Syllabus:  CMM 315                                                                         C. A. Brammer, Ph.D.

Small Group Communication                                                               Smith Hall 248

Spring 2008                                                                                             696-2810 office

MW/TR:   2 - 3:15 pm                                                                           522-2194 home        Office Hours Posted                                                                          brammer@marshall.edu

                                                                                                                     

 

 

Text:

 

Harris, T. E. & Sherblom, J. C. (2008).  Small group and team communication.3rd Ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon

 

 

Course Description and Objectives:

 

This course is designed to make you more aware of your communication interactions in small groups.  You will have the opportunity to learn how to work more effectively in groups.  You will learn how you can improve the functioning of every group you work with by better understanding how the environment, the task, the member's attitudes, and your own behavior affects the outcome of the group and the feelings of its members. 

 

Attendance:

 

Your attendance is required for successful learning--Learning by you and members of your group.   Your participation in your group will be evaluated by your group members and will be a part of your final grade.  As you can tell -- attendance is a must. 

 

Requirements:

Attendance                                                                                                                  100 pts.

2 Group Projects                                                                     (100 pts. each)            200 pts.

Group Class Activities and Exercises                               (values vary from 15 pts.to 25pts each)       

Group/Team Community Project                                                                              250 pts.

                                                       (200pts. for report and 50 points for Class Presentation)

Midterm                                                                                                                       60 pts.

Final (Comprehensive)                                                                                               100 pts.

 

                    TOTAL              710 points   

                                                                                                            (Plus points from activities)

                                                                                                                             *****60% from group work

                                                                                                               40% from individual work

 

 

Grading Scale: 

 

    A   94%

    B   86%

    C   72%

    D   65%

   

 

 

Clarification:

 

Attendance and Participation  100 pts.---

These points are awarded as a result of your attendance and participation in class.  If you are here for the exercise, then you will receive the points.  If not present (!) you will not be allowed to make up the points.

 

Group Activities and Exercises: These will be assigned each week.  They will be valued at 15 pts. each and cannot be made up if you miss class.  There will be at least 6.  It is advised that you do not miss class, missing 2 or 3 of these can greatly reduce your grade in this class.

 

 

Group Projects: 2 - 100 pts each—200 pts. -----

1.  Creativity Project

2.  12 Angry Men Project

***Short Paper Analysis of these projects may be assigned.

 

Group Community Service Project  Analysis and Presentation- 250 pts.------

This is your final assignment!!!  Your group will report on their community service based project to the best of your collective ability.  You will analyze the project using any background information available (the analysis should be based upon the concepts from your text and referred to in your analysis). This paper is formal in nature!  This means that it should be typed and follow APA style format.  You should have a bibliography for the paper.  The paper should address decision making processes used by your group, conflict management techniques used by your group, role development by group members, and how these affected your group community project.  Your group will present this to the class as a formal presentation.  The presentation should be approximately 20 minutes long. 

 

*****I have been asked many times “How many pages?”  Your report should be at least 8 to 10 pages, not counting cover-page, table of contents, or bibliography.

 

 

 

*****Every paper that you turn in to me should follow the APA format.  Every  paper must have a bibliography.  NO EXCEPTIONS!!!  This includes your textbook!!!

 

 

 

 

Additional information:

Marshall University has a policy that prohibits all eating and drinking in the classrooms. My rule is equally simple: I don’t want to hear it, see it, smell it, or find the trash in the room from it.

 

All cell phones, beepers, tape recorders, video cameras, laptops and anything else that might be considered disruptive in the classroom are NOT permitted.

 

Marshall University has also established policies concerning academic dishonesty. This policy can be found in the student handbook under Academic Rights and Responsibilities of Students. “Academic dishonesty includes any act of a dishonorable nature which gives the student engaged in it an unfair advantage over others engaged in the same or similar course of study and which, if known to the classroom instructor in such a course of study, would be prohibited. This shall include, but is not limited to, the following: securing or giving unfair assistance during examinations or required work of any type; the improper use of books, notes, or other sources of information; submitting as one’s own work or creation any oral, graphic, or written material wholly or in part created by another; securing all or any part of assignments or examinations in advance of their submission to the class by the instructor; altering of any grade or other academic record, and any other type of misconduct or activity which manifests dishonesty or unfairness in academic work.” (60)

 

Possible sanctions for violating the honesty policy include, but are not limited to: a failing grade for the course, academic probation, academic suspension, or academic dismissal.