SPCH 3303 Syllabus
SPCH 3303: Small Group Communication
Dr. Allyn Lueders
Fall 2014
MWF 9 am
Office: 108 SCBR
Office Phone: 903-923-2317
E-mail: – the best way to reach me
Office Hours: M/W 12:00-3:00, T/Th 12:30-2:30, and by appointment
Required Text & Materials
· Keyton, J. (2006). Communicating in groups: Developing relationships for effective decision making (3rd ed.). Boston: Oxford.
Course Description
This course provides a study of small group theory and process. Special attention is given to leadership, organization, group analysis, and interaction. Students will observe and participate in group discussions on contemporary issues.
Course Format
The format of the course is designed so you will have the opportunity to develop and practice your group communication skills. Therefore, the goal is to provide you with new perspectives on the process of group and team communication, as well as increased options for communicating effectively in group and team settings. You will take part in student-facilitated discussion, group/team interaction and projects, lectures, and individual assignments. This course is driven by “self-initiated learning” enhanced by group interaction and personal reflection.
Course Goals:
1. The purpose of this course is to overview a variety of issues in small group communication. This course will examine small groups from a communication perspective with an emphasis on how messages, talk, symbols, and discourse contribute to effective small groups. By the end of the semester you should be able to answer questions such as:
a. What is a small group?
b. When should individuals or groups be used to make decisions?
c. How do groups form and develop? What kinds of stages do they go through?
d. What kinds of strategies promote effective group decision making?
e. How do issues of power and social influence affect group life?
f. What counts as effective group leadership?
g. How can conflict within small groups be managed constructively?
2. Within recent years, a key focus of small group research has been the concept of communication competence. To be a competent group communicator, you should: (a) develop an understanding of what constitutes competent communication within the small group context, and (b) be able to apply this conception within small group of which you are a member. This means, you should be able to:
a. identify issues and tensions within group life and develop strategies to manage them
effectively,
b. construct meeting agendas,
c. identify and develop skills of leading within small groups
d. facilitate group discussions effectively, and
e. manage conflict.
3. This course is also considered an upper-level course. As a result, one of my primary goals is to sharpen your written expression of important ideas and concepts and to build your capacity for making strong critical arguments backed by evidence.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & POLICIES
1. Class Attendance and Participation: The nature of this course is such that your consistent, active involvement is required. Understanding small group and team communication, as well as creating productive interpersonal relationships within the class, entail your engaging with the course material, with me, and with other class members. Thus, I expect you to attend each class, arriving on time with assigned readings and preparations for experiential exercises completed. Please bring your textbook to class and be prepared to discuss course material, pose questions, and be actively involved in experiential in-class exercises. There will be a variety of unannounced participation points and pop quizzes throughout the semester. Attendance is mandatory to receive these points.
Attendance policy: While I realize there may be occasions when it is difficult to make it to class, I do expect you to exhibit a strong commitment to this learning group and to attend class on time. I will take attendance each class period, as will you in your team meetings. Classes in which you are more than 10 minutes late without a documented excuse will count as an absence, regardless of whether you stay for the rest of the class period. In addition, more than three class absences will lower your final course grade (this is an entire week of class). You will lose ten (10) points from your final grade for each day that you are absent beyond the three absences. Additionally, an absence on a presentation day (regardless of your current absence total) will result in a 10-point deduction from your final grade for each absence. Missing all or part of the class session in which you are scheduled for a group presentation will result in 0 points for the group presentation.
If you do miss class, it is best to let me know as early as possible. I can work with you only if I know what is going on in advance. Notice that I give you three absences with no penalty – this means that anything over three, no matter what the reason, will still lead to a deduction. If you miss more than a total of fifteen class periods, you will fail the course…..no exceptions. If you are absent, participation points cannot be made up – no exceptions. Also, you are responsible for any material and assignments that were covered in class and will need to get those from a classmate.
Since you will spend a great deal of time working in your small groups, you will be given time during regular class meetings to work with your group on various projects. However, you will need to meet with your groups outside of class as well in order to complete the assignments and projects for the course. Thus, missing group work times during and outside of class will affect your group participation evaluation. Therefore, I strongly suggest you make sure you will be able to faithfully attend class, actively participate in group meetings during and outside of class, and complete the assignments over the next few months. If your work or personal schedule conflicts with class attendance and your participation in the group outside of class, you should reconsider taking this class this semester. Individuals’ grades have dropped letter grades based on their teammates’ evaluations. If you cannot meet regularly with your group, you need to drop the class.
2. Classroom Behavior
In our class, I expect you to behave in a respectful manner. This includes:
t Reading the syllabus and being aware of the course’s policies and regulations.
t Informing me prior to or on the same day as the class you will be unable to attend.
t Obtaining missed class notes, assignment information, and course materials from classmates. You are responsible for all work, even if you miss the day that it was assigned. Therefore, you must take it upon yourself to find out from a classmate what we did in class and what is due the following class period. Failure to do so will not be viewed as a legitimate excuse, and you will lose the points associated with that assignment.
t Attaining materials from the instructor that were given out on the day you missed or were given out on a day that you were late. I will not remind you that you have an assignment. You need to take responsibility and get it on your own.
t Coming to class on time.
t Behaving with academic integrity and honesty on all assignments
t Completing assignments before or on the date they are due
t Recognizing and accepting the consequences for your actions and choices
t Actively participating in each class meeting. If you fall asleep during class time, read the newspaper, study for another class, disrespect the instructor or another classmate and so on, you will be asked to leave. Refusal to comply with this request to leave the classroom can be grounds for a charge of academic misconduct.
