Courses

This course explores a variety of approaches to conflict and the relevant contexts within which conflict management occurs. It covers three major areas of study: conflict theories, styles and approaches; mitigating and managing conflict; and conflict resolutions.

By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. Describe theories and research related to conflict management.
2. Examine the role of communication in conflict and conflict management processes.
3. Analyze the components of conflict that lead to constructive or destructive communication patterns.
4. Evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of strategies, methods, and responses for a given conflict situation.
5 Critique strategies for effective conflict management or mitigation of a given situation.

Theory, concepts, methods, and analysis for understanding and applying social networks to organizational contexts.

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

• Use networks as a theoretical framework for their own research.
• Use network analysis as a research technique (e.g., how to gather the data, identify relevant concepts, how to analyze and represent the data).
• Explain how network concepts apply to theories or topics of interest to the student.
• Analyze relationships in terms of social networks and organization theory.
• Synthesize organizational and networks theories and concepts.
• Use computer software to manage raw network data and then conduct various network analyses on it.

These courses involve assisting a faculty member with ongoing research projects.

Examination of group and organizational leadership from a communicative perspective, integrating both theory and current practice. Topics of focus include leadership roles relative to organizational culture, diversity, organizational assessment, support technology, organizational change, ethics, and leadership and organizational development. The course includes informational and experiential learning approaches.

This course focuses in how decision-making happens within and between organizations. The course focuses on how communicative action and communication networks shape decision-making processes and outcomes. The course addresses the design of effective decision-making systems. Topics in include individual & group decision-making, problem-solving, conflict management, decision and negotiation support systems, decision-making in virtual and networked organizations, and the role of technology in decision-making.

The key issues explored in this course concern the management of interorganizational relationships and projection of organizational reputation, image, and identity to external audiences. The course begins with identification and specification of the external environment(s) of organizations. Readings and discussion explore interorganizational relationships, boundary-spanning communication, and management of external stakeholder relationships.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify key concepts related to IORs; organizational environments; and stakeholder relationships. 
• Describe important established relationships among these concepts and to argue for the important roles of communication in maintaining, altering, and dissolving IORs and stakeholder relationships. 
• Describe important research findings that describe communication and organizational dynamics related to IORs and stakeholder relationships.
• Synthesize the literature on these subjects to support an original argument regarding these issues. 
• Translate the theory and research findings into practice and apply the general scholarship to a specific situation.

This course is an advanced masters-level course focused on the diverse array of topics studies in organizational communication research. We will examine the role of communication in issues of socialization and identification; power, conflict and control; decision making and leadership; ethics, performance, and feedback; turnover, burnout, and exit; culture; structure and networks; as well as image and reputation. It is based on theory and research, but will also address application.

Development of familiarity with the major theoretical and research orientations to the study of organizational culture. How the construction and management of "culture" is related to power, the representation of interests, decision making, productivity, personnel development, and social well-being. Investigate cross-cultural relations and cultural change related to global organizational developments.

Analysis and preparation of case studies in industry, labor, education, government, and trade organizations, and the application of public relations techniques.

This course will provide a theoretical orientation to communication processes in social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, blogs, wikis, and virtual worlds such as Second Life). Readings will be selected from a variety of disciplines, with a major emphasis on mediated communication theory and phenomena. Topics discussed include issues of self-presentation, identity, privacy, youth and social media, political participation, social networks, social capital, virtual worlds, collective action, uses of social media in the workplace. Methodological and ethical approaches to studying social media data will also be discussed.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand and engage with communication theory and empirical research relevant to understanding the emerging field of social media.
• Analyze the implications of social media for interpersonal relationships, organizations, and society more broadly, by drawing on theory, case studies, and real-world examples.
• Contribute to knowledge of social media through original research.
• Learn to use online tools to more effectively manage online self-presentation and social networks.

The focus of this course is on being able to clearly communicate the "why" behind each of the four steps in the Public Relations process - Research, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. The course will focus on three essential components of PR strategy: informed campaign design, clear messaging, and efficient measurement and evaluation. In addition, the course will address the changing nature of the industry and the challenges and opportunities presented that require PR practitioners to be proactive and flexible regarding strategy.  The course is designed to teach advanced public relations skills and features readings, discussion, research, and practice in public relations. It builds on the public relations knowledge and techniques studied in previous courses, therefore requires higher-level/ critical thinking and evaluation and clear application of concepts.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand, identify, and discuss how PR strategy drives and is implemented in the public relations process.
• Examine ethical, legal, and management issues that can affect strategy decisions.
• Create elements of PR campaigns, both tactical and strategic.
• Demonstrate PR best practice principles through proposals and presentations.

