COM240: Summer I 2006
Bowman 1
TENTATIVE Syllabus (as of 06 May 06)
COM240: Organizational Communication
Summer Session I – May 15, 2006 to June 29, 2006
Instructor:
Nicholas D. Bowman (bowmann5@msu.edu)
Ph.D., Michigan State University, in progress
MA, University of Missouri at St. Louis, 2004
BA, University of Missouri at St. Louis, 2003
Teaching
Assistant:
Tyann Moore (mooretya@msu.edu)
BA, Michigan State University, 2006
Classroom: CAS 148, 12:40 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., MTWTh
Course Objective: An introduction to the role of communication within the organization.
As perhaps the primary objective of a college education for many of you is to one day
enter the workforce, a solid understanding of communication styles that occur within
those workplaces will help you succeed.
This course will take several perspectives on the study of organizational communication:
classical, human relations, systems, cultural. As well, we will examine different
socialization and other emergent processes in organizations.
Textbook: Miller, K. (1999). Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes
(Second Edition - or newer, if available). ITP.
Assignments: This course will be worth 100 total points, divided according to the
following chart.
Assignment
Total Points
Participation
Theory in Practice (TIP)
Papers (five total)
Group Project
Extra Credits
50
25
25
<to be determined>
It is important to realize that, although these point total sound small, every assignment in
this class is vital to the successful completion of this course. Every missed point on an
assignment, because of the point totals, is equal to one percentage of your final grade.
Participation. Because of the interactive nature of this course, it will be very important
that you are here as much as possible. We meet nearly every day of the week, and the
course moves very fast, so missing one class is very similar to missing several classes in
COM240: Summer I 2006
Bowman 2
a “normal” course, so it’s incredibly hard to make up for lost time. During class, we will
review the textbook materials and my own original notes, as well as review current
organizational communication research. We will also review some basic job-seeking and
resume-building skills, so be prepared to bring sample resume each Thursday.
TIPs. At the end of each week of class, you will be assigned a short paper (2-3 pages, not
including the cover page) that applies the previous week’s lecture notes to the “real
world.” This paper must be typed in standard APA format (Times New Roman, 12-pt
font; double-spaced), and any deviations from this will result in a zero for the paper.
Group Project. At the end of the semester, the class will be divided into groups and asked
to develop an organization from the group up. Because of the nature of this class,
however, we will be focusing on the communication style of the organization more so
than the actual business model itself. Things you’ll need to focus on are (1) a logo and (2)
a communication style that we discussed in class. Your group will be responsible for
putting on a short skit, which will include (a) a mock job interview and (b) a mock board
meeting or other business meeting.
Grading Rubric: Grades for this course will be no more stringent that the following
chart.
Points
Grade
90-100
85-89
80-84
70-79
61-79
Below 60
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
Tentative Schedule: The class will be structured according to the following chart.
Week One
Date
Lecture
15 May
16 May
Syllabus review, group introductions
Classical approach I:
 The Machine Metaphor
 Fayol’s Classical Management
 Weber’s Theory of Bureaucracy
 Taylor’s Scientific Management
 Content/Direction/Channel
Classical approach II:
 Classical Management in
Organizations Today
17 May
Assignment
Chapter 1 – pp. 4 to 20
Chapter 1 – read to the end
of the chapter
TIP 1 due on 22 May
COM240: Summer I 2006
Bowman 3
18 May
<no class>
<no class>
Week Two
Date
Lecture
Assignment
22 May
Human Relations I:
 Hawthorne Studies
TIP 1 due today
23 May
Human Relations II:
 Theories of Human Relations
Movement
 Content/Direction/Channel
Human Relations III/Human Resources I:
 Human Relations today
 Founding Theories of Human
Resources
Human Resources II:
 Content/Direction/Channel
 Human Resources today
24 May
25 May
Chapter 2 – pp. 26 to 29
Chapter 2 – pp. 29 to 41
Chapter 3 – pp. 46 to 55
Sample resumes due on 25
May
Sample resumes due today
Chapter 1 – read to the end
of the chapter
Job-seeking/Resume-review I:
 Review sample resumes
TIP 2 due on 30 May
Date
Lecture
Assignment
30 May
Systems I:
 Systems Concepts
 Cybernetic Theory
 Weick’s Theory of Organizing
Cultural I:
 Deal and Kennedy
 Peters and Waterman
 Schein’s Model of Culture
Critical I:
 Critical Approaches
 Concertive Control
 Feminist Theories
TIP 2 due today
Week Three
31 May
01 June
Chapter 4 – pp. 69 to 89
Chapter 5 – pp. 91 to 110
Sample resumes due on 01
June
Sample resumes due today
Chapter 5 – pp. 112 to 129
TIP 3 due on 05 June
Job-seeking/Resume-review II:
 Review sample resumes
COM240: Summer I 2006
Bowman 4
Week Four
Date
Lecture
Assignment
05 June
Socialization Processes I:
 Phases and Content
 Communication during Socialization
Performance Control I:
 The “what” and “how” of Motivation
Decision-Making I:
 Models of the decision-making
process
 Small-Group decision-making
Conflict Management I:
 Content/Direction/Channel
 Human Resources today
TIP 3 due today
Job-seeking/Resume-review III:
 Review sample resumes
TIP 4 due on 12 June
Date
Lecture
Assignment
12 June
Stress I:
 Avoiding “burnout”
TIP 4 due today
06 June
07 June
08 June
Chapter 7 – pp. 133 to 151
Chapter 8 – pp. 153 to 171
Chapter 9 – pp. 173 to 191
Sample resumes due on 08
June
Sample resumes due today
Chapter 10 – pp. 194 to 213
Week Five
13 June
14 June
15 June
Chapter 11 – pp. 215 to 235
Diversity I:
Chapter 12 – pp. 237 to 256
 Multicultural and Minority
External Communication I:
Chapter 13 – pp. 258 to 274
 Communication from organization to
Sample resumes due on 15
organization
June
Tech I:
Sample resumes due today
 Technology and the organization
Chapter 14 – pp. 276 to 293
Job-seeking/Resume-review IV:
TIP 5 due on 19 June
 Review sample resumes
COM240: Summer I 2006
Bowman 5
Week Six
Date
Lecture
Assignment
19 June
Group Project
Check in with Tyann for group progress
report
Group Project <no class>
TIP 5 due today
Group project progress
report due today
20 June
21 June
22 June
Group Project <no class>
Group Project
 Check in with Tyann for group
progress report
Group project progress
report due today
Date
Lecture
Assignment
26 June
27 June
Group Presentations
Group Presentations
Group presentations
Group presentations
28 June
29 June
Group Presentations
Group Presentations
Group presentations
Group presentations
Week Seven