3. Cell phones: Cellphones will not be tolerated in this class. It is rude to whomever is speaking, and other classmates, to see heads buried in laps and people not paying attention. Despite my many attempts at simply asking nicely, I have not successfully kept students off their phones. Therefore, there will be a strict cell phone policy in this class: no cell phones out during class except for emergencies.
Refusal to comply with this policy will force me to ask you to leave class, and you will lose all attendance and participation points for the day. This includes a cell phone that rings more than once per class period. No exceptions. I am not kidding.
4. Deadlines: All work is due in class on the designated due date. I do not accept late work, nor do I accept e-mailed assignments. No make-up exams, etc. will be given. Participation points cannot be made up for any reason.
5. Assignments: All assignments will be available on Blackboard. It will be your responsibility to follow the syllabus and retrieve the appropriate assignments in a timely fashion.
All written assignments must be typed unless otherwise specified. With all assignments, please consider self-presentation and impression formation as you put together your written and presentational assignments. Also remember that for group projects/assignments, what is turned in reflects your entire group—each group member is personally responsible for making sure the assignment to be submitted is acceptable. Specific writing requirements for each assignment will be shared later in class.
Papers are expected to reflect college-level writing quality. In other words, spelling, organizational, and grammatical errors will greatly reduce your final grade. To aid in this, I recommend you make use of the ACE Lab to get help if need be. Additionally, I can review any written work prior to the due date and provide feedback on content so you can make appropriate changes. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please visit me during my office hours or make an appointment.
6. Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty:
Plagiarism may be defined as the representation of someone else's ideas as your own. In this class, plagiarism includes, but is not limited to: 1) using direct quotations or close paraphrases of material without indicating the source; 2) using another student's material; 3) using another's ideas, language or development without proper attribution. Any student found guilty of plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, the giving or receiving of aid on an examination will be subject to the established college policy on academic dishonesty. Students should read and understand the university policy on academic integrity.
7. Disability Accommodations: A student with a disability may request appropriate accommodations for this course by contacting the Office of Academic Success and Graduate Services, Marshall Hall, Room 301, and providing the required documentation. If accommodations are approved by the Disability Accommodations Committee, the Office of Academic Success and Graduate Services will notify you and your professor of the approved accommodations. You must then discuss these accommodations with your professor.
8. Assignment of Teams: Since this is a team-based class, you will be working in teams for the majority of the semester. Teams will not be altered for any reason. One of the primary goals of the class is for you to be able to adapt to the sometimes challenging variables that can influence productivity within groups and teams. If you experience any difficulty or friction in your group at any point, my role will be to listen and provide guidance. However, it is your responsibility to maintain a sense of cohesion and balance within the team. It is the responsibility of group members to resolve conflicts and problems in order to complete the various projects throughout the semester. I will only act as a consultant in these matters. Groups usually find that the sooner they address growing problems, the easier it is to resolve them in a professional, mature manner. In other words, don’t wait until the last month of the semester to formally begin working on any persistent group issues.
9. Communication: I encourage you to make some time to come see me if you have any questions, concerns, or difficulties with the course. I will be glad to try to support you, but I can't assist you if I don't hear from you! You are always welcome to visit during my office hours or we can schedule an appointment, if needed. Additionally, I always make every attempt to respond to e-mails within 24 hours; however, I seldom check e-mail after 8:00 PM on Monday through Saturday or after 6:00 PM on Sunday. Therefore, if you would like a guaranteed response to an email on the day you send it, send it before those times.
10. Course Website: All students enrolled in this course have access to the course website on Blackboard. Copies of the syllabus, assignments, and grades will be available through this site. Additionally, any important announcements will be posted on the site. On occasion, I may ask you to print a document from the course website for use in an in-class activity. If you are unfamiliar with using the Blackboard system, please see me as soon as possible. All email will be sent through the Blackboard system. Therefore, it is important that the email address you regularly check is on file with Computing Services. You can check, verify, or change this at https://www.aims.ku.edu/services/services.shtml.
11. Course Material: You will be responsible for all materials in the class, including the book, supplemental readings, and lectures. All of this material is fair game for exams and for application. Outlines of the class notes will be place on Blackboard by midnight the night before class. Please note that these are not complete outlines, and you will need to come to class to get the complete information.
12. Grading Philosophy
· Grades should be a reflection of what you demonstrated you have learned, not a reflection either of how hard you've worked or what you report you have learned after you've received your grade. You must demonstrate that you have learned the material by the work that is submitted. Instructors must base their evaluations of your work on the material you turn in; that is, on the words you write. If you do not understand why you have received the grade you have, please schedule a consultation with me.