CLARK UNIVERSITY
College of Professional and Continuing Education
(COPACE)
____________
Astrakhan State University
Communication Theory and Research
MSPC 3250
Spring 2014
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COURSE SYLLABUS
CLARK UNIVERSITY
College of Professional and Continuing Education
(COPACE)
Astrakhan State University
___________
Communication Theory and Research- MSPC 3250
Daniil Osipov: MPA, PhD Can. Philology.
E-mail: daniel.v.osipov@gmail.com
Aleksandra Yakovleva: MPA, Adviser Director on work with governmental authorities,
non-profit organizations and mass media at OJSC “Gazprom Gazoraspredelenie”
Astrakhan affiliate
E-mail: yakovleva@ast.gazpromrg.ru
Spring 2014
Course Description
Examines origins, nature, and consequences of human communication. Reviews the role of
theory, in comprehension of and responses to verbal, non-verbal, gender and other types of
group communication issues and episodes of situated interaction. Considers the nature of
scientific logic; electronic literature searches; research design; data collection; analysis;
interpretation; and reporting results.
Course Goals
An understanding of communication theory should be able to help us answer the basic
question of how the process of communication contributes to living and working within
organizations and communities. In this course communication theory is presented from a
practical perspective to assist the student in developing the skills and grounding to
understand and enhance ways of working and living together. It is not enough to be
familiar with theories of communication, so the student is offered the opportunity to apply
the theoretical material through situated episodes of communication. Research may be
thought of as an exploration of the natural processes all living things encounter. When a
practitioner inquires into social practices that person is working to attain a better
relationship of persons to each other in the world. We inquire into situations, and we do so
with the intent of understanding what can be done to live and work more productively and
fully. A primary goal of this course is to understand the exploration of conversational
practices will help to understand how others organize utterances, feelings, behaviors, and
objects in a meaningful way. The communication research methods will provide
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procedures for making sense of situated action and a means to describe, explain, critique,
and initiate change in social action.
The course objectives are as follows:
 Recognize the causal based and interpretive based approaches to human behavior
and be able to explain a theory-directed method of inquiry and a story-centered
field of inquiry.

Understand that meaning is historically and contextually situated and a researcher
must take that into account. Not all research methods seek truths or universals as
some approaches try to make sense of human experience by locating patterns of
social life.

Understand the intersection of language, theory of action, and episodes of human
interaction. Students will appreciate the role of language in the acquisition of
knowledge.

Make practical applications of a variety of research methods from various research
traditions in the work setting. These include but are not limited to evaluative
approaches, action based research, ethnography, semiotics, critical theory, and
feminist approaches.

