Davis A. Foulger, Ph. D.

Visiting
Professor
Fall, 2005-Spring, 2006
and Fall 2001-Spring 2003

COM 365: Organizational Communication

Davis Foulger

Class Schedule and Assignments - Spring, 2002

First Draft

Date Class Focus/Activity Assignments Due Module
Wednesday,
Jan. 23
(1 of 45)
First Day of Class
  • Course Overview.
  • A Course Dialectic: You and your communication
  • Organizational Communication in Context.
  • Introductions.
  Course Introduction
Friday,
Jan. 25
(2 of 45)
Organizations and Communication: An Introduction.

Index Card Assignment 1: List three different kinds of organizations and name a real world example of each.

Monday,
Jan. 28
(3 of 45)
Communication and the Workplace. Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 1.

Wednesday,
Jan. 30
(4 of 45)
Defining Organizational Communication.

Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 2.

Index Card Assignment 2: Index Card Assignment: Pick an organization. Name it. List five different ways in which (1) the organization communicates with its participants and environment, (2) its participants communicate with each other and the organization, and/or, (3) its environment communicates with it. Why does each matter?

Friday,
Feb. 1
(5 of 45)
No class. In Gainesville at Conference  
Monday,
Feb. 4
(6 of 45)
Viewing the Organization as a Communication Ecology. Roles in Media
Wednesday,
Feb. 6
(7 of 45)
Theory and practice in Organizational Communication.

Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 3 (p. 51-54/55).

Index Card Assignment 3: Find the annual report for an organization (a company, for instance). List five people on the board of directors of the organization. Where does each work? What do they do?

Theoretical Approaches to Organizational Communication
Friday,
Feb. 8
(8 of 45)
Studying Organizational Communication. Eisenberg and Goodall, Appendix (p. 347-356).
Monday,
Feb. 11
(9 of 45)
Classical Management Theories Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 3 (p. 55-65).
Wednesday,
Feb. 13
(10 of 45)
The Human Relations Approach.

Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 3 (p. 65-75/76).

Index Card Assignment 4: Using the same organization you researched in the last assignment, see if you can identify 5 layers of management in the organization. Document the layers you find.

Friday,
Feb. 15
(11 of 45)
Human Resources Approaches. Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 3 (p. 76-87).
Monday,
Feb. 18
(12 of 45)
The Systems Perspective. Eisenburg and Goodall, c. 4 (p.88-112).
Wednesday,
Feb. 20
(13 of 45)
The Cultural Approach. Eisenburg and Goodall, c. 5 (p. 113-139).
Friday,
Feb. 22
(14 of 45)
Critical Approaches. Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 6 (p. 140-165).
Monday,
Feb. 25
(15 of 45)
Postmodern Approaches.

Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 7 (p. 165-190).

Index Card Assignment 5: A two part index card assignment:

  • Name an organization that you think you might want to work for someday
  • Look through your class notes and forward through your syllabus. Name three things about organizaitional communication that you would like to know more about.
Wednesday,
Feb. 27
(16 of 45)

The Experience of Work: Hiring and assimilation.

Groups for group project discussed

Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 8 (p. 191-226). Interpersonal Communication in Organizations
Friday,
Mar. 1
(17 of 45)

The Experience of Work: Motivation and Teamwork..

Groups for group projects assigned

Group project discussed.

Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 8 (p. 191-226).
Monday,
Mar. 4
(18 of 45)
Interpersonal Relationships and Organizational Relationships: Role Relationships.

Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 9 (p. 227-249/250)

Index Card Assignment 6: Find three references that relate to one of the topics you selected as being interesting.

Wednesday,
Mar. 6
(19 of 45)
Interpersonal Relationships and Organizational Relationships: Role Boundaries and Effective Practice. Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 9 (p. 250-263)
Friday,
Mar. 8
(20 of 45)
Communicating in Teams. Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 10 (p. 264-283/284)
Monday,
Mar. 11
(21 of 45)

Communicating in Networks.

Mid-Term Study Guide

Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 10 (p. 284-299)

Index Card Assignment 7: Create a question that might be asked on the mid-term.

Wednesday,
Mar. 13
(22 of 45)
Mid-Term

Friday,
Mar. 15
(23 of 45)

Managing the Total Enterprise: Strategic Positioning. Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 11 (p. 300-309/310). Managed Communication
Monday,
Mar. 18
(24 of 45)
Managing the Total Enterprise: Human Resources. Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 11 (p. 310-313/314).
Wednesday,
Mar. 20
(25 of 45)
Group Presentations
Friday,
Mar. 22
(26 of 45)
March 23 - March 29

Spring Break

Monday,
Apr. 1
(27 of 45)
Group Presentations Computer-Media in Organizations.
Wednesday,
Apr. 3
(28 of 45)

Managing the Total Enterprise: Communication Technology.

Media Selection, Uses, Effects, and Practices

Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 11 (p. 314-326).
Friday,
Apr. 5
(29 of 45)
The Paradoxes of Communication Technology in the Workplace. Taylor et al, c. 1 (p. 1-27).
Monday,
Apr. 8 College-Wide Open House
(30 of 45)
Structuration Theory.

Taylor et al, c. 2 (p. 28-50).

Term Paper References and Outline due.

Wednesday,
Apr. 10
(31 of 45)
Time, Place, and Distributed Cognition. Taylor et al, c. 3 (p. 51-78).
Friday,
Apr. 12
(32 of 45)
Communication, Community, Control, and Contradiction. Taylor et al, c. 4 (p. 79-110).
Monday,
Apr. 15
(33 of 45)
Case study: Technology Development and the Writing Organization. Taylor et al, c. 5 (p. 111-132).
Wednesday,
Apr. 17
(34 of 45)
Case study: Computerization and the politics of Control. Taylor et al, c. 6 (p. 133-154).
Friday,
Apr. 19
(35 of 45)
Case study: System Integration. Taylor et al, c. 7 (p. 155-176).
Monday,
Apr. 22
(36 of 45)
The Learning Organization. Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 12 (p. 327-335); Taylor et al, c. 8 (p. 177-192).
Wednesday,
Apr. 24
(37 of 45)
No Class: Quest Research Day

Index Card assignment 9: Attend one of the following three Quest day panels:

  • 8:40 Lanigan 105
  • 12:30 Lanigan 103
  • 12:30 Lanigan 106

For the most interesting talk, write down, on one side of an index card, the most interesting thing you learned. Due Monday

Friday,
Apr. 26
(38 of 45)
No Class. At Eastern Communication Association. A free hour to work on your term papers (due Monday)
Monday,
Apr. 29
(39 of 45)
Student Paper Presentations

Closing Thoughts

Wednesday,
May 1
(40 of 45)
Friday,
May 3
(41 of 45)
Monday,
Apr. 6
(42 of 45)
The Ethical Organization. Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 12 (p. 336-338).
Wednesday,
May 8
(43 of 45)
The Planning Organization. Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 12 (p. 339-341).
Friday,
May 10
(44 of 45)
Final Exam Prep and Course Evaluation Eisenberg and Goodall, c. 12 (p. 342-346)
Wednesday,
May 15
(45 of 45)
10:30AM - 12:30PM - Final Exam