Communication Studies 350

COMMUNICATION FOR DESIGNERS

Th Hybrid | Fall, 2011

Instructor: Jen Anderson

Phone: (425) 564-4185

Email: jeanders@bellevuecollege.edu or Vista Blackboard email

Office Hours: Before or after class or by appointment

Text: Adler, R. and Elmhorst, J. (2010). Communicating at Work, Tenth Edition

The purpose of this course is to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary for quality communication in the workplace. This objective will be accomplished through the study and application of interpersonal communication, small group, and public speaking theory and concepts.

Course Learning Outcomes:

· Apply the basic elements, process, and key principles of communication to a specific workplace situation, demonstrating how each concept affects the outcome of the interaction.

· Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of various face-to-face and electronic communication channels found in the workplace and choose the most appropriate and effective one given the situation.

· Identify the culture and co-cultures in a specific organization, field, or community and describe how their norms and values shape communication in the workplace.

· Describe the best listening approaches you can use in a given situation to promote understanding, accomplish your goals, and enhance your relationship with others.

· Describe and identify the types of language and nonverbal communication that will be most effective within a specific organizational culture.

· Describe different approaches for negotiating solutions in work-related conflicts and predict likely consequences of using each style.

· Identify the types of group roles, norms, and decision-making required to transform a group of people into an effective team.

· Design and deliver an effective, organized, and professional public presentation on a work-related topic.

Course Format:

This course is designed to provide multiple ways for you to enhance your professional communication skills and develop a more comprehensive understanding of the communication processes therein. The objectives will be met through the use of mini-lectures, readings, film analysis, class discussion, personal reflection, online discussions, an individual speech, and a group project. Three exams will be administered throughout the quarter, assessing your understanding of, and ability to apply, communication concepts covered in the reading and in class. Given this format, students need to commit to being active participants both in class and online. In addition, this area of study contains complex theories and difficult social science jargon. I will do my best to assist you, but a college reading level and college writing level in English is needed to succeed in this course.

Course Expectations:

· This class is highly interactive and will rely on your participation and self-exploration. It is imperative that you are prepared to participate in class and actively involved online.

· We will address a variety of communication topics, many involving concepts that touch upon personal values and beliefs. I encourage you to share your thoughts, concerns, and opinions in class and online – we will have a stimulating learning environment and a richer learning experience if we can discuss a wide range of perspectives. It is vital that everyone feels safe to share his/her ideas and opinions. Please be sensitive and respectful to other viewpoints when making comments and contributing to discussion.

· All written work will be turned in at the beginning of class on the day it is due in order to receive full credit. The decision to accept late assignments will be made on an individual basis, taking into account the specific situation. All late work will receive a deduction in points. No late assignments will be accepted after the last day of instruction.

· College-level standards of grammar, spelling and punctuation are expected. Please type and proofread all written work.

Attendance/Participation (A/P): Your attendance and participation, both in class and online, are integral to the success of this class. We only meet 11 times all quarter, so it is imperative that you are in class each week, ready to participate. I will take attendance. We will do activities in class that are worth points and you can ONLY earn those points if you are in class, participating with us. You cannot pass the class with 5 or more absences. I reserve the right to deduct points from your A/P grade for late arrivals/early dismissals if they become a problem. Your participation online (i.e. hours spent on the class website, completion of posts, etc) will factor into your A/P grade.

Cell phone use (whether talking OR texting) is not allowed in my class. Please put your phones on mute and put them away during class. Students who ignore this policy will be asked to leave the classroom and will forfeit participation points available for the day.

Laptop Use in Class: Feel free to use your laptop in class to take notes. When we are participating in class activities, discussion, watching films, or during group projects, all laptops should be put away. Please be respectful of your classmates and me – focus on class and not on Facebook, your email, youtube, etc during class.

Grading System: In order to allow for flexibility, I may omit some assignments and add others during the quarter. I will keep you posted if changes occur and how those changes will alter the following:

Quiz One 100 points

Quiz Two 100 points

Quiz Three 100 points

Quiz Four 100 points

Individual Presentation 100 points

Group Project (One Presentation with Supporting Materials) 150 points

Online Discussion Posts 150 points

Self-Critique of Individual Presentation 50 points

Interview 50 points

Homework/Pop Quizzes 50 points

Attendance/Online Participation (A/P) 50 points

Total 1,000 points

Grade Appeals: You have the opportunity to appeal any grade that you are given in this class. All grade appeals must be typed, stating your reason for appeal. If you so choose, I will accept appeals via e-mail. Grade appeals must be submitted no sooner than 24 hours after the grade has been issued...I will not discuss any grade on the day the grade is administered. All grade appeals must be submitted within 2 weeks of me handing back the assignment.

Assigned Reading: You will be assigned reading each week and it is your responsibility to come to class prepared to participate in class discussions regarding that reading. While many of the concepts covered in the reading will be discussed in class, there will not be enough time to cover every concept. All concepts covered in the readings are fair game for the exams, so it is imperative that you keep up with the reading and have an understanding of the communication concepts therein. Each section on the class website has additional information included in the learning modules that does not appear in your textbook. You are required to know this information for quizzes and in class and online discussions.

