COMM 6102 Professional Seminar in Communication

Syllabus

Instructor: Dr. Dan Grano
Office: Colvard 5006
Phone: 704‑687‑2855
Email: DGrano@uncc.edu

REQUIRED TEXTS/READINGS
– Howard S. Becker, Writing for Social Scientists (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2007).

– Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of Research (third edition)
(Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2008)

– Readings Packet available at Grays Bookstore

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course we will assume that being or becoming a communication studies graduate student involves learning how to participate as a scholar within the discipline and its institutional structures. That does not happen in a vacuum. Much of your graduate experience in communication studies will orbit, as you will find, around your development as academic writers and readers. But to understand what it is you end up doing, and why, you’ll need to understand (as much as anyone can) the larger academic and disciplinary contexts within which you are operating. This will require developing consciousness of how you are situated as graduate students in communication studies. Our discipline has its own unique psyche, anxieties, standards of proof, requirements, expectations, norms, and so on, that constitute its “culture.” Intersecting with those realities is the graduate school experience, which will fundamentally influence the way you write, read and think. This course will locate you as a developing scholar at various points of intersection between the everyday activities of graduate studies and the disciplinary norms that shape your realities. Different from the typical boundaries imposed upon a rhetoric and composition course, we will be using scholarly writing as a starting point for discussions about academic culture, scholarly identity, professionalization, power relations, and other matters central to “the graduate experience.” An emphasis throughout our discussions on writing will be shifting from an undergraduate to graduate scholarly mentality. To that end we will emphasizing issues of audience and process, and we will be looking to unsettle several of the assumptions about communication studies theories and approaches that you might be coming into the course with. In summary, then, the course breaks into two related parts: technical and philosophical aspects of scholarly writing in communication studies.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1 Develop a critical consciousness about the communication studies discipline and the graduate classroom as scenes for scholarly development.

2 Understand the influence of graduate education and disciplinary enculturation on scholarly writing and identity.

3 Analyze existing scholarly conversations as contexts for writing, reading and justifying research.

4 Demonstrate the ability to self-edit, respond to peer editing, and revise scholarly work for submission to academic conferences and journals.

EMAIL CONTACT/MOODLE

I will be in touch through email on a regular basis with announcements and reminders concerning the course. You are expected to regularly check your 49 Express email account for those announcements. Some important course materials may also be distributed by email. In addition, there is a Moodle home page for the course (accessible through 49er express). I will be opening weekly discussion forums on our Moodle page throughout the semester where you can post questions and respond to one another about the week’s readings and related issues. The discussion forums might be used as a space where we prime face-to-face class discussions, ask for clarifications, and so on. Forum participation is not a graded element of the course; the forums are provided as an extra outlet for class discussion. I will try to check the forums twice a week on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

LECTURES/CLASS MEETINGS

The course will be run as a seminar. For most meetings part of the class will be devoted to an introductory lecture, and the rest will be an open format for student-led discussion. A basic expectation is that you come to class ready to discuss assigned readings, and that you have those readings at hand, highlighted/annotated/marked/outlined, etc. as a basis for informed participation.

ATTENDANCE

The course has no formal attendance policy. All students are expected to attend every meeting, especially with the once a week schedule. If an emergency arises that will cause you to miss class, I will need notification at the earliest possible time.

GRADED ASSIGNMENTS

I. Readings Analyses for “Scholarly Assumptions” Classes (October 6 – November 17)

Each student will write a total of two reading analyses for selected articles covered under “Scholarly Assumptions.” You can choose any readings you want to, but you must cover readings from two separate days. Both analyses must be turned in by November 17th. Please see the sheet attached at the end of the syllabus for guidelines.

II. Research Paper

Much of this course will be focused on processes and approaches to scholarly writing that involve editing and revision. To that end the research paper assignment is the most significant product that will come out of the course. The paper can be based on an existing project that is in its earliest stages, or a new project developed concurrently with the course. There are no limitations on your topic or methods, as long as the paper is addressing communication studies audiences, theories, problems, or questions. The paper will be written, submitted, and graded in three stages. For each stage you will be expected to properly cite sources using whatever style is appropriate to your area, and papers should be carefully proofread before being turned in.

If you are taking Dr. Quinlan’s COMM 6101 course this semester Dr. Quinlan and I request that you write the same paper for both classes, following the procedures for process and submission dates outlined in each course separately. The purpose of having you write the same paper for both classes is to emphasize the importance of revision and audience in the research process. Please note that Dr. Quinlan and I might be evaluating the papers using slightly different criteria, as outlined in each of our syllabi. Please be aware of these standards as you prepare each stage of your paper.

