Syllabus
Small Group Process COMM 3352
Meeting Times 2:30PM-4:00PM MW
Fall 2007
Associate Professor
Jim L. Query, Jr., Ph.D. Phone: Office (713) 743-8608; Fax (713) 743-2876; e-mail is jquery@uh.edu; alternate email = profjim90@hotmail.com.
Office Location: COMMS 203G (behind the Satellite and adjacent to Theatre and Fine Arts Bldgs.); Hours: MW 1:15-2:15 pm. Virtual meetings by appt. and password; Other times by appt also. No walks-in please.
Home Page
I believe you will find my site has lots of useful info, a bulletin board, and links to several key sites. Be sure to visit it.
Email Requirement and Response Policy Easing Your Access
You will be receiving a variety of class-related materials---such as sample quiz/exam questions, Self-Review Questions (SRQs), and notices of class content changes and grades---in an electronic format (using rich text file [rtf], word [doc], and/or inside the box approaches); hence, it is REQUIRED that you have and regularly peruse an active email account.
Notwithstanding my office hours above, it is not always possible to have a face-face meeting with me (due to my circumstances or yours). In case a face-face meeting is not possible, I thus encourage you to email me about any concerns or questions you may have as the semester unfolds. Barring some difficulty, I generally respond to all emails within 48 hrs beginning Mon mornings at 7am until Friday evenings at 3pm. As my bulletin board indicates, NO class-wide emails are sent out after 3pm on Fridays, except in the cases of technological difficulties or emergencies.
Course Rationale
Today's society is characterized by the pervasive spread of technology, information overload and underload, as well as a fluid and ever-changing workplace environment. Jobs which were once thought of as life-time endeavors, such as employment by the major American auto makers, the Bell system, NASA, and/or major health care facilities, are now being eliminated. Although this trend may be viewed as somewhat alarming, a key process can help lessen the impact of this tempest: small group communication.
As Greenbaum and Query (1999) cogently argue, the importance of working in groups in organizations has never been more clear than it is at present. Taylor and Bowers (1972) have vividly described the fundamental role of groups as the basic building block of organizations (see also Hackman & Walton, 1986). A large amount of planning for the running of daily operations and organizational change is now initiated at the group or team level (Beckhard, 1969), especially in those organizations seeking to follow a participative model (Ancona, 1990). Organizational decision making, thus, has increasingly shifted from a single executive to committees, task forces, and teams charged with identifying problems, proposing solutions, and implementing policies. Within such a work environment, "A new job skill is being required of employees from line workers to executives, the ability to work cooperatively and productively in teams" (Glaser, 1994, p.282).
Moreover, many of the decisions which influence our daily lives are made within the contexts of small group interaction. You are probably a member of many such small groups. Since several critical decisions are forged through small group processes, it is most appropriate that we as individuals are enabled to understand, analyze, and influence the decision-making processes of these social structures. Although "understanding" is not a panacea, such knowledge should promote informed group participation and decision-making.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of the course, you should be empowered to: (1) understand and explain how select small group characteristics and activities influence the on-going communicative patterns among members; (2) apply various theoretical perspectives to the analysis of small groups; (3) enhance your effectiveness as a group member across diverse contexts; as well as (4) identify and integrate current event articles, selected research, and/or selected promotional material into web pages for future classes and/or a national non-profit educational organization.
Required Texts
Tubbs, S. (2007). A systems approach to small group interaction, 9th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
Sparks, L. (2005). Communication research style manual: A short and savvy approach. Reno NV: Bent Tree Press.
Suggested Documentation Reference
American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the APA, (5th ed.). Washington, DC: APA.
You need not purchase the APA manual. All written work, however, will follow its standards. Visit my classes page to learn how to use APA within papers and to use a free service to build your bib: Dr. Lyle Flint's StyleWizard
Absence Policy
Learning is a reciprocal process. Barring illness or an emergency, I expect you to regularly attend and participate in class and your working groups. Any work missed during an UNEXCUSED absence is not allowed to be made up. You are responsible for all materials covered, all handouts distributed, and all announcements made in class. Two unexcused absences
will trigger a failing participation grade for the semester.
Make-Ups
Make-ups for missed hour examinations or quizzes will be considered ONLY IF: you call the professor at (713) 743-8608, BEFORE the time of the hour exam or quiz; AND your excuse is valid, legitimate and documented. Be advised also that I reserve the right to alter the format of any make-up hour exam or quiz. Hence, if the regular hour exam or quiz was primarily objective, the make-up could become comprehensive essay and/or problem applications. Failure to take an exam or quiz will result in a grade of "F" and that score will be used in final grade calculations.
Prospectus and Paper Due Dates
Optional risk-free prospecti are due October 15, 2007. Final and/or revised prospecti are due October 29 , 2007. The final report is due December 10, 2007 PLAN YOUR PREPARATION TIME NOW.