This course explores various approaches to ethical behaviors and decision-making and applies them to diverse aspects of strategic communication in professional settings. Students will learn to discern a wide variety of ethical issues concerning communication behavior, apply systematic ethical analysis to various organizational situations, and clearly explain their analyses. The course applies abstract principles to specific cases in applied ethics (deductive approach) as well as using a bottom-up (inductive approach) in developing students’ ethical decision-making skills. Students will use the learned knowledge of moral decision-making and begin exploring contemporary topics in strategic communication ethics, such as political communication, public relations, advertising, marketing and health communication.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Discuss individual and organizational ethics principles and decision-making.
• Identify ethical communication practices.
• Discuss U.S. laws impacting organizational communication.
• Examine ethical and legal issues in organizational communication.
• Identify and recognize their own ethical and moral foundation. 
• Affirm or modify their personal foundation in the light of the class work and discussions.
• Apply their personal framework to a series of ethical decisions made by individuals, leaders, and managers in the contemporary United States.

Principles and practices in organizational communication and quality assessment in industry, health care, government, and education. Topics include: surveys (communication audits and inventories), Baldrige-based assessment (criteria and application), interpretive approaches (historical analysis, participant observation, and in-depth and focus-group interviewing), and message analysis (content and interaction).

Applications and policy implications of innovative communication and information-processing technology in business, government, and education; emphasis on political, economic, and legal aspects.

(Below are some topics courses that have been offered in the last few years)

Work and Technology
This class examines key issues at the intersection of communication technology use and organizational worksites, including privacy/surveillance, collaboration, virtual work, and work-life balance. Special emphasis is given to organizational and technology policies in these areas.

Understanding, Designing, and Building Social Media
Now offered as 17:194:546

This course will introduce students to quantitative, qualitative, and interpretive methods for doing research on digital media (online media, mobile media, and social media) and ethical ways of employing those methods. Students will learn about how to apply quantitative, qualitative, and interpretive methods to studies of digital media creation, content, and use, and students will also learn about how digital media companies use research and analytics. At the end of this course, students should have a basic understanding of several general research methods used by digital media scholars and have gained an appreciation for the ethical considerations in conducting human subjects research.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Apply a basic vocabulary of concepts about digital media research.
• Identify strong and problematic research.
• Discover and present considerations for ethical practice in digital media research.
• Identify the basic considerations in designing and conducting questionnaire studies, interviews and examinations of content.
• Develop a plan for a research study.

International public relations is practiced by all types of private, public, nonprofit, activist, non-governmental organizations and institutions.

This graduate course includes content and discussions on global issues affecting the public relations profession, the PR professional and the engagement of stakeholders at the home, host, and transnational levels.

This course will survey how global public relations strategies are developed and implemented to support advocacy efforts, emphasizing successful case studies and failures. For instance, the course includes an evaluation of the various factors that determine the profession’s evolution and practice in different countries.

Also, this graduate course aims to introduce and analyze the main concerns affecting the management of the public relations function, such as transnational crises; coordination and control mechanisms trends; practitioners’ roles, responsibilities, and competencies in a global context

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe public relations and its role worldwide.
• Differentiate between various political, socioeconomic, cultural, environmental, and contextual variables which determine specific public relations practices in different regions.
• Develop, implement, and assess a comprehensive global public relations strategy that includes social media technologies.
• Demonstrate writing and presentation skills relevant to public relations roles through group/individual assignments and class discussions.
• Apply a country-specific approach to public relations campaigns based on actual international case studies.
• Describe the intersections of multiculturalism & diversity and global public relations.

Leaders are often in the position of bringing about change. In the study of organizations and leadership, change is a critical topic. Change does not happen naturally in most organizations, it is a leader-led process. This course takes two perspectives. The first is that organizations are made up of processes. Every day, these processes run and regenerate themselves. Examining them for ways to improve can lead to redesign and ultimately gains in cost saving, customer satisfaction, and improved morale. The second perspective is that a metaphorical force field called culture organizes and shapes organizations. We breathe the air of culture in our work lives each day. Analyzing culture enables us to consider its impact on organizational effectiveness and ability to reach goals.

The course will weave together these four critical elements in change – organizational culture, leadership, communication and internal processes.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the macro environment’s impact on leaders and organizations.
• Describe a variety of change management theories and their application in practice.
• Assess the intersections between leadership, organizational processes, organizational culture, communication and change.
• Develop appropriate recommendations for leading and communicating change.
• Interpret how organizational culture and change intersect.
• Assess a leader’s role in leading, shaping, and changing organizational culture.
• Evaluate and assess different change models and their effectiveness.

This class is designed to give an overview of the major fields of study in the area of health communication. This includes the areas of health communication campaigns, multicultural health communication, physician-patient communication, and communication among health professionals. The ultimate goal of health communication is to increase health and satisfaction by encouraging healthier behaviors, medical compliance, and more efficient communication of medical information.

