Communication 4600: Senior Seminar in Organizational Communication

Social Constructions of Difference in Organizations

Fall 2003 Semester

TR 12:30-1:45pm Norlin M498

Dr. Jennifer Lyn Simpson

“I entered the classroom with the conviction that it was crucial for me and every other student to be an active participant, not a passive consumer..."

~bell hooks

Office Hours and Details:

The best way to reach me outside of class time or office hours is via e-mail at Jennifer.Simpson@Colorado.edu, course information and readings are available on-line at

http://www.colorado.edu/communication/comm4600880

The class e-mail list address is orgdiff@yahoogroups.com and the message archive can be accessed at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orgdiff

My regular office is located in Willard Hall, Room 29. I will gladly meet with you there by appointment, and can be reached there at any time at 303-735-2096.

Required Books and Readings:

Allen, B. J. (in press). Difference matters: Communicating social identity in organizations. Available from course reserve web site at:

Flick, D. L. (1998). From Debate to dialogue: Using the understanding process to transform our conversations. Boulder, CO: Orchid Press.

Ore, T. E. (2003). The social construction of difference and inequality: Race, class, gender, and sexuality" 2nd ed. New York: McGraw Hill.

Rosenblum, K. E. & Travis, T. C. (2003). The meaning of difference: American constructions of race, sexand gender, social class, and sexual orientation. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw Hill.

Supplemental Readings:

Additional or alternative readings may be assigned at my discretion over the course of the semester to address issues that arise in course discussion or to deeper learning on topics of particular interest. These readings will be handed out in class or available on-line. You are responsible for knowing what readings are due on any given day. Please check the course web site or contact me in advance of class if you are unsure.

This Syllabus is tentative and subject to change. Changes will be posted on the course web site, and you are responsible for being aware of the most current changes.

Objective

This course is designed as a capstone course in the study of organizational communication and presumes that you have already had a significant amount of coursework in the theory and practice of organizational communication. I hope that the topics addressed in this class enable you to draw connections between theories learned in other classes, and that you have opportunities to use and synthesize the skills you have developed as a student of communication. As the title of the course indicates, we will spend the semester exploring how communication functions to create and sustain understandings of ourselves in relationship to different others in society and in organizational contexts. I take the term ‘organization’ in both its noun and verb senses and so we will both look at communication as it occurs in organizations and as it functions to organize social and organizational relationships. We will begin the class by carefully exploring the social constructionist position and developing an understanding of how this theory can help us to understand how difference matters organizationally. The second part of the class will then look closely at several issues (matters) that influence and are influenced by difference in our organizational lives.

Attendance and Work Submission Policy

For our class to form a functional, supportive, and effective learning environment, attendance and participation are required. In class discussion items are subject to testing along with concepts from assigned readings. Unexcused absences are not acceptable, and will negatively impact your grade in the course. If you are ill, you will be expected to provide verification from Wardenburg or a private doctor. A late written assignment will be penalized 10% of the grade for each day it is late, and will not be accepted more than three (3) class periods after it is due. If any circumstances arise that inhibit the timely completion of your work, I expect you to see me BEFORE they are due so that we can discuss possible arrangements.

Class Ground Rules

This class is a safe zone that respects all people regardless of cultural background, sexual orientation, age, religion, ability and gender. Some ground rules that facilitate a safe climate are no interrupting, put downs or name-calling. I expect you to think critically and engage everyone respectfully in my classroom and on our course discussion list. The campus policy governing classroom behavior can be found at www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html.

Honor Code

The University of Colorado at Boulder has adopted an honor code to make more visible our commitment to academic integrity. Plagiarism of any kind is not tolerated, and carries serious sanctions. Plagiarism is defined as: n 1: a piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work 2: the act of plagiarizing; taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own (Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University). Please visit www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/ for more information about the university honor code.

Class Preparation

All class members are expected to read all assignments thoroughly and to be prepared for class discussions. You are to have read the class readings before class on the day for which they are assigned. Verbal participation will affect your grade. Pop quizzes may be administered and mini-assignments added from time to time to enhance class participation or student learning. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get the information you missed, including assignments. While I expect you to attend all classes, I also know that sometimes things happen which make that impossible. It is always better to contact me to let me know that you will be absent if such a situation arises.

Community Discussion List

Every member of the class is expected to sign up to and participate in an on-line discussion that will allow space for reflection on class readings and provide a forum for follow-up on class discussions. The list will be hosted by Yahoo!Groups, and class members should sign up during the first week of class by sending me an e-mail from the account you will be using to check for class announcements and submit assignments. I will use this list to share important information with you over the course of the semester, and you will each be expected to post at least one substantive, thoughtful message to the list each week. This message may raise a question about the reading, respond to or elaborate on a class discussion, or relate class material to an experience outside of class. Respect for one another’s viewpoints and perspectives is expected at all times. Participation on this list will count for 50% of your 200 participation points and as such represents a significant portion of your grade.

Exams

Due to stellar performance on the first exam, subsequent exams have been replaced with other assignments.  See course schedule for details.

Your final paper is due by your regularly scheduled exam date: December 13^th.  It should be submitted to me electronically, in Word (.doc) format by noon.

Papers & Projects

There are three reflection papers/projects scheduled throughout the semester that are designed to push your thinking further in the topic areas we will be exploring this semester. The assignment sheet can be found here.