Late Assignments
Late work may be turned in with the following penalties: (l) If the work is not handed at the beginning of the regularly scheduled class time, a 30 percent penalty will be incurred. (2) For each consecutive day that the work is late, a 10 percent penalty will also be incurred. Hence, if a paper is due during the Monday class period, and it is received the next day, Tuesday, the penalty would be minus 40 percent.
Plagiarism/Quiz-Exam Cheating
Plagiarism has many forms. At one level, it is defined as using the ideas, organization, supporting sources, and/or words of another, without giving credit to the original author(s). "Giving credit" has two dimensions: (1) for material which is in the exact wording of the source's author(s), quote marks should be used to enclose the verbatim pull, accompanied by author(s)' names, year of piece, and exact page number(s); and (2) for material which is paraphrased, the author(s)' names, year of piece, and exact page number(s) are expected. The APA guide within papers (see classes page) APA manual detail the appropriate format.
Plagiarism also includes: using another student's paper, using another person's unpublished work, submitting a rewritten or revised version of another person's work, allowing another or paying another to write a paper for one's own benefit, purchasing and using for course credit a pre-written paper, as well as using another's paper available on the Internet.
WARNING: I am aware of a number of web sites, over 125, where students can down-load pre-written research papers. As a matter of policy, I regularly browse these sites comparing available papers to my students' papers. I also visit a number of chat sites frequented by students and known to feature "hired guns" as well as supposedly "quick fixes" for research papers. (Since I was a higher education student for 16 years, I do blend in rather well *VBS*). I am also aware of auctions seeking a ghost-writer; that is, "J" places a request for a term paper and views the proposed bids. The "winning bidder" then writes the paper.
ALL papers must be submitted via email and hard copy. ALL papers will be processed by Turnitin. Com.
SUBMISSION OF A PRE-WRITTEN PAPER AND/OR A GHOST-WRITTEN PAPER, AS WELL AS A OTHER PLAGIARIZED PAPER EVEN IN MODIFIED FORM, WILL TRIGGER AN "F" FOR THE ASSIGNMENT, AN "F" FOR THE COURSE, AND REFERRAL TO STUDENT JUDICIARIES.
The grade for any assignment containing plagiarized material will be an "F." The course grade will also be an "F." Group members should ensure that all of the group project material is original or that it has been ACCURATELY DOCUMENTED through appropriate citations. THESE PENALTIES WILL BE APPLIED AT THE TIME OF DISCOVERY AND ALL PREVIOUS GRADES WILL BE VOIDED.
Academic misconduct on a quiz or examination will also result in course failure. Misconduct includes any unauthorized removal of an exam or quiz from the classroom at all times. Such behavior will trigger an "F" for that exam or quiz, and a course grade of "F." See the current Undergraduate Catalog for an explanation of these policies
Required Assignments
* One midterm exam will be administered covering the text readings,
guest lectures, videos, and other assigned reading. The exam will
employ multiple choice, and/or problem application, and essay type
items. The written part of the test is determined by class vote.
* Four quizzes,with the lowest dropping, and class exercises also will be used. Some class exercises may be unannounced. As many of my
former students can attest and the advice pages reveal [go to
somewhat fun and "easy" points. YES, I am serious and I am not the
"killer" some folks would make me out to be (well, not completely
anyway).
* A group prospectus (about 1/2 of the final paper; approximately
6-10 pp. per person) and a completed small group report will be
completed (approximately 12-16 pp. per person). Although you will
have to share ideas and coordinate your activities to some extent,
EACH GROUP MEMBER AUTHORS AN INDIVIDUAL SECTION AND
RECEIVES ONLY AN INDIVIDUAL GRADE. The focus of this
assignment is to identify and explicate a pressing social issue and
then develop a short and long term plan that has the potential to lessen its scope and negative impacts. The development of this content must be supported by drawing from existing research, other web sites, and course material. AND NO, you need not be a sven gali to achieve the preceding goals.
Course Assignments and Weights
Class Participation 10 percent
Midterm Exam 30 percent
Group Prospectus 19.5 percent
Group Final Report 19.5 percent
** Pop quizzes are possible. You should expect 2 announced quizzes, 20
items each, with the lowest score dropping provided you take both quizzes.
On your grade status reports (GSRs), these scores will be reported as
follows.
Quiz 1 (ten items) 6/10 (DROPPED)
Quiz 2 (ten items) 8/10
Quiz 3 (ten items) 9/10
Quiz 4 (ten items) 7/10
Hence, you only take two quizzes (though they have 20 items) and they are then broken out into four individual scores.
Grading Scale
A twelve point scale, with 1 representing an "A" and 12 representing an "F," is employed. The cut-offs follow: 1-2.49 = A; 2.50-2.99= A-- ; 3.0-3.5 = B+;
3.51-4.99; = B; 5.00-5.50 = B-- ; 5.51-6.50 = C+; 6.51-7.99 = C; 8.00-8.50 = C-- ; 8.51-9.99 = D+;; 10.00-10.50 = D; 10.51-11.99= D--; 12.00 or greater = F. All grades are possible.
