Course Syllabus
Welcome to CAS 452: Organizational Communication Theory and Research
Overview
| CATEGORY | INFORMATION |
|---|---|
| Credits | 3 |
| Prerequisites | CAS 202 or CAS 252 |
| Delivery | Web (Canvas, https://psu.instructure.com) |
| Dates | See the Calendar. |
| Instructor | See the Orientation module under the Modules tab. |
Description
This course explores the nature and function of communication in organizations; emphasis on theoretical concepts, tools, and skills for effective management of communication. The goal is to open your minds to the importance and centrality of the communicative processes within formal and informal organizations. We will explore numerous theories that help to explain the complex interactions that occur at numerous levels within modern organizations.
Objectives
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe and explain the role of communication within organizations
- Identify the major managerial perspectives and theories throughout history that impact communication within the workplace
- Explore the changing dynamics of work teams within the work place
- Understand the effect of leadership upon all stakeholders within an organization
- Perform a communication audit of a major, global organization
Organization
This course includes 10 lessons.
For each lesson, you will complete the following activities and assignments:
- Explore online course content
- Read a few assigned readings
- Answer questions to and participate in a course discussion forum
In addition, you will complete two midterm exams and participate in a group project that audits and reports on a company’s communication strategies.
Each online lesson serves as a brief introduction to the material and to the assigned readings from your course textbook.
Online Learning and Attendance
This course has been developed to promote asynchronous learning. The instructor and students do NOT meet on a designated day and time each week. For each lesson, there is a time frame to complete all activities and assignments, and you may work at your own pace within that time frame. However, you must adhere to the due dates outlined on the Calendar. (Due dates can also be viewed under the Syllabus tab.) You should log into the course daily to check for updates, review lessons, and participate in activities.
Materials
Texts
There is one required text.
- E. M. Eisenberg, H. L. Goddall & Angela Trethwey. Organizational Communication: Balancing Creativity and Constraint [6th edition]. Bedford/St. Martin’s (ISBN: 978-0312574864).
Library Services
Penn State Libraries provides a wide variety of services and resources. To learn how to take advantage, refer to the Online Student Library Guide at http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/onlinestudentlibraryguide. This guide serves as your starting point for access to all that Penn State Libraries can offer you as an online student. Use this guide if you have questions on library services offered to you, how the library can help you, how to use the library, or what resources you can access via the library! The guide will connect you to important pages and resources within Penn State Libraries and save time from you searching for the information you need.
Grading
Final letter grades will be assigned based on the scale below.
Scale
| LETTER GRADE |
MINIMUM PERCENT |
|---|---|
| A | 95 |
| A- | 90 |
| B+ | 87.9 |
| B | 83.3 |
| B- | 80 |
| C+ | 75 |
| C | 70 |
| D | 60 |
| F | 0 |
Due Dates
Please be aware that Canvas follows the Eastern Time (ET) time zone. Assignment due dates adhere to this time zone, and it is your responsibility to submit them accordingly. If you are outside of the ET time zone, you can set your Canvas account to sync to it. Refer to the Set a Time Zone article in the Canvas Guide at https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2891.
All assignments are due by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the date indicated on the Calendar. (Due dates can be also be viewed under the Syllabus tab.) As a general rule, you will NOT be able to go back and make up missed assignments. It is your responsibility to keep up with your assignments. Students with an excused absence (e.g. hospitalization, jury duty, family emergency, or military service) may be asked to produce proper documentation in order to make up graded work. All make-up work is at the discretion of the instructor (for more details, please see our Late Policy below).
Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or spouses with unique circumstances (e.g. upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, disabilities, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.
Notes
- To Do List: Some assignments may not appear in the To Do list under the Home tab. Use the Calendar or Syllabus to ensure that you are fully aware of assignment due dates.
Grade Disputes (24/7 rule)
Should you earn a grade that makes you unhappy or confused, I ask that you take 24 hours after I return the assignment to think about the grade and determine if you believe it was fair. If you believe so, but have questions regarding how you might improve, please contact me to strategize for improvement on the next assignment.
After 24 hours, if you believe the grade is unfair, please contact me via email discuss your concerns about the grade. When disputing a grade in this course I ask that you prepare a specific proposal regarding the grade you believe to be appropriate based on what was turned in. Your proposal should be typed and include a compelling argument outlining the reasons why you believe the grade change is appropriate. Additionally, all grade disputes must be handled within seven days after the initial assignment is returned.
Late Policy
It is in your best interest to carefully note and adhere to the assignment deadlines on the course calendar. If an emergency arises that prevents you from completing your work on time, please let me know as soon as possible before the deadline approaches so we can make arrangements for you to keep up with the course. If an assignment is submitted past the deadline without consulting with me before the due date, it cannot be accepted. To avoid this scenario, keep in touch – communication is key in this course! If an extension is granted, please note that the grade of assignments received up to one week after the due date will be reduced by ten percent. Each additional week late will result in an additional 10 percent grade reduction. Any work more than 3 weeks late cannot be accepted, meaning that a three-week extension is the longest to be granted.
Assignments
Basic information about each assignment group is provided below. For detailed directions about an individual assignment, see the assignment information under the Modules tab.
| ASSIGNMENT GROUP |
WEIGHT |
|---|---|
| Exams (2) | 40% |
| Communication Audit | 35% |
| Discussion Activities | 20% |
| Participation | 5% |
| Total | 100% |
Exams (2 x 20% = 40% total)
The course exams are made up of essay questions. Questions are based on content from the previous lessons, as shown in the course calendar.
