COM/HIP 175: PERSPECTIVES ON COMMUNICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS

This new class is an introduction to organizational communication. Organizations are analyzed as discursive formations mediated by talk and text. The class covers sense making, coordinating, symbolizing, talking, negotiating, reading & writing, story-telling, joking and visualizing in organizations. Exemplary case studies, employing several complementary theoretical frameworks, are used to analyze these communicative processes.

Requirements

Participation in class discussion will count for 25% of the final grade.

An in-class midterm examination will be held, focusing on the the text covered during the first half of the course (Taylor & Van Every: The Emergent Organization). The midterm will count for 25% of the final grade.

As final paper, students write a small case study of an organization they select. By the sixth week of the class, students will submit a half-page proposal for their case study. The final paper will count for 50% of the final grade.

Readings

Taylor & Van Emery's manuscript The Emergent Organization: Communication as Site and Surface will be used as the main text. Copies are available at CalCopy.

There will also be reading packet, available later at CalCopy.

Course schedule

Jan. 6: Course introduction.

Jan. 8: Introduction and Chapter 1 from The Emergent Organization.

Jan. 13: Chapters 2 and 3 from The Emergent Organization.

Jan. 15: Chapter 4 from The Emergent Organization.

Jan. 20: Chapter 5 from The Emergent Organization.

Jan. 22: Chapter 6 from The Emergent Organization.

Jan. 27: Chapter 7 from The Emergent Organization.

Jan. 29: Chapter 8 from The Emergent Organization.

Feb. 3: Chapters 9 and 10 from The Emergent Organization.

Feb. 5: Midterm.

Feb. 10: Review of The Emergent Organization.

Feb. 12: Proposals for final papers are due. Artifacts and symbols in organizational communication.

Feb. 17: Artifacts and symbols continued.

Feb. 19: Reading and writing in organizations.

Feb. 24: Reading and writing continued.

Feb. 26: Coordinating and visualizing in organizations.

March 3: Coordinating and visualizing continued.

March 5: Debating and learning in organizations.

March 10: Remembering and forgetting in organizations.

March 12: Joking in organizations. Summary of the course.