Develop an ability to see communication as the primary social process through
which people, acting together, create, sustain, and manage meaning though the use
of verbal and non-verbal signs and symbols within a particular context
Text & Readings
1. Littlejohn, S., & Foss, K. (2004) Theories of human communication, 8th edition.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. ISBN0-534-63873-2
2. Em Griffin, A First Look At Communication Theory, 7th ed, McGraw-Hill, 2009.
3. Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy (2011) Business Communication: Process &
Product, 7th ed, South-Western, Cengage Learning
4. Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy (2010) Essentials of Business Communication,
eighth edition, South-Western, Cengage Learning
5. Conflictology magazine (May 2009), Number 1
Students will be required to read several handouts to augment the lectures.
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Weekly Assignment Schedule
Week
Instructor
02/04
Osipov D.V.
02/11
Osipov D.V.
02/18
Osipov D.V.
02/25
Osipov D.V.
03/04
Yakovleva
A.A.
Topic
Hours
Theoretical
Models
of
Communication.
Definitions of communication. Features &
functions of communication. Types & principals of
communication. Code models of communication.
Theories of communication.
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Research: Google Form
Assignment:
Reading Littlejohn, S., & Foss, K. (2004) Theories
of human communication (pp 33-51)
Written and Oral Communication. Language vs.
speech. Business writing (business letters).
Communicative barriers. Communicative styles.
Improving listening skills.
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Assignment:
Reading Littlejohn, S., & Foss, K. (2004) Theories
of human communication (pp 147-184)
Business Letter Exercises.
Nonverbal Communication. Definition of
nonverbal communication. Verbal vs. nonverbal
communication. Functions and forms of nonverbal
communication. Factors moderating nonverbal
skills. Nonverbal Encoding of Intimacy and
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Similarity. Improving nonverbal skills. Case
“Career Coach”.
Assignment:
Communication Exercises.
Gender Identity. Definition of gender identity.
Developing gender identity. Gender Roles &
changing of gender roles. Feminist movement.
Male-Female relationships.
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Assignment:
Reading Littlejohn, S., & Foss, K. (2004) Theories
of human communication (pp 315-346)
Communication Exercises.
Formal and Informal Communication. Formal
communication networks: downward, upward,
horizontal, matrix communication. Informal
(grapevine) communication networks. Information
flow and workplace communication. Video case:
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Workplace communication
Assignment:
Harvard Management Communication Letter
“Communicating is not optional” by Angela
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Sinickas.
Intermediate
multiple
choice
test
on
communication theory (20 questions)
Source: Pearson Business and Professional
Communication Study site
Individual Projects
03/11
Yakovleva
A.A.
03/18
Yakovleva
A.A.
03/25
Yakovleva
A.A.
04/01
Yakovleva
A.A.
Professional communications. PART 1 MC
Marketing communication: communicating with
customers.
Commitment
strategy.
Case
“Commitments at Pacific Trust Bank” extracted
from Kellogg on Advertising and Media.
Assignment:
Designing a commitment strategy.
Professional communications. PART 2 HR
Challenge of leadership. Leadership styles. Teambuilding: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
Team dynamics assessment. The Apollo Syndrome.
Ethical communication: 5 guidelines for judging by
Prof. Gene R. Laczniak. Case “Ethical challenge”
Assignment:
Reading M.E. Guffey & D. Loewy (2010)
Essentials of Business Communication, eighth
edition (Ch. 8, pp 193-209)
Negotiations. PART 1
Basics of negotiation process. Negotiation styles.
Haggling vs. Bargaining. Distributive negotiation
vs.
Integrative
negotiation.
Third-party
negotiations: mediator, arbitrator, conciliator,
consultant. Negotiation: nonverbal cues.
Assignment:
Reading “Negotiating in Russia”
Reading Reading Conflictology, May 2009,
Number 1, article “Mediation: roots in the past with
projection in the future” (pp 83-91)
Negotiations
through
Intercultural
Communication PART 2
Reading: Negotiating: The top ten ways that culture
can affect your negotiation. 10 negotiation factors.
Six fundamental patterns of cultural differences.
Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions.
Assignment:
Case “Communication barriers to negotiation:
encountering Chinese in cross-cultural business
meetings”.
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4
4
5
04/08
04/15
Yakovleva
A.A.
04/22
Osipov D.V.
04/29
Communication Game
Workplace communication problems and
conflicts
Conflict and conflict process. Causes of workplace
conflicts: favoritism, jealousy, rumors, bulling,
passive aggressive behavior.
Thomas-Kilmann Conflict test: 5 conflict-handling
modes.
Assignment:
Reading Conflictology, May 2009, Number 1,
article “The conflict in mobbing. Triggers &
resolution” (pp 55-61)
E-communication
&
Mass
Media.
Communication with e-messages. Case “Twitter:
From Obscure Tech Fad to Internet Sensation”.
Professional e-mail messages. Instant & text
messages. Virtual meetings. Social media. Business
podcasts & webcasts. Professional blogs. Wikis.
Social networks. Case “Got Something to Tweet
About at Work? Think Again”
Assignment:
Reading Littlejohn, S., & Foss, K. (2004) Theories
of human communication (pp 285-308)
Final Group Projects
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4
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Note: This is a draft and the Instructors reserve the right to change and adapt any topic, date
or presentation.
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Method of Evaluation and Instruction
The course will be delivered through lectures, discussions, group exercises, test,
communication game, group and individual projects. All students are expected to
participate actively in class exercises and discussions, and complete all readings
and assignments for that class period.
Method of Evaluation
Attendance and class participation
Test
Individual Research project
Communication game
Final project
15%
15%
20%
20%
30%
Attendance and Class Participation
You are expected to attend all classes and be fully prepared with the relevant readings and
to participate in all discussions and activities. A student who misses more than 3 class
meetings will not receive a passing grade.
Test
Students will write a multiple choice test on communication theory (20 questions).
Individual Research project
Each student is expected to prepare individual research project. Student will present how
communication processes flow in her/his company; introduces the methodology of
communication research, including both qualitative and quantitative approaches, with an
emphasis on interpretive approaches.
Communication game
Students will participate in communication game based on negotiations. They will use
communication knowledge in a particular situation of negotiating process.
Final project
The class and professors will participate in a joint research projects. Each group of students
selects one organization or company and based on communication processes flow
described within the work on individual research projects identifies the challenges of
communication and prepares the solutions for them. There will be more detailed discussion
of the final project during class time.
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When converting “letter grades” to “numeric grades (or visa versa),
the following values will be used.
Number to letter
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
Failing
98-100
93-97
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
72 and below
Letter to number
98
95
92
88
85
82
78
75
72
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Academic Policies
These Paragraphs should be included at the end of every course syllabus.
Academic integrity is highly valued at Clark. Research, scholarship and
teaching are possible only in an environment characterized by honesty and
mutual trust. Academic integrity requires that your work be your own.
Because of the damage that violations of academic integrity do to the
intellectual climate of the University, they must be treated with the utmost
seriousness and appropriate sanctions must be imposed. The maintenance of
high standards of academic integrity is the concern of every member of the
University community.
Several ways in which academic integrity may be violated are outlined
below.
Cheating has three principal forms:
1. Unauthorized use of notes, text, or other aids during an examination
or in performance of course assignments.
2. Copying the work of another.
3. Handing in the same paper for more than one course unless the
faculty members involved give their explicit permission to do so.
Plagiarism refers to the presentation of someone else’s work as one’s own,
without proper citation of references and sources, whether or not the work
has been previously published. Submitting work obtained from a
professional term paper writer or company is plagiarism. Claims of
ignorance about the rules of attribution, or of unintentional error are not a
defense against a finding of plagiarism.
Unauthorized collaboration refers to work that students submit as their
own but which was arrived at through a process of collaboration without the
approval of the professor. Since standards on appropriate or inappropriate
collaboration may vary widely among individual faculty, students should
make certain they understand a professor's expectations before collaborating
on any class work.
Alteration or fabrication of data includes the submission or changing of data obtained by
someone else or not actually obtained in the performance of an experiment or study, except
where allowed by the professor. It also includes the changing of data obtained in the
performance of one's research.
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