(Below are some sample topics courses that have been offered in the past few years)

Health Campaigns
This graduate-level course provides an overview of theory and research concerning the role of communication campaigns in health promotion efforts. Whereas "traditional" approaches to the study and application of public health communication campaigns focus almost exclusively on the design of persuasive messages and the use of effective channels, the approach taken in this course is more firmly grounded in the concept and principles of social marketing. By blending theory and practice, this course affords students an opportunity to experience first-hand the process of designing, implementing,and evaluating public health communication campaigns.

Interpersonal Health Communication
This course focuses specifically on the role of interpersonal and dyadic interaction in health settings. In this course, you will 1) gain an understanding of theories used in the field of health communication; 2) learn to analyze health communication research; 3) better understand programs of research in health communication.

E-Public Health
e-Public Health encompasses the use of web-based health communication in the promotion of health and prevention of disease at the individual, community, or population levels. This course provides a theoretical and methodological  foundation in the survey of communication processes and the strategic use of communication in the planning, design, implementation and evaluation of web-based public health information, resources, and interventions, or e-Public Health.

This course considers the intersections of science, media, and society. With a focus on both theory and practice, we will explore the media’s role in how we understand and communicate about the most critical science issues of our day. Course topics include: public understanding of science; representations of science in journalism and popular culture; the media’s influence on public engagement with science; the strategic uses of media to communicate about science. Special emphasis will be given to understanding the media’s role in shaping perceptions of controversial science issues.

The course is divided into two major units. During the first part of the course, we will study the psychological, social, cultural, and political underpinnings of public opinion about science issues. In other words, we will try to understand, through the lens of various social scientific theories, why people believe what they do about issues such as climate change, and vaccine safety; why their beliefs sometimes conflict with the best available scientific evidence on the topic; and why these beliefs can be so difficult to change. During the second part of the course, we will survey the science media landscape, and use the theories and concepts covered in the first part of the course to evaluate the implications of media for public engagement with science. We will examine science journalism, online media, media campaigns and activism, and representations of science in entertainment and popular culture.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify and describe the theories and concepts used to explain public perceptions of and attitudes toward science issues.
• Explain how the media, in interaction with other factors, influence public engagement with science issues.
• Develop persuasive, evidence-based arguments about the intersections of science, media, and society.
• Critically analyze and evaluate science media content and practices.
• Interact and communicate effectively with others about media and science.

In this class, small group interaction is examined in depth, including observation, interpersonal activity, group systems, conflict resolution, and listening.  The focus is on practical, business, and organizational group activities in real-world situations to prepare students to understand, effectively participate in, and control group dynamics.

Readings, lecture, discussions, case study and small group exercises will be utilized to master conceptual material necessary for leadership excellence.  The goal of this course is to help the student improve their teaming and communication skills, as effective team membership becomes an even more critical professional and career competency.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Discuss factors that shape the communication process in groups.
• Discuss small group theory and research in a variety of team contexts.
• Discern relevant principles, theories, and research findings associated with group communication to their own experiences and various leadership contexts.
• Execute basic communication competencies needed by individuals to be more effective group members and leaders.

This class focuses on the foundational and contemporary research that makes up the study of interpersonal communication. Its primary goal is to give students an understanding of the origins and the current directions of much of the scholarship on interpersonal communication.

(Below is one sample course that has been offered in the last few years)

Studying talk in social interaction
This course takes up the question of how we use language to communicate and introduces students to the methods and findings of a particular qualitative way of analyzing social interaction called "Conversation Analysis." We will examine video- and audio-recorded, naturally occurring conversations to learn how to look beyond the taken for granted answers to questions about how and why we talk and behave as we do. You will learn about the underlying structures of conversation that make it possible for us to accomplish mundane (and not so mundane) activities of everyday life - agreeing and disagreeing, complaining, complimenting, teasing, telling stories, etc. We will also discuss how we construct our identities and relationships through our ordinary talk.

This course examines the process of evaluating the public relations function. It provides students with practical guidelines for evaluating and analyzing the effectiveness of public relations campaigns. 

Students will connect communication measures of effectiveness to business results, including being able to calculate ROI. By implementing best practices for conducting research methodologies, students will be able to interpret and report findings to determine campaign effectiveness. Students will also analyze historical, award winning PRSA case studies, to thoroughly understand the Barcelona principles and apply contemporary measurement tools to current case studies. The analysis and discussion of real-world case studies will serve as context for the applied understanding of how and why to evaluate a public relations campaign.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the fundamentals of strategic evaluation and measurement in the public relations function.
• Use research to identify realistic and measurable objectives. 
• Analyze case studies and/or real-world situations to gauge the effectiveness of the public relations function.
• Apply strategic thinking skills and analytical tools to evaluate the success of messaging/campaigns/channels. 
• Use well-written, professional communication to convey thoughts and ideas about public relations measurement and evaluation in all course assignments.