Queens University of Charlotte Knight School of Communication COMM602 Research Proseminar Monday 6:00-8:45 pm Sykes 28

Instructor: Zachary White, Ph.D. Office Location: Dana 102-D Office Phone: 704-688-2731 Email: whitez@queens.edu @Zmwhite Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9:30-11 a.m. and by appointment Required Materials: Keyton, J. (2010). Communication research: Asking questions, finding answers (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Supplemental Readings: Additional readings and research examples will be posted on the Queens Learning Management System (Moodle). http://moodle.queens.edu/ You must have and actively use your Moodle account to access readings, assignment sheets, and other essential items.

COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed as an introduction to graduate study in Organizational and Strategic Communication. This introduction will include an overview of assumptions, values, theories and concepts in communication. In addition, students will survey basic research methodologies, focusing on qualitative research methods. Finally, this course will introduce students to the academic research, digital skills, and writing processes involved in the investigation of communication in a variety of contexts. The specific goals of this course are to: 1. Expose students to the various disciplines and theoretical approaches to the study of communication. 2. Familiarize students with basic research methodologies, the structure of academic

2 research, and the skills necessary to interpret and critically evaluate communication research using competent and ethical methods. 3. Develop academic thinking, research, and writing skills as it pertains to investigating and analyzing communication in organizational settings. After completing this course, you will be able to: Identify and locate academic research on a particular topic. Summarize and evaluate an existing quantitative research study. Understand quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and their respective validity and reliability measures. Draft an annotated bibliography related to a research topic and present/translate some of the findings to a local professional (non-academic audience). Draft a formal research proposal for your own research study using APA citation style. The formal research proposal will include the following steps: o Choosing a research topic o Performing library research o Composing an appropriate research question(s) o Writing an effective literature review o Designing a research methodology o Completing a thorough APA bibliography Understand what constitutes academic plagiarism and become familiar with ethical research practices, including IRB protocol. Edit your own writing (and your peers) for academic style, grammar, and punctuation. Translate your research proposal into an alternative medium to be presented to the class. Develop basic digital literacy skills to enhance the out-of-class learning experience, including tweeting and blogging. Course Policies: 1. Expectations: At the graduate-level, I expect students to come to class ready to discuss, analyze, critique, and apply course-related material. Given we meet only once a week, each class period is vitally important to your ability to do well in the course. Moreover, your active and ongoing participation throughout the course is essential to enhancing both your own success and that of the overall class experience. My goal will be to introduce you to graduate level studies and provide you the basic knowledge and skills necessary to explore, study, and contribute to the field of communication and to your particular area of interest/expertise/audience. Moreover, I hope to introduce you to the communication methods and approaches that will help you best understand and study the communication texts you are most interested in.

3 2. Written Work: In addition to bringing a hard copy of assignments to class, please submit an electronic copy (email to: whitez@queens.edu) of all written documents by 6 p.m. on the assigned day. Any assignments submitted to me after that time will be considered late. Typically, late assignments are lowered one letter grade for each class meeting after the assigned due date. If you know you will miss class for any reason when an assignment is due, you must submit the completed assignment BEFORE you leave to receive credit. Written work must be TYPED and PROOFREAD for errors. Handwritten assignments will not be accepted (unless otherwise specified). Written assignments are required to follow the APA format. For example, typed assignments should be 11- to 12-point font size, Times New Roman, double-spaced, and one inch margins--a few of the basic guidelines for APA format. Be sure to keep a copy of all major assignments for your records. Also, make sure to save all assignments as you will need to collect and digitize this material for your eventual capstone cours. 3. Class Attendance: A great deal of learning in this course comes from in-class discussions, so it is essential that you attend class consistently. More than 1 unexcused absence will result in a deduction of participation points. This course meets 14 times over the semester. Therefore, a student who misses class more than 3 times (and thus misses almost 1/3 of the class meetings) will receive a failing grade in the course. Assignments not turned in on the assigned day during the assigned class period (not after) will receive a full grade deduction. For each calendar day beyond the assigned due date, a full grade will be deducted. 4. University Closings/Cancelled Classes: In the rare occasion when it is necessary to close the university, announcements will be made on TV and radio, and will be posted on the Queens web site (www.queens.edu). Students who live on campus will be notified of a decision to cancel classes through their voice mail. Commuter students should call the Queens Information Hotline (704-337-2567). NOTE: If classes are meeting but you find that you cannot find a safe way to get to class, you should notify me as soon as possible. 5. Academic Integrity: Papers/assignments found to contain plagiarized material will result in an automatic failure for the assignment, and possible future action by the university. The Honor Code, which permeates all phases of university life, is based on three fundamental principles. It assumes that Queens students: a) are truthful at all times, b) respect the property of others, and c) are honest in tests, examinations, term papers, and all other academic assignments. Please contact me if you believe a violation of the Honor Code has occurred. It is a violation of the Honor Code for a student to be untruthful concerning the reasons for a class absence. 6. Intellectual Property Policy: Queens University of Charlotte faculty and students adhere to the Queens Intellectual Property Policy. See Faculty