Online Discussion Posts: You will participate in a variety of online discussions throughout the quarter. These discussions can be accessed through the Discussion icon (thumbtack) in the menu on the class website. You will answer one question and respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts almost every week. Please be sure to read “Posting a Good Discussion” in the Getting Started module on the website.

Group Project: Students will be assigned to a small group of 4-5 people at the beginning of the quarter. Groups will be evaluated on the quality of the presentations as well as the quality of time spent in your group. Group presentations will be further discussed during the third week of class. At that time, groups will be developed and topics discussed. Your individual grade will be computed by taking into consideration both the grade the group receives as a whole and your participation in the group as evaluated by you and other group members.

Note: Students who contribute inadequately to their group project (or group meetings) can be voted out of the group at any time during the quarter. If a student is voted out of his/her group, he/she will research and write a 15 page paper on a Business Communication topic of my choice. The research paper will have a minimum of 15 cited journal sources and a bibliography. The student will present his/her paper and findings to the class in a 10-15 minute presentation. Students can only earn up to 75% of the points available for that project.

Academic Integrity: Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated in this class. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, submitting projects, assignments, undocumented quotations, computer-processed materials, or other material as one’s own work when such work has been prepared by another student or individual. Anyone caught cheating or submitting plagiarized work will receive a “0” for that assignment or exam and will be subject to other consequences as determined by the instructor and/or college.

Adaptations or Special Accommodations Alert: The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact the DRC as soon as possible. The DRC office is located in B 132 or you can call the reception desk at 425.564.2498.

Instructor Availability: One of my favorite things about hybrid classes is the inherent flexibility that comes with the online component of the class. I do appreciate the fact that we can communicate both in class and online on a regular basis. With that in mind though, it is important to set up some parameters in terms of communication. I will reply to emails within 24 hours. I will be available Monday – Friday, but will not regularly check the site on weekends. So, if you email me late on Friday or on the weekend, you can expect to hear back from me on Monday.

Final Note: I am excited to work with you this quarter and delve into the many concepts that surround communication in the workplace. I look forward to learning more about your personal and professional goals. Some concepts covered in class may be sensitive topics for discussion. Please remember to keep others’ feelings and dignity in mind when choosing to comment on an issue or prior statement made by one of your classmates or me. Any comments that denigrate the worth of an individual because of his/her race, religion, background, lifestyle, or gender are inappropriate and unacceptable in my class.

I look forward to getting to know you this quarter! I look forward to learning from you as I believe that you have a great deal to teach your classmates and me. You can count on me to put a great deal of time into making this class both educational and enjoyable. I will rely on you to assist in making the class fun and educational and firmly believe that you will get out of this class as much as you put into it. Good luck!

Communication Studies 350 | PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS

Tentative Schedule

Fall, 2011

Date Central Topic Reading

Week One

9/19 Syllabus and Website Tutorial

9/20 Introduction Post Due (See Discussion Tab for this assignment)

9/21

9/22 Syllabus/Chapter One Chapter One

9/23 Chapter One Discussion Due

Technology Plan/Hope to Learn Assignment Due

Week Two

9/26 Chapter Two Discussion Due Chapter Two

9/27

9/28 Chapter Two Response Due

9/29 Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

9/30 Quiz One (Chapters One/Two) available online 9/30 – midnight on 10/3

Week Three

10/3 Chapter Three/Four Post Due Chapter Three/Four

10/4

10/5 Chapter Three/Four Response Due

10/6 Listening/Verbal/Nonverbal Communication

10/7

Week Four

10/10 Chapter Five Post Due Chapter Five

10/11

10/12 Chapter Five Response Due

10/13 Communication Climate and Conflict

10/14 Quiz Two (Chapters Three-Five) available online 10/14 – midnight on 10/17

Week Five

10/17 Chapter 10-12 Discussion Due Chapters 10-12

10/18

10/19 Chapters 10-12 Discussion Due

10/20 Presentation Preparation

10/21

Week Six

10/24-26 Presentation Prep

10/27 Individual Presentations

10/28

Week Seven

10/31-11/2 Presentation Prep

11/3 Individual Presentations

11/4 Quiz Three (Chapters 10-12) available online 11/4 – midnight on 11/7

Week Eight

11/7 Chapter Eight/Nine Discussion Due Chapters Eight/Nine

11/8 Self-Critique of Presentation Due

11/9 Chapter Eight/Nine Response Due

11/10 Small Group Communication

11/11 Happy Veteran’s Day!

Week Nine

11/14-16 Interviewing Assignment Online Chapters Six/Seven

11/17 Interviewing

11/18 Quiz Four (Chapters 6-9) available online 11/18 until midnight on 11/21

Week Ten

11/21-22 Work on Group Projects Online

11/23 Interview Assignment Due

11/24 Happy Thanksgiving – No Class!

11/25

Week Eleven

11/28-11/30 Work on Group Projects Online

12/1 Group Projects

Week Twelve (Finals)

12/6 Group Projects