The following example illustrates the scale.
AssignmentWeightGradeCalculations
Participation 10% A (1) 10 x 1 = 10
Quizzes21% D (10) 21 x 10 = 210
Midterm Exam 30% C- (8) 30 x 8 = 240
Grp Prospectus 19.5% B (4) 19.5 x 4 = 78
Grp Final Report19,5% A (1) 19.5 x 1 = 19.5
Totals 100% 557.5
Take the total and divide by the total percentage: 557.5/100%=
5.57. or 5.60 which equals a final grade of "C+."
Course Evaluation
There is one exam. It will consist of multiple choice, and/or essay, short answer definition (SADE), problem application items. The class votes on the written test options.
Announced quizzes employ the multiple-choice format.
Participation is distributed equally between classroom participation (i.e., completing in-class participation assignments; sending links and/or content to be considered for the course as well as contributing to class discussions by offering your viewpoint and asking relevant questions), and group project participation. At the end of the semester, the class will collectively evaluate the group's presentation. Your classroom participation will be determined by me.
Outside Class Activities
To successfully complete the group projects, your attendance and participation are required at all group meetings. Although I will provide some in-class meeting time, it is reasonable to expect that you will have to spend 10-20 hours outside of the classroom completing the group project.
Course Method
This course will use a lecture-discussion format, in-class exercises, and working groups. Although the lectures are drawn from the readings, there will be material additions and deletions. Additional material may be presented by guest lecturers.
To enhance your class performance, it is helpful to first skim the assigned readings, peruse the material at-length, take good lecture notes, and then review the material in conjunction with your notes/ study guides. As the quizzes and exam consist of applied, associative, and some recall items, "cramming" is usually related to poor performance.
Course Instructional Aids
My teaching tools include the following:
* extensive web site;
* working grp web sites;
* online individual grade status reports;
* online office hours by appointment;
* online study review sessions;
* online chats with Communication and related area scholars
* regular emails and/or faxes if necessary;
* lecture handouts and self-review questions;
* sample quiz and exam questions;
* detailed exam study guides;
* mc exam/quiz challenges;
* class exercises;
* risk-free reviews.
Other Course Performance Tips
I am often asked for suggestions on how to do well in my courses.
Although I can make no warranty or guarantee, here are some tips
which have been helpful to others.
*Set short-term goals. Upon attaining these, reward yourself.
* If a goal is not met, reflect on the experience and seek to refine or
identify your preparation strategies. Many times, a brief meeting with
me can also be helpful and some matters cannot be as well handled
through emails .
* Using the lecture handouts and self-reviews, regularly review the
assigned readings closely.
* Do not just memorize material; know it well enough that you can
recognize the concept(s) or principle(s) in novel examples.
* Regularly work through all class handouts. These have pay-offs.
* Take good notes; feel free also to record in-class lectures.
* Do ask questions. I want us to be on the "same page."
* Read carefully during quizzes and exams. Consider one question at
a time. Also, look for questions that are related.
* Attempt to view me not as "THE EVALUATOR," but as "THE COACH."
* Be sure to peruse the advice page on my web site obtained
directly from former students.
Writing Considerations
All written work is to be typed, double-spaced, and documented according to APA. Please refer to the classes page. HANDWRITTEN, UNDOCUMENTED, AND/OR POORLY DOCUMENTED WORK WILL NOT RECEIVE A PASSING GRADE. The writing style will be in the third person and correspond to university level standards. Specific guidelines are set forth in the writing standard guide [http://www.homestead.com/profjims/jimsclasses.html]
and ALL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS SHOULD FOLLOW THESE SPECIFICATIONS.
The following course schedule may be modified to accommodate time constraints or class size. Any changes will be announced in class.
Class Schedule (I work with those who work with me; hence, these dates are subject to change) Note also that working grps will have some class time for meetings.
Working Schedule
(TT)= Tubbs Text
Aug 20 TT Preface and Course Overview
Aug 22-Oct 4 TT CHs 1-4; Quiz 1&2, Possible Online Chat
Sept 4 Last Day for TX residents to drop wo/counting against enrollment cap
Oct 22 Risk-Free Prospecti Due
Oct 29 MIDTERM (Multiple Choice Part)
Oct 31 MIDTERM (Written Part)
OCT 31 Last Day To Drop a Course or Withdraw (WP/WF)
Nov 5 Debrief Midterm; Revised Prospectus Due
Nov 7-Nov 20 TT Chs 5-8 and assigned readings; Quiz 3 & 4
Nov 21- 24 THANKSGIVING
Dec 10FINAL SECTION(S) OF PAPER DUE