Stage 1 (due October 13)

• Locate and investigate a conceptual or practical problem relevant to readers in communication studies. In this first stage, you are going to write as much as you possibly can, which will mean “thinking out loud” on paper, or writing a “spew draft.” In this first draft you will be working through the initial research stages outlined in The Craft of Research chapters 3 (From Topics to Questions) and 4 (From Questions to a Problem). Depending on your “process,” which we will discuss in class, you may outline your ideas, hand-write them into a journal, type them up in a notes document, write a rough first draft of a paper, lay them out in a concept map, etc. The elements that you must include one way or another are: Topic  Question  Problem. Expectations for the process and content will be based on chapters 3 and 4 from the readings and lecture. Just because this is the roughest of all three stages you will be turning in, my expectations are that you provide something rich, detailed and informed by initial research within the communication studies discipline. In other words, your problem must be grounded relevant communication studies research, even if it is only written as a “planning” version. Please do not turn in work that is skeletal, vague, or aimlessly wandering.

Stage 2 (due November 10)

• Write a completed introduction. Your second draft will build off of your first. Moving from the problem you crafted in the first draft, you will now be writing an argument (as per chapters 7 and 8 from The Craft of Research) as part of a fully-completed introduction. Your introduction must include the three basic elements outlined in chapter 16 of The Craft of Research – 1) contextualizing background, 2) statement of the problem, 3) response to the problem – with all of the content expectations explained in that chapter and in lecture. Where your first draft was a “spew draft” this draft should be clean, tightly written, and properly cited. Where your first draft indicated an initial plunge into the literature this draft should reflect a more comprehensive and focused search of relevant scholarship.

Stage 3 (due December 7 (final day of classes))

•  Write a completed research paper. This is your “final” draft in the sense that I expect the paper to be good enough for submission to an academic conference. A full paper, from introduction through analysis to conclusion is expected. The writing should be clean, tight, and cited appropriately. The paper should meet standards for excellence as outlined in all of the chapters we read in The Craft of Research.

All papers will be checked for plagiarism, so please plan ahead and follow guidelines for basic writing and citation to avoid plagiarism. If you are not sure about how to avoid plagiarism, or need general help with your writing, you can visit the Writing Resources Center on campus (Fretwell 220; www.uncc.edu/writing/WRCindex.html). I will also be available to discuss any questions you have on the final paper.

GRADING

Diagnostic Outlines (25 pts each) 50
Term Paper – Stage One 50
Term Paper – Stage Two 50
Term Paper – Stage Three 100

TOTAL 250

Grading Scale (percentage out of 250 points)
100-90% A exceptional work
89-80% B good work
79-70% C average work
69-60% D below average work
59%-0 F insufficient, failing work

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students have the responsibility to know and observe the requirements of The UNC Charlotte Code of Student Academic Integrity. The code forbids cheating, fabrication, falsification of information, multiple submission of academic work, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials and complicity in academic dishonesty. Any special requirements or permission regarding academic integrity in this course will be stated by the instructor, and are binding on the students. Academic evaluations in this course include a judgment that the student’s work is free from academic dishonesty of any type, and grades in this course therefore should be and will be adversely affected by academic dishonesty. Students who violate the code can be expelled from UNC Charlotte. The normal penalty for the first offense is zero credit on the work involving the dishonesty and further substantial reduction of the course grade. In almost all cases the course grade is reduced to F. Copies of the code can be obtained from the Dean of Students Office. Standards of academic integrity will be enforced in this course. Students are expected to report cases of academic dishonesty to the course instructor.

Tentative Schedule

I. Starting Points:
Communication Problems / Communication as a Problem

August

25 INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS THE CONTENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES?

Excerpts from Plato’s Gorgias

Frentz, “The Unbearable Darkness of Seeing.”

September

1 VIEWING COMMUNICATION AS A PROBLEM

Peters, “The Gaps of Which Communication is Made.”

Peters, “Introduction: The Problem of Communication.”

II. Becoming a Scholarly Writer in Communication Studies:
Techne and Audience Orientation

8 SO WHAT?: ADDING TO SCHOLARLY CONVERSATIONS IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES

Booth, Colomb, and Williams, The Craft of Research, Chapters 2 (“Connecting With Your Reader”), 3 (“From Topics to Questions”), and 4 (“From Questions to a Problem”)

Becker, Writing for Social Scientists, Chapter 8: “Terrorized by the Literature”

Brummett. “Double Binds in Publishing Rhetorical Studies.”

