conflict. Although you may be fuzzy about your thesis when you begin the analysis, you should try to develop a specific thesis by the time you have completed the paper. A good thesis is a kind of theoretical statement explaining the way conflict works, as illustrated by the analysis. The thesis could be based on an idea from the course, the literature, or your own insights. 2. Background a. Discuss the background and history of the conflict, such as the parties involved, the events that have transpired, the main issues that have been identified, and so forth. b. Review literature on important concepts that are the focus of your analysis (e.g., research and theory on conflict frames, hidden power in organizations, or marital conflict). The review should draw upon academic books and articles (minimum four sources beyond assigned readings) and use APA style for citations. 3. Analysis a. Describe the textual material analyzed in the paper and how it was accessed (if applicable). b. Describe coding methods 4. Results a. Describe, document, and summarize the observations of your analysis (e.g., instances of particular conflict frames or relationship and identity issues). b. Interpret the significance of the observations (e.g., how contrasting conflict frames revealed political or cultural differences; how communication about relational or identity issues escalated conflict). c. This section should be the longest and most detailed part of the paper. 5. Conclusion a. Summarize the main observations and implications of the analysis while reinforcing and expanding on the paper’s central thesis. Emphasize the broader implications of your case study for understanding conflict generally. 6. Appendix a. Include a copy of your textual materials marked in a fashion that shows how they were coded. If the texts are extensive (e.g., a complete book), include representative portions of the texts or the most important sections. Style and Format 1. Use subheadings before each main section of the paper (i.e., “Background,” “Analysis,” “Results,” “Conclusion,” “Appendix”). You might also break up the results section into subsections with subordinate subheadings, like this (following APA style): Analysis Identity/Self Presentation Frames [Paragraph begins here.] 2. Double space throughout. 3. The paper should read like the report of a research project, which means that you describe your methods and document your observations and conclusions carefully (by citing examples from the text) and use appropriate style. Appropriate style in this case means an objective and descriptive tone and moderate formality. For example, avoid excessive self reference (e.g., “At first I thought about doing…but then I decided to…), slang, and so forth. Consider your audience to be the general readership composed of people who study conflict management (students, professors, practitioners). 4. The paper should be 8-12 pages, not counting the appendix, with standard font, margins, spacing. GRADING CRITERIA 1. Subject material a. Rich, interesting texts with appropriate length, detail, and complexity b. First person accounts that reveal multiple perspectives of disputing parties c. Background material sufficient to clarify the context of the conflict 2. Analysis a. Systematic coding of texts b. Methods are clearly described c. Observations are well documented d. Inferences and speculations are appropriately qualified and linked to observations 3. Application of Conflict Theory a. Uses concepts from the conflict literature and class appropriately b. Literature review integrates academic literature with case study observations tied to a central thesis c. Literature review has sufficient depth and uses appropriate sources d. Interesting/non-obvious observations, implications, and conclusions tied to a central thesis 4. Organization and Style a. Clear central thesis b. Well organized sections (introduction, background, analysis, results, conclusion) that systematically develop and reinforce the central thesis c. Appropriate style/voice d. Well edited for spelling and grammar e. Follows APA and other style guidelines f. Revisions utilize instructor and peer feedback to improve the paper