COM 3068

MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS

Syllabus Spring 2023
INSTRUCTOR: Karen Shearer Dunn MOBILE PHONE: (704)441-9217
EMAIL ADDRESS: Karen.Dunn@baruch.cuny.edu HOME PHONE: (704)256-3535

TEXT
Richmond, Virginia, James McCrosky and Larry Powell. Organizational Communication for Survival. 5th ed.
Boston: Pearson, 2013. ISBN-10: 0-205-06034-X ISBN-13: 978--0-0-205-06034-4

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces the study of managerial communication within complex organizations through a review of recent
theoretical contributions, empirical findings, and methodological advances in the field of organizational communication.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
 Develop a communication approach to understanding organizations.
 Explore the managerial communication perspectives, principles, and pragmatics necessary to understand and succeed
in organizations.
 Explain how individual personality traits and human temperament effect managerial communication and cohesion.
 Examine how supervisors and subordinates communicate with each other effectively. Explain how both employee
and employer perceptions of each other can impact an organization.
 Discuss how power and status influence the normal functioning of organizations and managerial communication.
 Enhance your ability to assess and improve communication processes in various organizational situations.

EVALUATION
5 Quizzes @ 100 points each 500 points
Final Exam 250 points
Discussion Forum and Online Participation 250 points
__________
1000 points

Your grade will be determined by your total amount of points earned. The distribution is as follows:
Grades are assigned as follows
1000-940 A 939-900 A-
899-870 B+ 869-840 B 839-800 B-
799-770 C+ 769-740 C 739-700 C-
699-650 D+ 649-600 D 599 down is failing

THE QUIZZES
The quizzes are objective in style with a variety of multiple choice and true/false questions. The questions will focus
more on definition and understanding of the material covered in the text and in lectures. Approximately 60% of the
questions on the exams will come from material covered in the online lessons. The remaining 40% of questions will be
from material in the text not discussed in the lessons. Therefore, reading the text is very important as well as watching
(and taking notes on) the online lessons.
EXPECTATIONS FOR ONLINE COURSES
Online courses require a lot of discipline. You are expected to log onto the course site regularly. Do not save all of your
work for the last day of that week. It is vitally important that you keep up with all of your work each week.
 Each week closes on Friday. You are expected to have all work for that week completed by midnight Friday
night. The next week officially begins on Saturday.
 You are expected to watch all online lessons and take notes much in the same way you would a lecture.
o You are encouraged to take hand written notes over the lessons. Much research has indicated that hand
written notes helps in your understanding and retention of the material.
 You are expected to take the quizzes within the time allowed and before they close at midnight on Friday each
week. You are not permitted to make up missed quizzes.
 You are expected to fully participate in all online discussion forums and activities before they close at midnight on
Friday each week. You are not permitted to do late discussions.
 Illness, emergencies or technical difficulties on Friday night are not accepted excuses for not completing your
work throughout the week. Do not save all of your work for the last day of that week.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
I fully support Baruch College’s policy on Academic Honesty which states, in part: “Academic dishonesty is
unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Cheating, forgery, plagiarism and collusion in dishonest acts undermine the
college’s educational mission and the students’ personal and intellectual growth. Baruch students are expected to bear
individual responsibility for their work, to learn the rules and definitions that underlie the practice of academic integrity,
and to uphold its ideals. Ignorance of the rules is not an acceptable excuse for disobeying them. Any student who
attempts to compromise or devalue the academic process will be sanctioned. ” Academic sanctions in this class will range
from an F on the assignment to an F in this course. A report of suspected academic dishonesty will be sent to the Office
of the Dean of Students. Additional information and definitions can be found at:
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html
 

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Students with disabilities may be eligible for a reasonable accommodation to enable them to participate fully in courses at
Baruch. If you feel you may be in need of an accommodation, please contact the Office of Services for Students with
Disabilities at (646) 312-4590. For this course, it will likely mean extended time on quizzes. Please email me a photo of
your accommodation card before the first quiz.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS
There are no "make-up" work opportunities to take quizzes or post to discussions late. The only exception would be a
documented illness or hospitalization which was incapacitating for the majority of the week in question. Therefore, it is
essential that you finish all discussion posting and take your quizzes by the due date each week. You are encouraged to
start the assignments each week before Friday night. If you choose do all the work on Friday nights and an emergency or
illness occurs on that Friday night, this is not an accepted excuse and you will not be permitted to make up that work.

PARTICIPATION ONLINE
Online participation in this course means frequent posts in the discussion forums. What I am looking for is evidence that
you understand course material and can apply it to your own experiences. Discussion posts that reference and apply
specific lesson and text material will receive more points. YES, you are expected to comment on your classmate's posts
and are required to comment at least twice for each discussion for full credit! So a total of 3 posts for each discussion.

Blackboard allows me to track your activity on the course site. I can see what you have viewed, how many times you
have viewed it, when you viewed it and how long you spent viewing each online component. I will award maximum
points to students who participate early in the week rather than later. I will also award points to students who comment
more on the discussion forums.
TAKING THIS COURSE ONLINE
Students choosing to take this course online will be expected to have regular computer access, log onto
Blackboard and email regularly and to have consistent and reliable internet connection. Not having access to
a computer, reliable internet, or other necessary technology does not exempt you from an assignment and
will not result in an extension of the deadlines. Most of these things are available at local libraries, on
campus, coffee shops and the like or may be purchased at relatively low cost. Being out of the country is not
an acceptable excuse. All work in this course will be done on Blackboard.

SCHEDULE (subject to change)

Week Topics Reading Assignment

1 1/25-2/3 Orientation to the Course

2 2/4-2/10 The Nature of Organizations and Communications Chapters 1 & 2

3 2/11-2/17 Management & Organizational Theory Chapter 9

4 2/18-2/24 Leadership Theories

Quiz #1

5 2/25-3/3 Managing Your Boss Chapter 4 & 14

What Kind of Manager Do You Have?

6 3/4-3/10 Workplace Assimilation

7 3/11-3/17 Mentoring Relationships

Quiz #2

8 3/18-3/24 Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace Chapter 3 & 8

Perceptions of People

9 3/25-3/31 Formal and Informal Channels, Chapter 10

Status, and Managing the Office Grapevine
Quiz #3

10 4/1-4/7 Personality, Temperament and Chapters 6 & 7

Communication Styles at Work

4/8-4/14 Spring Recess No Online Activity

11 4/15-4/21 Organizational Cultures Chapter 11

12 4/22-4/28 Conflict Management at Work Chapter 13

Quiz #4

13 4/29-5/5 Office Politics Chapter 15

14 5/6-5/12 Change Management Chapter 12

Quiz #5

Finals Week Take Final Exam by midnight Friday, May 19