Communication 2nine2

Course Perspective and Objectives

Whether or not you have given it much thought, you are surrounded by organizations in your daily life (e.g., schools, businesses, governments, healthcare systems, non-profits, churches). What’s more, these very organizations are created, maintained, transformed, and, in some cases, destroyed by communication. The purpose of this course is to increase your awareness of organizational communication and the way that it shapes your life, give you new lenses and vocabularies for viewing and analyzing organizational communication, expose you to pivotal terms in the study and practice or organizational communication

This is designed as a first course or survey course in the area of organizational communication. The course offers a fairly comprehensive survey of concepts and principles related to a communication-based perspective on work and organizational life. A course in organizational communication  examines a wide range of topics, such as organizational history, structure, conflict, networks, power, ethics, decision making, technology, the impact of groups, leadership, and how communicative processes affect these components.  After completing this course, students will have a basic understanding of the range of communication phenomena in contemporary organizations and will have some useful analytical tools for describing, critiquing and improving organizational communication.

Taking a "survey course" is a lot like trying to tour an entire country in one week –- a doable feat, but a particular kind of experience. While you are planning your trip, you talk to people who have been there before, you consult the guidebooks, and you plan your itinerary so that you see as much as you can in the time that you have. While you might linger for a little while in a particular part of the country, usually the most you can hope for is to get the lay of the land, see the popular sights, and to identify places you’d like to visit again (or avoid) on a return trip. After the trip you’re different for the journey and you can talk knowledgeably about the place like others before you.

Imagine this course as a journey across the broad landscape of organizational communication theory and research.  We will be getting the lay of the land, which means we will be acquainting ourselves with some of the pivotal terms and processes which underlie the study and practice of organizational communication.  In general, the course is organized so that we will be visiting a different "place" each week. 

General Objectives:

1) To develop a basic understanding of the nature and the importance of communication in organizational contexts.

2) To develop a basic understanding of the pivotal terms and concepts which define the study and  to apply concepts to the analysis and practice of communication within organizations.

3) To develop an understanding of the pivotal communication skills which underlie and enhance organizational effectivenss.

Specific Course Objectives

  1. You will be able to explain how communication creates and structures an organization and its environment;
  2. You will be able to discuss formal and informal dimensions of communication in task-oriented organizations;
  3. You will be able to explain the complex role communication plays in developing and maintaining an organization’s culture;
  4. You will be able to explain how specific communication behaviors may be used to manage opposition to change in organizational contexts;
  5. You will be able to discuss the influence of technology on communication in organizations;
  6. You will be able to discuss the nature of conflict in organizational contexts and how to apply message strategies to manage such a conflict and bolster working relationships;
  7. All courses in organizational communication are designed to enhance  public speaking and small group communication competence.