STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

COLLEGE AT OSWEGO


Department of Communication Studies


I. COURSE NUMBER AND CREDIT: COM 240, 3 semester hours


II. COURSE TITLE: Group Interaction and Discussion


III. COURSE DESCRIPTION Study of group interaction revolving around

discussion, group dynamics, decision-making,

problem-solving and leadership.


IV. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing.


V. COURSE JUSTIFICATION: The ability to work in groups is consistently

rated highly by employers. Consequently, this is

a standard course in communication curricula,

providing an early opportunity for students to

understand and practice group communication

skills against a background of small group theory.

VI. COURSE OBJECTIVES: The student should be able to

I. increase his/her effectiveness as a communicator

in group situations.

II. develop an understanding of group dynamics.

III. realize leadership potentialities through awareness

and practice of the many factors involved in group

process.

IV. consider and practice problem solving and decision-

making in groups.


VII. COURSE OUTLINE: I. Small Groups as Systems

II. How Groups Develop and Perform

III. Group Decision Making and Problem Solving

A. Advantages of Group Decisions

B. Critical Thinking in Decision Making

1. Decision Making Methods

2. Decision Making Fallacies

C. Problem Solving Agendas

D. Creative Problem Solving

IV. Leadership and Roles in Groups

V. Teambuilding and Positive Group Climate

VI. Managing Conflict in Groups


VIII. METHODS OF INSTRUCTION: Lectures/discussions; case studies; group projects,

exercises; simulations; readings, examinations


IX. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: I. Students will work in groups to complete at least

three major group projects, which may include

such projects as

A. developing a communication model

B. doing an analysis of an outside group

C. doing an analysis of a fictionalized group

D. completing a problem solving project

E. completing a case study of their own group

F. leading a focus group

II. Students will complete examinations over reading and

lecture materials

III. Students may work individually to analyze a group

IV. Students will evaluate the members of their own

work groups.

X. MEANS OF EVALUATION: Examinations, group projects, group participation, papers,

oral reports, evaluations of group members.


XI. RESOURCES: No additional college resources will be required.


XIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barker, V. E., Abrams, J. R., Tiyaamornwong, V., Seibold, D. R., Duggan, A.,

Park, H. S., and Sebastian, M. (2000). New contexts for relational

communication in groups. Small Group Research, 31, 470-503.


BarNir, A. (1998). Can group- and issue-related factors predict choice shift?

Small Group Research, 29, 308-338.


Bechler, C., and Johnson, S. (1995). Leadership and listening: A study of

member perceptions. Small Group Research, 26, 77-85.


Belbin, R. (1996). Team Roles At Work. London: Butterworth-Heinemann.


Bennis, W., and Biederman, P. (1997). Organizing Genius: The Secrets of

Creative Collaboration. New York: Addison-Wesley.


Berge, Z. (1994). Electronic discussion groups. Communication Education, 43,

102-111.


Brilhart, J. K., Galanas, G. J., and Adams, K. (2001). Effective Group Discussion.

New York: McGraw-Hill.


Broome, B., and Fulbright, L. (1995). A multistage influence model of barriers to

group problem solving: A participant-generated agenda for small group research.

Small Group Research, 26, 25-35.


Cathcart, R., and Samovar, L. (1996). Small Group Communication: A Reader.

Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown.




Cline, R. J. W. (1999). Communication in social support groups. In L. R. Frey,

D. S. Gouran and M. S. Poole (Eds.), The Handbook of Group Communication

Theory and Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.


Cooper, V. (1997). Homophily or the Queen Bee Syndrome: Female evaluation of

female leadership. Small Group Communication Research, 28, 483-499.


Donellon, A. (1996). Team Talk. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.


Fairhurst, G., and Sarr, R. (1996). The Art of Framing: Managing the Language of

Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.


Fisher, K. (2000). Leading Self-directed Work Teams: A Guide to Developing New

Team Leadership Skills. New York: McGraw-Hill.


Flippen, A. (1999). Understanding groupthink from a self-regulatory perspective.

Small Group Research, 30, 139-165.


Gammage, K. L., Carron, A. V., and Estabrooks, P. A. (2001). Team cohesion and

individual productivity: The influence of the norm for productivity and the

identifiability of individual effort. Small Group Research, 32, 3-18.


Hackman, M., and Johnson, C. (1996). Leadership: A Communication Perspective.

Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.


Henningsen, D. D., Cruz, M. G. and Miller, M. L. (2000). Role of social loafing in

predeliberation decision making. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and

Practice, 4, 168-175).


Hoegl, M., and Parboteeoh, K. P. (2003). Goal setting and team performance in

innovative projects: On the moderating role of teamwork quality. Small

Group Research, 34, 3-19.


Kramer, M., Kuo, C., and Dailey, J. (1997). The impact of brainstorming techniques

on subsequent group processes: Beyond generating ideas. Small Group

Research, 28, 218-242.


Mulac, A., and Bradac, J. (1995). Women’s style in problem solving interaction:

Powerless, or simply feminine? In P. Kalbfleisch and M. Cody (Eds.)

Gender, Power, and Communication in Human Relationships.

Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.


Pescosolido, A. T. (2001). Informal leaders and the development of group efficacy.

Small Group Research, 32, 74-93.


Rothwell, J. Dan. (2004). In Mixed Company: Communicating in Small Groups and Teams, 5th ed., Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.


Schittekatte, M., and Van Hiel, A. (1996). Effects of partially shared information and

awareness of unshared information on information sampling. Small Group

Research, 27, 431-449.



Schultz, B., Ketrow, S., and Urban, D. (1995). Improving decision quality in the small

group: The reminder role. Small Group Research, 26, 521-541.


Shenk, D. (1997). Data Smog: Surviving the Information Glut. New York:

Harper Collins.




Updated V.2003.12.31