BUCO 599
Gender, Work, and Communication (1.5 units)
Spring, 2015, Term 2 (March 9 – May 13)
Professor: Daylanne Markwardt, Ph.D.
Office: ACC 400C
Office Phone: 213-740-2803
Text Messages: 520-820-6253
E-mail: markward@marshall.usc.edu
Skype: daylanne.markwardt
Lecture/Discussion Class
Mondays & Wednesdays
11 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Office Hours
To be announced
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Gender, Work, and Communication is an important component of the Marshall School’s
graduate-level elective curriculum. It examines the role that gendered communication plays in
the workplace with particular emphasis on how students can optimize their individual
communication styles and practices to achieve work-life balance and professional success.
Drawing on readings from a range of theoretical perspectives, as well as on class discussions,
experiential activities, and personal reflection, students will develop an understanding of how
gender impacts communication practices in the workplace, how gendered communication may
either help or hinder their advancement as business leaders, and most importantly, how they may
adapt or enhance their own gender-based styles to better manage their professional identities and
become more competent and confident communicators.
More specifically, this course will focus on the following topics:
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How gendered identities are constructed
How gendered identities are enacted in the workplace through communication practices
The challenges these communication styles and related issues may present in the
workplace
Strategies for overcoming these challenges and establishing yourself as a business leader
through effective communication
Challenges of managing work-life boundaries (i.e., identity management) and strategies
for doing so more effectively
This course is particularly relevant today as women are being extolled through the media to close
the “confidence gap” (Kay and Shipman), “lean in” to leadership roles (Sandberg), and “change
GSBA 599: Spring 2015
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Prof. Markwardt
the ratio” (Sklar). Although women make up roughly one-third of the student population in
MBA programs in the United States, only a tiny fraction occupy the boardrooms and executive
suites of America’s corporations. This course is designed to help students understand why such a
disparity exists and to prepare them for dealing with the challenges it presents not only to
women, but to all business leaders who are committed to greater workplace inclusivity. Just as
women’s traditional gendered communication styles may prove a hindrance to career success or
advancement, so too can men’s traditional styles. Students of both genders may learn strengths
and strategies from the other that will allow them to communicate more effectively in today’s
diverse workplaces.
COURSE GOALS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES
In Gender, Work, and Communication, we will focus on skills, attributes, knowledge, and
strategies necessary to succeed communicatively in the global workplace. Three major content
elements combine to form the GWC curriculum:
1. Gender Identity Development
2. Communication Styles and Gender Issues in the Workplace
3. Strategies for Establishing Effective Communication Skills Within Gender
Constraints
Learning objectives for each area are described in greater detail below:
Learning Objectives
1. Gender Identity Development:
• Develop an understanding of the theories of identity and gender construction and
the influence of culture on gender and identity.
2. Communication Styles and Gender Issues in the Workplace:
• Develop an understanding of the research that has been done on gender
communication and how these learned behaviors and practices affect women’s
and men’s performance and success in the workplace.
3. Strategies for Establishing Effective Communication Skills within Gender
Constraints:
• Learn how to leverage your current communication style within the modern
workplace.
• Learn and practice new communication behaviors to better establish yourself as a
leader in the modern workplace.
GSBA 599: Spring 2015
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Prof. Markwardt
Work with your professor and your group to assess your current skill set and set
goals to help you align your communication style with those expected of today’s
leaders.
The overall goals of this course are to gain a clearer understanding of how communication
intersects with gender in the workplace, to recognize the processes of gendered communication,
and to develop analytical abilities and alternative perspectives to become competent
communicators. Class lectures, guest speakers, experiential activities, film analyses, and student
activities are supplemented by individualized coaching by the professor and your peers. Early in
the class, your incoming communication skills will be assessed by your professor and peers to
help you identify your strengths and areas for improvement. Using an “executive coaching”
model common in business today, your professor will then work with you to:
1. Identify your individual gender-based communication goal(s)
2. Map your current network
3. Determine if your current network is viable for supporting your communication
goal(s)
4. Create a plan for strengthening your networks in support of your goal(s)
The ultimate goal of Gender, Work, and Communication is to help you accomplish the
communicative goals you establish for yourself at USC, in your career search, and beyond.
TEXTS AND REQUIRED MATERIALS
Required
Nelson, Audrey, and Claire Damken Brown. The Gender Communication Handbook:
Conquering Conversational Collisions between Men and Women. San Francisco:
Pfieffer, 2012.
Supplemental readings posted to Blackboard
Other Requirements
• Adobe Reader (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)
• Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2013, or previous versions
updated with the Compatibility Pack (available free of charge at
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads)
• Access to a laser printer or equivalent
• Regular access to Blackboard and your university e-mail account (The latter may be
forwarded to another e-mail account, but it should be one you check routinely.)
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Prof. Markwardt
EXPECTATIONS, EVALUATION AND GRADING
Expectations: Attendance, active participation, and a positive attitude are required for successful
completion of this course. As graduate students, you are expected to have accumulated valuable
life experiences that you can share with your classmates to enrich the learning environment and
outcomes. Your professor plans course discussions and activities with the assumption that all
students will be present to participate and contribute to the quality of the learning experience.
Therefore, please notify your professor as far in advance as possible if you are unable to attend
any class or exercise so that she may adjust as necessary.
