COMM 2600
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Syllabus – Fall 2015
Instructor:
Office:
E-mail:
Course schedule:
Office hours:
Nicholas Burk
Hellems 20
nicholas.burk@colorado.edu
11:00 AM – 11:50 AM
GUGG 206
MW 10:00 AM – 10:50, and by appointment
Course Overview and Objectives
Organizations encompass our lives in powerful ways – no one in our society is exempt from interacting with and within
organizations. This course is designed to address the vital role of communication within these organizational contexts.
Whatever your career goals, the knowledge you gain from this class will prepare you think critically about the role that
communication plays in organizational experience, and in turn, the role that organizations play in human experience.
Organizational communication, as a field of study, analyzes how the actions of people inside and outside organizations
are coordinated and controlled to achieve some collective outcomes. It is also concerned with the ways that individuals
are shaped by those organizational interactions. Therefore, rather than offer a set of skills that allow you to fit into the
world of work, this course will attempt to show how communication is key to understanding how organizations
function. Only when we understand how organizations work can we change them and consciously shape our own
experiences within them.
In this course we will examine the ways people communicate in organizational contexts and the ways in which
communication creates and sustains organizations. Specific course objectives include:
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Developing a thorough knowledge of key organizational communication perspectives, theories, and issues.
Understanding the multiple paradigms through which we can understand and study organizational
communication.
Promoting active critical thinking about the role of communication in – and as constitutive of – organizations.
Applying course material to a variety of situations, including to your organizational experiences, to current
events, and to representations of organizations in popular culture.
Integrating this knowledge into your everyday life and with concepts learned in your other classes so that you
can critically assess the importance of communication in understanding how organizations work.
Developing skills that clearly demonstrate your ability to analyze organizational phenomena through
organizational communication perspectives, theories, and concepts.
In order to meet these objectives, the course is comprised of lectures, case studies, engagement with a research project,
classroom activities, and discussions. Our goal is to work together to bring our personal insights into the classroom and
use class concepts and communication theories to understand and evaluate various organizational experiences.
Readings
For this course, there is one mandatory textbook, which can be purchased at the University of Colorado at Boulder
bookstore on campus. Other mandatory readings are available on D2L.
1. Required textbook:
Mumby, D. K. (2013). Organizational communication: A critical approach. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
2. Electronic Readings (Available on D2L)
Barker, J. R. (1993). Tightening the cage: Concertive control in self-managing teams. Administrative Science
Quarterly, 38(3), 408-437.
Bruni, A. (2006). ‘Have you got a boyfriend or are you single?’: On the importance of being ‘straight’ in
organizational research. Gender, Work, and Organization, 13(3), 299-316.
Calás, M.B. & Smircich, L. (1991). Voicing Seduction to Silence Leadership. Organization Studies (Walter De
COMM 2600 Syllabus, Spring 2014
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Gruyter Gmbh & Co. KG), 12(4), 567-601.
Hochschild, A. R. (2000). The nanny chain. American Prospect, 11(4), 32-36.
Trujillo, N. (1992). Interpreting (the work and talk of) baseball: Perspectives on ballpark culture. Western Journal
of Communication, 56, 350-371.
Grading Scheme and Distribution
There are a total of 500 points that you can earn in this course. The points are distributed as follows:
Class Participation / Engagement
Reading Responses (5 @ 15 pts. each)
Midterm Exam
Case Study (3 parts: 25 pts., 75 pts., 75 pts.)
Final Exam
Total
A =
A- =
B+ =
B =
B- =
C+ =
1.
92 – 100%
90 –92%
88 - 90%
82 – 88%
80 - 82%
78 – 80%
460 – 500 points
450 – 459 points
440 – 449 points
410 – 439 points
400 – 409 points
390 – 399 points
10%
15%
20%
35%
20%
100%
C =
C- =
D+=
D =
D- =
F=
72 – 78%
70 - 72%
68 - 70%
62 - 68%
60 - 62%
< 60%
50 points
75 points
100 points
175 points
100 points
500 points
360 – 389 points
350 – 369 points
340 – 349 points
310 – 339 points
300 – 309 points
< 300 points
Class Participation & Engagement
Your attendance to class is essential to ensure your success. Attendance will be taken every class period in one
way or another (either through sign-in sheets or through activities). Your participation grade does not reflect
your adherence to the attendance policy, but your active participation in class.