4 Handbook, http: moodle.queens.edu and the Queens University of Charlotte Website at: http://www.queens.edu. 7. Human Participant Research: All student-directed research that involves human participants must have a faculty sponsor. Additionally, all research that involves human participants must be reviewed and approved by the university institutional review board (IRB) PRIOR to the initiation of any research activities. IRB Information and approval forms are available on the myQueens portal (http://myqueens.queens.edu). First, sign into myQueens and then click the Shared Documents link on the left side of the screen. This will take you to the Institutional Review Board Documents folder. 8. Class decorum: Students are not to talk over the professor or others during class. Students are to come to class on time. Students are expected to turn off cell phones and other electronic devices while in class. Violation of any of these simple rules of decorum will negatively affect a students participation grade. Continued violation will result in the student being expelled from the class. 9. Disability Accommodations: If you are a student with a verified disability, please give to your professor, the LETTER OF ACCOMMODATION provided by Student Disability Services. Students who have a disability, or think they have a disability (e.g. psychiatric, attentional, learning, vision, hearing, physical, or systemic), are invited to contact Sandy Rogelberg, Manager of Student Disability Services for a confidential discussion. The Office of Student Disability Services is located in Dana 014 (in the Center for Academic Success) or contact at 704337-2508 or at rogelbes@queens.edu. Additional information is available at the SDS website: http://www.queens.edu/studentlife/resources/disability.asp.

10. Grading: You will receive feedback and a grade on each assignment completed. Final grades will be calculated by summing your numerical grades and assigning the appropriate letter grade. The grading scale is as follows: A B C D F 100-90 89-80 79-70 69-60 59 and below

5 11. Graded Assignments: A: Participation (20% total). Your participation grade is partly based on your preparation for class as evaluated by your active engagement in class discussion, use of twitter to respond to and enhance class discussion, and completion of in and out-of-class exercises. In addition, your participation grade will be determined by your performance on the following: o Research Scavenger Hunt (DUE Oct 3) o Article Discussions (Due: TBA): For at least 1 selected assigned reading posted on Moodle, you will be responsible for leading the class in discussion. Details and grading criteria will be provided in advance of each article discussion. o Research Translation (Due: Nov. 14) For this assignment, you will be required to choose one academic article that you believe will be of benefit to a specified audience (employer, employee, prospective consulting client, etc.). You must do all of the following for this assignment: a) choose a peer-reviewed article; b) make sense of the article and its use for the specified audience; c) meet with the audience and translate the material; d) turn in a 3-page brief on the meeting including a synopsis of the article, why you believed it was of benefit to your designated audience, and the response/interaction during/after the informal presentation). B: Research Critique 15% (Due: October 17) Summarize and critique a peer reviewed scholarly journal article. You will also prepare a 5-minute oral presentation of your findings to give the class. A detailed description of the expectations for this assignment will be posted on Moodle. . C. Annotated Bibliography 25% (Due: October 31) Draft an annotated bibliography on nine academic articles/books that you will later use for your research proposal. You will orally present one of the sources from your annotated bibliography to the class and to a local professional. A detailed description of the expectations for this assignment will be posted on Moodle. D. Research Proposal 40% (Final Proposal Due: December 5) Draft a formal research proposal on a chosen organizational communication topic using correct APA citation style. See more guidelines below. There are several mini assignments due throughout the semester to help you progress on this assignment: o Research Questions: Due October 24 o Rationale (1 paragraph) and Theoretical Framework & Proposed Methodology Due Nov. 7

