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Course
Overview |
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Course
Description |
Course Time |
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Junior standing with total
and resident gradepoint averages of 2.5 or above, grade of C or above in
CJ 300, Psyc 271, Soc 332, or BSAD 280. Not for GE.
Theories and techniques for
assessing communication needs and developing effective organizational
communication systems. Includes the role of mission, technology, and
environment in determining effective structure and design. |
3:30-4:45 M W |
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Office
Hours |
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11:00-12:50 M-----F
11:00-11:50 ---W---
& by appointment* |
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Why
Organizational Communication Systems?
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| The
most common organizational communication problem is information
overload: too many reports, letters, memos, e-mails, meetings,
appointments, and drop-ins compete for our attention. As communicators
try to make their messages "stand out" they add
"shrillness" to the "overload," so that
organizational citizens become increasingly jaded--and less receptive.
This is an expensive problem--it wastes resources which could be used
more effectively elsewhere, it distracts attention from organizational
goals, and it causes stress. |
| So what do we do when we
want to improve communication? Simply increasing communication will make
matters worse. If you are to succeed as an organizational communication
specialist--whether as a line manager, a human resources professional,
or as a consultant--you must be able to determine the
specific communication needs of a specific organization or
organizational unit. That requires a knowledge of organization theory. |
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This semester we are
going to study theories--derived from careful research--which determine
how an organization must be structured; that is, who should talk to whom
about what. As you study these theories you need to ask the following
questions: (1) what are the communication implications? (2) how might
this information help managers make more effective decisions? and (3)
how might internal or external change agents use this information to
make the organization more effective? |
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Organizational
Communication Systems and the UWEC-CJ Curriculum |
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Departmental
Philosophy:
Long noted for the excellence of their academic and
co-curricular programs, the Communication and Journalism faculty
remain committed to a philosophy emphasizing the development,
integration, and practical application theories, knowledge, and
skills related to communication, journalism, and mass
communication. |
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CJ
Program Goals and Objectives.
The
academic programs of the UWEC Department of Communication and
Journalism are designed to prepare students for responsible
roles in communication, journalism, and mass communication, the
Department offers diversified curriculum in which all students
can expect to develop in these areas:
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1.
Oral,
written, and visual communication skills;
2.
Research
and information-gathering skills;
3.
Critical and analytical thinking;
4.
Awareness and knowledge of communication processes in
diverse cultural, social, legal, and ethical contexts
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| CJ
355 -- Organizational Communication Systems
is designed
to help you develop, integrate, and apply the theories,
knowledge, and skills you will be able to use in order to
understand the information and communication needs of specific
organizations.
You will learn theories and principles you can use to
better understand, analyze, and evaluate organizational
communication processes. You will apply and further develop the
research and information-gathering skills you learned in CJ
300—Research Methods in your analysis of the organizational
communication of actual UWEC student organizations.
You will further develop your analytical and critical
thinking skills as you analyze communication with actual UWEC
student organizations and in case studies we will cover in
class.
And you will demonstrate and further develop your oral,
written, and visual communication in class discussions, in
written reports, and in oral presentations (PowerPoint visuals
required) throughout the semester. |
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...Most management levels manage nothing.
Instead, they merely amplify the faint signals emanating from
the top and bottom of the corporate infrastructure. I
imagine most CEOs have heard the first law of information
theory: Every relay doubles the noise and cuts the message in
half. The same hold true for most management levels, which
neither manage people nor make decisions. They serve only
as relays. When we build in information as a structural
element, we don't need such structural elements. |
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Peter F. Drucker (2002).
Managing in the next society. |
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