2.
Reading Responses
To guide your reading for the course and to help you connect your experiences with course concepts and
theories, you will write a series of responses to our reading. These responses will be in one of two forms:
answers to a set of questions about the reading and more open-ended responses to a prompt. You will receive
specific information about each required reading response as we move through the semester. Your responses
will receive a grade on 15 points as follows:
13-15: You demonstrate an insightful, nuanced understanding of relevant issues, and your writing is uniformly
very good to excellent. You consistently incorporate specific evidence (quotations, examples) from the
reading in your answers. Where appropriate, you make connections to other course material and offer
critiques. You cite the reading appropriately.
10-12: Your response shows basic understanding of the reading and your writing is average.
0-9: Your response is incomplete and/or your answer does not provide evidence that you read the article.
3.
Case Study
The Case Study is a semester project that will include three parts: (1) A proposal; (2) Theoretical lens (Paper
#1); and (3) Critical Analysis (Paper #2). Each of the three assignments will be described in more detail during
the semester, and resources will be available on D2L. For all papers, you will be evaluated based upon:
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the insightfulness of your analysis
the appropriateness of your selection of aspects of the organization and the theory
the accuracy of your use of course concepts
the completeness of your analysis (the amount and quality of evidence and explanation you provide)
the professionalism of your product (including quality of writing, grammar, spelling, organization, clarity)
COMM 2600 Syllabus, Spring 2014
4.
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Midterm and Final Exam
Exams are designed to give you an extended opportunity to demonstrate your careful thinking and
accumulated understanding about the issues discussed in class. They also help you to synthesize information
across several course topics. You are responsible for all course material, including in-class discussions, even if
we have not discussed a particular assignment in class. Exams will include a combination of multiple choice
and essay questions. The midterm exam will focus on materials from the first half of the semester (chs. 1 – 6),
and the final exam will focus on materials from the second (chs. 7-13).
General Course Policies
Respect
Due to the subject matter of this course, students do reveal a lot about their own relationships and personal lives as a
way to apply theories to everyday life; in fact, self-disclosure and personal application is highly encouraged. Therefore,
you are expected to help create a supportive, respectful, safe environment in our classroom. When someone is speaking
(including the instructor), he or she deserves your undivided attention. Cross-talking or disruptive nonverbal behavior
(including reading non-related materials or text-messaging) is rude, and you will be asked to leave the classroom if your
behavior becomes a distraction. Similarly, vulgar or hateful language in presentations or discussions will never be
tolerated. When it is time for your input, be professional in your comments. Of course, turn off all electronic devices
before entering the classroom.
Promptness & Absences
You really cannot afford to miss class. You should notify me, with an adequate explanation, if you need to miss class.
You are expected to be ready, in the classroom, when class begins. If you must arrive late, please do so quietly. If you
arrive late on a consistent basis, I will count your late arrivals as absences. If you need to leave class early for a specific
reason, please let me know at the beginning of class and then sit by the door so you will be able to exit quietly. If you
depart class early on a consistent basis, I will count your departures as absences.
Missed classes and late arrivals will, of course, negatively impact your participation grade. But, more importantly, they
will impact your learning which will have a negative impact on your achievement in the course.
Late Work
Except in cases of true emergencies (such as documented hospitalization), late work will be subject to a penalty of
10% per day for each calendar day it is late, but will NOT be accepted more than 2 days late.
NOTE: Discussion Questions (DQs) are due on the date indicated and must be submitted in class to receive
credit (NO EXCEPTIONS); they must be completed as preparation for our discussion of the reading.
Missed Exams
If you miss an exam due to extenuating circumstances, you will be expected to complete a make-up exam (which will
be different from the original exam) at a time determined by me. You will be expected to provide adequate
documentation for your absence.
Technology Use
Technology should only be used for note taking and assigned classroom activities; violations of this rule will be
sanctioned. There is very little evidence that note taking on a laptop/tablet improves learning; in fact, there is evidence
technology use may even decrease retention of information. Moreover, recent research shows students who are not
using technology experience lower learning when others around them are multitasking during class (Sana, Weston, &
Cepeda, 2013). Please keep this in mind when you are using technology in this classroom.
COMM 2600 Syllabus, Spring 2014
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UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Accommodation For Disabilities
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to your professor a letter from Disability
Services in a timely manner (for exam accommodations provide your letter at least one week prior to the exam) so that
your needs can be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities.
Contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 or by e-mail at dsinfo@colorado.edu. If you have a temporary medical
condition or injury, see Temporary Injuries guidelines under the Quick Links at the Disability Services website and
discuss your needs with your professor.
Religious Observances Syllabus:
Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly
with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required
attendance. In this class, if you have a religious observance that interferes with your ability to attend class, please notify
me as soon as possible (at least two weeks in advance) so that we can make other arrangements for you to make up the
days and work you miss.
Classroom Behavior
Faculty and students should be aware of the campus Classroom and Course-Related Behavior policy which describes
examples of unacceptable classroom behavior and provides information on how to handle such circumstances should
they arise. Faculty are encouraged to address the issue of classroom behavior in the syllabus, and to understand their
professional rights and duties.
Discrimination and Harassment
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working, and living
environment. CU-Boulder will not tolerate acts of discrimination or harassment based upon Protected Classes or related
retaliation against or by any employee or student. For purposes of this CU-Boulder policy, "Protected Classes" refers to
race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender
expression, veteran status, political affiliation or political philosophy. Individuals who believe they have been
discriminated against should contact the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) at 303-492-2127 or the
Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSC) at 303-492-5550. Information about the OIEC, the above
referenced policies, and the campus resources available to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can
be found at the OIEC website. The full policy on discrimination and harassment contains additional information.
Honor Code
All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic
integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic
dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported
to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-735-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the
academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic
sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Additional information regarding
the Honor Code policy can be found online and at the Honor Code Office.
COMM 2600 Syllabus, Spring 2014
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Course Schedule
This schedule may be subject to minor changes over the course of the semester.
* Materials marked with “D2L” can be found on Desire2Learn.
Date
Topic
Assignment and/or Reading Due
UNIT 1: APPROACHES TO ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Week 1
August 24
Course Introduction
Syllabus
August 26
Defining Organizational Comm.
Mumby Ch. 1
August 28
Theoretical Approaches
Week 2
August 31
September 2
September 4
Theoretical Approaches
Critical Approach
Critical Approach / Intro to Class Project
Mumby Ch. 2
Week 3
September 7
September 9
September 11
No Class — Labor Day
Scientific Management
Scientific Management
Mumby Ch.3
Week 4
September 14
September 16
September 18
Human Relations School
Human Relations School
Human Relations School
Week 5
September 21
September 23
September 25
Systems Approach
Mumby Ch.5
Systems Approach
Systems Approach / Intro to Case Study Paper #1
Week 6
September 28
September 30
October 2
Culture and Organizations
Culture and Organizations
Culture and Organizations
Week 7
October 5
October 7
October 9
Unit I Review
MIDTERM EXAM
Returning Exams
Mumby Ch.4
Case Study Proposal Due
Mumby Ch.6
Trujillo article (D2L) Reading Response due
UNIT II: DIFFERENCE & ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Week 8
October 12
Power & Resistance
Mumby Ch.7
October 14
Power & Resistance
October 16
Power & Resistance
Barker article (D2L) Reading Response due
Week 9
October 19
October 21
October 23
Postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism
Mumby Ch. 8
Week 10
October 26
October 28
October 30
Gender & Organization
Gender & Organization
Gender & Organization
Mumby Ch 9
Case Study Paper #1 Due
Bruni article (D2L) Reading Response due
COMM 2600 Syllabus, Spring 2014
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Week 11
November 2
November 4
November 6
Communicating Difference
Communicating Difference
Communicating Difference
Mumby Ch.10
Week 12
November 9
November 11
November 13
Leadership
Leadership
Leadership
Mumby Ch.11
Week 13
November 16
November 18
November 20
Branding
Branding
No Class – NCA conference
Mumby Ch. 12
November 23-27
NO CLASS – FALL BREAK / THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Week 14
November 30
December 2
December 4
Globalization
Globalization
Globalization
Week 15
December 7
December 9
December 11
Course Wrap-up
Unit II Review
Unit II Review
Dec 17 (Thurs) 4:30 – 7pm
Calas & Smircich (D2L) Reading Response Due
Mumby Ch. 13
Hochschild article (D2L) Reading Response Due
Case Study Paper #2 Due
FINAL EXAM