Missed classes, late arrivals, early departures, lack of communication, or inappropriate
communication will reduce your grade on individual assignments and your final grade in the
course. Partial credit for missed classes or activities is solely at the discretion of your professor
and may not be possible depending on the activity and timing.
Evaluation and Grading: At the end of the course, your professor will assign a final grade
based on your performance. The graded components of the course include:
 Individual writing assignments
 An individual presentation
 A final examination
 Experiential activities
 Ongoing class participation
Grade Breakdown: Specifically, the grading breakdown and due dates are as follows:
Assignment
Analysis of Nonverbal and Oral Practices
Leadership Preferences Assessment
Workplace Analysis
Final Communication Action Plan
Leadership Presentation
Final Exam
Class Contributions and Participation
Due
Wed., Apr. 2
Wed., Apr. 8
Wed., Apr. 15
Wed., Apr. 22
Mon., Apr. 27
TBA
Throughout
Percentage
10%
10%
10%
20%
20%
20%
10%
100% = TOTAL
Note: The Marshall School of Business adheres to a target GPA of 3.5 in graduate elective
courses.
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Prof. Markwardt
ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Academic Standards
Academic integrity is a critical value of the University Community. Integrity violations destroy the
fabric of a learning community and the spirit of inquiry that is vital to the effectiveness of the
University. This course is subject to the Marshall School of Business Academic Standards and USC
Academic Integrity Standards, as detailed in SCampus (http://web-app.usc.edu/scampus/). Please
refer to and become familiar with these standards. I will work with you to maintain an atmosphere
conducive to personal integrity, intellectual honesty, and ethical behavior.
Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with
Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved
accommodations may be obtained from DSP. Please deliver the letter to me as early in the term as
possible. DSP is located in STU 301 (phone 213-740-0776) and is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday.
Professor’s Retention of Graded Papers
Returned paperwork, unclaimed by a student, may be discarded one month after the end of the
class. Paperwork intentionally not returned to students will be retained until May 2013.
Emergency Information
USC Emergencies
USC Emergency Info Line
USC Information
KUSC Radio
213-740-4321
213-740-9233
213-740-2311
91.5 FM Dial
Syllabus Additions
The course calendar should be considered a part of the syllabus for this course. See page 6 for
details.
This syllabus is our contract for the semester. However, because students have different learning
styles and progress at different rates, I reserve the right to adjust the syllabus at any time
throughout the semester. Such adjustments will be announced in advance and posted to
Blackboard. Remember that flexibility is a virtue, especially in a professional setting. Thus, if I
determine that the class needs more (or less) emphasis on a particular area, I will adjust the
syllabus accordingly, to the extent that I am allowed to do so within the constraints of the overall
requirements for GSBA 599.
Welcome to the class!
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Prof. Markwardt
COURSE CALENDAR
GSBA 599: Gender, Work, and Communication
Week
Days
Class Topics/Activities
Reading/Assignment Due
1
3/9 - 3/11
Module 1: Identity, Gender, and Culture
 Course overview
 Student introductions
 Lecture: Gender and Identity as a Social
Construct
 Preview of presentation exercise
NO CLASSES – SPRING BREAK
Reading: GCH Chapter 1
 Meet in JKP ELC for presentation
exercise
 Review presentations and discuss how
“gender” is enacted and its effects
 Guest lecture and introduction to class
research: Robyn Walker and Jolanta
Aritz
 Discuss readings
Module 2: Gendered Organizational
Communication
 Lecture: Leadership Models and Types
 Discuss readings
 Go to JKP ELC for Subarctic Survival
exercise
 Debrief Subarctic Survival exercise
 Lecture: Organizational Culture
 Discuss readings
 Discuss Workplace Analysis assignment
and Leadership Presentations
Module 3: Gendered Communication in
Practice
 Lecture: Leadership in Context
 Discuss readings
 Creating the Communication Action Plan
Reading: GCH Chapters 2-4; “Sex, Power,
and Communication” (BB)
3/16 – 3/18
2
3/23 – 3/25
3
3/31 – 4/2
4
4/6 – 4/8
5
4/13 – 4/15
6
4/20 – 4/22
7
8
4/27 – 4/29
Module 4: Work/Life Balance and Identity
Management
 Developmental strategies: professional
persona
 Values, goals, and balance
 Discuss readings
 Meet in JKP ELC for Leadership
Presentations
 Debrief presentations; review course
 Final Exam preparation
 Final exam (Please refer to schedule
http://www.usc.edu/soc)
Reading: GCH Chapter 5; “Doing Gender and
Leadership,” “Women Leaders' Discursive
Constructions of Leadership” (BB)
 Due: Analysis of Nonverbal and Oral
Communication Practices Analysis
Reading: GCH Chapters 6-7; “Leadership:
Why Gender and Culture Matter” (BB)
 Due: Leadership Preferences
Assessment
Reading: GCH Chapter 8; “The Display of
(Gendered) Identities in Talk at Work,”
“Psychological and Discursive Leadership
Approaches to Context” (BB)
 Due: Workplace Analysis
Reading: “‘Live to Work’ or ‘Work to Live’?”
“It’s about Work-Life Choices” (BB)
 Due: Communication Action Plan
 Due: Leadership Presentation
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER BREAK