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| TU/FR 1:13 pm - 3:15 pm Ryder 157 |
FR 3:30 PM and by appointment Comm Studies, 215 Holmes Hall Tip: Enter at 41A Leon St. |
Communication is inherent to human organization and essential to its success. Successful completion of this course enables one to:
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” – Confucius
This is an active learning course meaning that you will be engaged with activities such as class and group discussion, participating in and designing class exercises, collaborative note-taking, and peer assessment. An implication of this is, for example, if you do not volunteer at least one good comment or question during a class, I might “cold call” you myself.
I also make much use of the Web. For instance, this syllabus is a Web page and I expect you to follow links.
In short, come to class on time and with the readings and assignments completed; be respectful and willing to collaborate. There are no provisions for missed exams or late assignments. If I notice you texting, then you are doing it too much. If I think your use of a computer is distracting you and others, I will put you on the spot (e.g., ask you to immediately send me your notes). Such deviations from classroom professionalism and respect may result in dismissal from class and demerits against your grade. See full course policies for more detail.
In general, if you have an issue, such as needing an accommodation for a religious obligation or learning disability, speak with me before it affects your performance; afterward it is too late. Do not ask for favors; instead, offer proposals that show initiative and a willingness to work.
Academic Integrity: “The promotion of independent and original scholarship ensures that students derive the most from their educational experience and their pursuit of knowledge.” Violations include cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and participating in or encouraging dishonesty. I will and have reported violators to the Office of Student Conduct.
(20 pts) Class participation.
(20 pts) Reading responses. For every session for which there is a reading you will write and submit a reading response or take a freebie. Absent a specific prompt, summarize and engage. You should compose and keep these in a response file (see template) so that you can spell and grammar check your writing, maintain a checklist, and have your responses as a resource for your assignments. I will assess your response file (emailed to me) twice a semester and it must contain only the responses as sent. (Do not add or edit responses.) You are permitted five freebies over the course of the semester, two in the first half and three in the second. Responses that were not submitted by the due date, including freebies, must be documented as such in the response file (see template).
Responses (and notices of freebies) are due 90 minutes prior to class. Responses must be emailed to me (j.reagle) with a subject prefix of oc-r: followed by a descriptive subject. Use simple plaintext (you can use markdown conventions), no attachments. If you fail to do this, I may not see the email and you could fail to get credit. Responses are viewable by other students via the Web.
(05 pts) Exam 1 Prototype and Study Guide
Work with your (instructor assigned) group to prepare an exam prototype and study guide (emailed to me).
The exam prototype must have at least ten multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank questions, two short answer questions, and one short essay question. Each question must be followed by a short mnemonic, explanation, and/or example.
Groups must (roughly) follow the “Project or Work Groups” meeting model from chapter 8 of The Zen of Groups. As an appendix to your guide, include a record of your meetings (p. 72). This should be short and focused, documenting when, who (and roles), agenda items, decisions, and what (if any) techniques you used from the toolkit. You will reflect more substantively on this experience in the Experiential Analysis below.
(15 pts) Exam 1
(10 pts) Experiential Analysis
Write a ~1000 word essay reflecting on organizational experiences you’ve had – if you can, focus on experiences this class, including those of your study guide group.
(15 pts) Exam 2
(15 pts) Case analysis
Write a ~1000 word essay analyzing organizational issues presented in the film Office Space (1999) (or student proposed movie).
TRACE Our college requires all students to complete TRACE evaluations at the end of the semester even if you (anonymously) opt-out of completing the survey.
Written assignments must be double-spaced, 12 point font, 1-inch margins. One page should contain approximately 250 words. Pages must be numbered and stapled together. Citations must be in the APA style.
So as to avoid bias, I read assignments “blind” without knowing the author. Hence, your name (and final word count absent bibliography) should only appear on the back side of the final page. (That is, I should only know your name by turning the assignment over.) Consequently, include the assignment appendix as the final page.
All assignments must be reviewed by two peers and assessed according to the writing rubric. Make use of Hacker’s Pocket Manual and my writing tips handout. If you fail to give a peer a draft in time for review; or if they fail to give you a review, document it on the assignment appendix.
On the due date, print copies must be submitted in class and the electronic version must be submitted to BlackBoard Turnitin. The electronic version need not include the assignment appendix.
If you have permission to revise a written assignment for re-assessment, please see these revision instructions.
The course rubric notes that “A” students have all of the following attributes.
Many links are found through-out this syllabus (remember, control-f is your friend),
but I’ve gathered some of the most important ones below. I also recommend Northeastern’s library resources and writing center.
Tip: temporarily place requirements and rubrics into your work, such as demonstrated at the top of the response file template.
Most readings are freely available online, if not check Blackboard. However, you must acquire the following:
Note the chapter (ch=) or pages (pp=) to read.
Like other skills, bibliography is something you learn to do well. Technology can make it easier. NU makes both RefWorks and EndNote available to students; you can also use the freely available browser-based Zotero. You can then import the bibTeX file of this class’s readings into those applications.
I provide bibliographic information in a shorthand. For example: d=date a=address p=publisher or=organization ch=chapter j=journal nt=note cb=blog cw=website pp=pages ch=chapter …