Course Requirements and Grading

Assignments	Points	Due Date(s)
Exam 1	100	9/23
Paper 1	100	10/16
Project 2                  presentation	100	as assigned
lesson plan	50
Paper 3	100	12/13
Final Presentation	50	12/4, 12/9, or 12/11
Participation
Attendance/ participation—in class	50	Every day
Participation—on-line	50	Once a week
Total	600

*Quizzes and/or exams may be added if deemed necessary or appropriate.

Grading is based on the following point distribution:

100-95%	A	73.5-76.9%	C
90-94.9%	A-	70-73.4%	C-
87-89.9%	B+	67-69.9%	D+
83.5-86.9%	B	63.5-66.9%	D
80-83.4%	B-	60-63.4%	D-
77-79.9%	C+	0-59.9%	F

An invitation

Part of what I enjoy most about teaching is getting to know my students and helping them apply course material to their own experience. I highly encourage you to meet with me in my office either alone or as a group. The more open the lines of communication between us the better able I will be to address your individual learning needs. Also feel free to e-mail me anytime with questions or concerns that you have regarding course material.

Special Circumstances

Students with disabilities who qualify for academic accommodations must provide a letter from Disability Services (DS) and discuss specific needs with me, preferably during the first two weeks of class. DS determines accommodations based on documented disabilities (303-492-8671, Willard 322, www.colorado.edu/sacs/disabilityservices).

If you will miss class because of a religious observance, please see me well in advance of your absence so that reasonable accommodations can be made.

CAMPUS RESOURCES FOR OPTIMAL LEARNING

Academic Skills Program (Student Academic Services) 492 - 5474

Willard 386

Academic Excellence Program 492 - 3842, 492-4977 (TTY)

Willard 313

Advising, tutoring, career advising, financial advising, mentoring for low income, 1st generation in college or disabled students

American Indian Upward Bound 492 - 6134

WILLARD 203

Career Services 492 - 6541

WILLARD 20

Counseling and Psychological Services: A Multicultural Center

492 -6766 WILLARD 134

Cultural Unity Center 492 - 5667 WILLARD 112

Social Support/Counseling/ Resource and Referral

Mentorship/Leadership

Cultural Awareness & Sensitivity

Professional and peer counseling

Disability Services TTY/V 492 - 8671 WILLARD 322

English as a Second Language 492 - 5547

1030 13^th Street

(63 UCB)

Information Technology Services

Help Desk: 492-6543

General: 492-8172

Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center

492 - 1377 WILLARD 227

Stress Management Counseling 492 - 5654 WARDENBURG

Tutorial Services 492 - 5474 WILLARD 386

Women's Resource Center 492 - 5713 UMC 412

Writing Programs

Student Academic Services Center 492 - 1416

WILLARD 386

Program in Writing and Rhetoric 492-5464

Basement Environmental Design Building

Course Schedule

B

Date	Topics	Assignments
T 8/26	Introductions and Course Overview
R 8/28	Social Construction and Difference in Organizations	Allen Ch. 1*
T 9/2	Communicative construction of Difference: Doing Dialogue	Flick Chs. 1-4 Deetz & Simpson*
R 9/4	Communicative construction of Difference: Doing Dialogue	Flick Chs. 6-9 R&T 481-486
T 9/9	Defining Terms and Concepts	Allen Ch. 2*
R 9/11	Constructing Difference(s)	Ore pp.1-17 R&T pp. 2-37
T 9/16	Maintaining Difference(s)	Ore pp.182-204 R&T pp. 325-351
R 9/18	Summary and Synthesis
T 9/23	Exam 1	Study!
R 9/25	“Tough Guise”	Gender Matters Allen Ch. 3* R&T 126
T 9/30		R&T 98-108
R 10/2	Fall Break	NO SCHOOL
T 10/7	Connections & Synthesis	Ore 99-106 & 114-118
R 10/9	“Raising Kids to be Racists”	Race Matters Allen Ch. 4* R&T 92-97
T 10/14		R&T 254-259 & Kivel: Allies
R 10/16	“People Like Us”	Class & Sexuality Matters Allen Ch. 5* Allen Ch. 8* Paper 1 Due
T 10/21		Age & Ability Matters Allen Chs. 6 & 7*
R 10/23	Dr. Allen in class Project Proposal Due	Allen Ch. 9*
T 10/28	Ellen: The sex which is not one.	TBA
R 10/30	Anthony: Intimate Revolt	TBA
T 11/4	Brigitte: Genderqueer: Voices from beyond the sexual binary	TBA
R 11/6	D' : Men, masculinity, and the media	TBA
T 11/11	Lissy: Fierce and Tender Men: Sociological Aspects of the Men's Movement and Revisioning Men's Lives--Gender, Intimacy, and Power	TBA
R 11/13	Jessica: The Humblest May Stand Forth: Rhetoric, Empowerment, and Abolition	TBA
T 11/18	Merrick: Learning to Labor: How  Working Class Kids get Working Class Jobs	TBA
R 11/20	Walking a mile…	TBA
T 11/25	Brittany: (Multicultural Aspects of) Sociolinguistics in deaf communities	TBA
R 11/27	Thanksgiving	NO SCHOOL
T 12/02	Jane: Inclusion and Democracy	TBA
R 12/04	Ellen, Anthony, Brigitte	Presentations
T 12/09	D', Lissy, Jessica	Presentations
R 12/11	Merrick, Brittany, Jane	Presentations

All readings marked with a * are available from the course web page, listed below.

This schedule is tentative and subject to change. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out if the content of this schedule has changed at all. Updates to it will be posted at www.colorado.edu/communication/comm4600880

Final Paper due, Saturday, December 13th, before noon.

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