6 Other major deadlines: o Draft of Research Proposal (for in-class peer critique): Due Nov. 28 o Final Research Proposal: Due December 5 o Presentation of Proposed Research (in an alternative medium ): Due Dec. 12 in class

Comm 602 Syllabus Tentative Date Syllabus (subject to change)

Sept. 12

Introduction and Rationale and Goals for Course Twitter workshop What is Communication? Communication as a Mode of Inquiry and Research Work Experience History/Developing Topics/Areas of Interest Ways of Knowing in Communication Different Paradigms for Understanding Communication Blogging workshop How to Choose a Research Topic (Research Topic Due: October 10) Thinking About Theory and Research (see Moodle) Communication Theory as a Field (see Moodle) Keyton, Ch. 1

Sept. 19

Sept 26

Writing Workshop Library Workshop Introduction to Communication Theory Assign: Research Scavenger Hunt (Due October 3) APA, pp. 9-11 Keyton, Ch. 2 Complete Queens Information Literacy Tutorial (QUILT) http://queens.libguides.com/quilt.

Oct. 3

Introduction to Quantitative Research Assumptions/Aims/Strengths/Weaknesses Validity and Reliability How to Read a Journal Article Assign Research Critique (Due October 17) Research Scavenger Hunt Due Assign discussion leaders for selected readings posted on Moodle Keyton, Ch.s 3, & 6, APA Ch. 6

Oct. 10

Quantitative Data Collection and Analysis Article Discussion Leaders Reading and Writing the Quantitative Research Report How to Write a Research Critique Assign: Annotated Bibliography (Due October 31) Keyton, Ch. 9 or 13 & Ch. 17, APA Ch. 7

Oct. 17

Introduction to Qualitative Research Assumptions/Aims/Strengths/Weaknesses Validity and Reliability Discussion of Research Questions Research Critique Due Assign article discussion leaders for selected readings posted on Moodle Keyton, Ch.s 4, 14

Oct. 24

Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis Reading and Writing Qualitative Research Reports Article Discussion Leaders Research Translation Assignment Discussion How to Write a Rationale and Theoretical Framework for the Research Proposal Research Questions Due Keyton Ch.s 15 & 16

Oct. 31

Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis How to Propose a Methodology Annotated Bibliography Due Presentation of one article from your annotated bibliography Assign: Research Proposal (Due on August 3) Keyton: Ch. 18

Nov. 7

IRB/Ethics Discussion/Guest Speaker: Dr. Lily Halsted Writing the Methodology and Data Analysis Sections How to Write a Literature Review/Data Analysis/Findings Section and Conclusion Rationale, Theoretical Framework, and Methodology Section Proposals Due Keyton: Ch. 5

Nov. 14

Proposal Checklist and Review Research Translation Assignment Due IRB appendices checklist Reviewing the necessary elements of the proposal APA, Ch.s 2, 3, & 4 Draft Writing/Thanksgiving Break Draft of Research Proposal Due Peer Critique of Drafts How to Write a Title Page and Abstract Discussion of Presentation Possibilities Ch. 8, APA Final Research Proposals Due Presentation of Research Proposals (in alternative medium)

Nov. 21 Nov. 28

Dec. 5 Dec. 12