Communication Audit (35%)
The second half of the semester will include a group project examining the communication strategy of a company. Each group will contact and “audit” an organization. You will be graded on your ability to write a paper addressing the company’s conduct, concerning the issues covered in this course.
Discussion Activities (20%)
Each discussion board activity features a short series of essay questions. You will be randomly placed in groups of ten or less and will answer one question each, then comment on your group mates’ answers and comments. There are nine discussions, the single lowest score will be dropped.
Participation (5%)
Four times throughout the semester, your audit group will be tasked with reporting its progress to the instructor. These progress reports involve answering a handful of questions on the group’s status, and are designed to help the group stay on target.
University Policies
Academic Integrity
Penn State defines academic integrity as the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner. All students should act with personal integrity, respect other students’ dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts. (See Faculty Senate Policy 49-20 (Links to an external site.) at http://senate.psu.edu/policies-and-rules-for-undergraduate-students/47-00-48-00-and-49-00-grades/#49-20.) Please note, if you are suspected of academic misconduct, you will not be permitted to drop the course until those suspicions are dropped. If you drop the course before that time, you will be returned to the course, and you may not have an opportunity to make-up missed work.
Students are responsible for maintaining academic integrity. Violations include cheating on exams or CANVAS quizzes, talking to others during an exam or CANVAS quiz, getting help from others on CANVAS quizzes, having notes accessible during exams, looking at another student’s answers during an exam or CANVAS quiz, removing exams from the classroom without consent from the instructor, plagiarizing, and dishonesty in any aspect of course participation. Violations of academic integrity may result in a grade of F for the course as well as other penalties. (See Faculty Senate Policy 49-20 (Links to an external site.) at http://senate.psu.edu/policies-and-rules-for-undergraduate-students/47-00-48-00-and-49-00-grades/#49-20.)
When you write papers, remember the ABCs to avoid plagiarism: Always place copied information within quotation marks, include information about the quoted or paraphrased source in a Bibliography, and Cite the source in the body (in the text) of your paper immediately after the quoted or paraphrased information. When in doubt, cite in the text and include the source in a bibliography.
Please note that several note-taking/note-sharing companies approach students about "jobs" (including "jobs" that appear to be connected to PSU). If this is something that you want to do, you MUST talk with the instructor first. You may not share, upload, post, or send any information from this course (including notes and assignments) without the permission of the instructor. This includes online note-taking/note-sharing services. (See Penn State Administrative Policy AD-40 (Links to an external site.) at https://policy.psu.edu/policies/ad40.) Unless you have the permission of the instructor, you risk academic sanctions related to charges of plagiarism as well as disciplinary sanctions.
Disability Access
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources website provides contact information for every Penn State campus (Links to an external site.) at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/disability-coordinator. For further information, please visit the Student Disability Resources website (Links to an external site.) at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation (Links to an external site.) described at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/applying-for-services. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Counseling and Psychological Services
Penn State's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) office offers residential and distance-based Penn State students non-emergency mental health services in the form of case management, community resource referrals, supportive listening, care giver support, and much more.
Students may request assistance from CAPS regarding a variety of common mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and stress. CAPS services are designed to enhance students' ability to fully benefit from the University environment and academic experience. Call CAPS at 814-863-0395 (8 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday EST) or submit an inquiry online (Links to an external site.) at https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/form/caps-contact-form to schedule an appointment with a mental health advocate, who can help you address mental health concerns that may interfere with your academic progress or social development. This appointment will include a one-on-one session that can be conducted via telephone, teleconference (Skype, FaceTime, etc.), or locally at Penn State University Park. For more information on services provided through CAPS, please visit the Penn State CAPS website (Links to an external site.) at http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/. Students enrolled at the World Campus are also encouraged to visit its Mental Health Services page (Links to an external site.) at http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/student-services/mental-health-services.
Reminder: These services are for non-emergencies only. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis situation, please call your local crisis center or 911.
Nondiscrimination
Penn State is committed to equal access to programs, facilities, admission and employment for all persons. It is the policy of the University to maintain an environment free of harassment and free of discrimination against any person because of age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information or political ideas. Discriminatory conduct and harassment, as well as sexual misconduct and relationship violence, violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the University's educational mission, and will not be tolerated. For further information, please visit the Affirmative Action Office website (Links to an external site.) at https://www.psu.edu/dept/aaoffice/.
Reporting a Bias Incident
Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage (Links to an external site.) at http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias/.
TEACH Act
The materials on the course website are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course and may not be retained or further disseminated.
University Emergency Procedure
In the event of a University-wide emergency, the course may be subject to changes. Exigent circumstances may require alternative delivery methods, class materials, and interactions with the instructor and/or classmates. In addition, there may be revisions to grading policies and the Calendar, including assignments and their due dates.
In the event of a University-wide emergency, please refer to the Canvas website at https://psu.instructure.com for specific information related to the course. For more general information about the emergency situation, please refer to the Penn State website (Links to an external site.) at https://www.psu.edu or Penn State News website (Links to an external site.) at https://news.psu.edu.
To register with PSUAlert, a service designed to alert the Penn State community when situations arise that affect the ability of a campus to function normally, please go to the PSU Alert website (Links to an external site.) at https://psualert.psu.edu/. Subscribers can receive alerts by text message to cell phones, and also can elect to have alerts sent to an email address.
Syllabus Subject to Change
The class will likely adhere to the information outlined in this Syllabus and the Calendar, but adjustments may be made based on what actually transpires during the semester. Remaining in the course after reading this Syllabus will signal that you accept the possibility of changes and responsibility for being aware of them.
Below is a list of assignments and due dates given by Canvas. You are encouraged to use the Calendar tab instead, as it is a better visual tool.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|