15 SETTING UP A STUDY: ARGUMENTS AND INTRODUCTIONS

Booth, Colomb, and Williams, The Craft of Research Chapters 7 (“Making Good
Arguments: An Overview”) 8 (“Making Claims”), and 16 (Introductions)
22 ADOPTING A “PROCESS” MINDSET: REVISION AND EDITING APPROACHES

Becker. Writing for Social Scientists, Chapters 3 (“One Right Way”) and 4
(“Editing by Ear”).

Booth, Colomb, and Williams, The Craft of Research Chapters 12 (“Planning”) 13 (“Drafting Your Report”), and 14 (“Revising Your Organization and Argument”)

III. Enculturation:
Disciplinary Cultures, Scholarly Activity, and Graduate School

29 STAYING CLASSY: GRADUATE SCHOOL ENCULTURATION AND WRITING

Becker. Writing for Social Scientists, Chapters 1 (“Freshman English for
Graduate Students”) and 2 (“Persona and Authority”).

Richards, “Risk” (from Becker, Writing for Social Scientists).

Frentz, Trickster in Tweed, Chapter 6: “Sheep Speak”

October

6 POWER RELATIONS, DISCIPLINARY NORMS, AND SCHOLARLY IDENTITY

Blair, Brown, and Baxter, “Disciplining the Feminine.”

Allen, “Theorizing Communication and Race.”

Rushing and Frentz, “The Gods Must Be Crazy: The Denial of Descent in Academic
Scholarship.”

IV. Scholarly Assumptions in Communication Studies:
Shaping and Challenging Theoretical Approaches

13 IS DIALOGUE AN INHERENT GOOD IN COMMUNICATION?

Peters, “Dialogue and Dissemination.”

Hammond, Anderson and Cissna, “The Problematics of Dialogue and Power.”

20 National Communication Association Convention – No Class

27 PUBLIC RELATIONS: TWO-WAY SYMMETRICAL COMMUNICATION & INSTRUMENTALISM

Dozier and Lauzen, “Liberating the Intellectual Domain from the Practice: Public Relations, Activism, and the Role of the Scholar.”

Duffy, “There’s no Two-Way Symmetric About It: A Postmodern Examination of Public Relations Textbooks.”

Stokes, “Metabolife’s Meaning: A Call for the Constitutive Study of Public Relations.”

November

3 HEALTH COMMUNICATION: ISSUES OF THEORY & PRAXIS

Babrow and Mattson, “Building Health Communication Theories in the 21st Century.”

Dutta and de Souza, “The Past, Present, and Future of Health Development Campaigns: Reflexivity and the Critical-Cultural Approach.”

Booth-Butterfield, “Past as Prologue or There From Here.”

Dutta, “The Critical Cultural Turn in Health Communication: Reflexivity, Solidarity, and Praxis.”

Thompson, Parrott, and Nussbaum, “Why Is It So Difficult to Talk About Impact?”

10 MEDIA STUDIES: MOVING BEYOND “EFFECTS” AND “USES”

Williams, “Chapter 5: Effects of the Technology and its Uses.”

Carey, “A Cultural Approach to Communication.”

Hall, “Encoding and Decoding.”

17 ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION: HOW DOES DISCOURSE CONSTITUTE ORGANIZATIONS?

Axley, “Managerial and Organizational Communication in Terms of the Conduit Metaphor.”

Eisenberg, “Ambiguity as Strategy in Organizational Communication.”

Barge and Little, “Dialogical Wisdom, Communicative Practice, and Organizational
Life.”

24 Thanksgiving Holiday – No Classes

December

1 FACULTY/STUDENT FORUM: APPROACHING WRITING AND SUBMISSION, DECIPHERING FEEDBACK, AND DEALING WITH REJECTION

Becker. Writing for Social Scientists, Chapters 7 (“Getting it Out the Door”) and 5 (“Learning to Write as a Professional”).

Professional Seminar in Communication Studies

Readings Analyses

Starting with the readings from the second part of the semester, you will be responsible for diagramming 2 total of the assigned readings from “structures and logics” (25 points each), identifying the following:

Basic Elements of Introduction:

1. The author’s/authors’ development of a contextualizing background (including contextualization in existing scholarly conversation, explanation of event or artifact, etc.)

2. The author’s/authors’ statement of problem (paying particular attention to emphasis on understanding [conceptual problem] or application [practical problem])

3. The author’s/authors’ response to the problem (again, usually aimed at improving or contributing to understanding or application)

4. How the author/authors address the “So What?” question (how the author justifies the study to the reader; justifications may also be located in how the author responds to the problem)

Statement of Argument or Claim:

1. Explain the author’s/authors’ argument(s), with special attention to key critical/theoretical vocabulary (terms, phrases, concepts) and assumptions

2. Explain how the argument/claim establishes expectations and a sense of direction for the reader

Development of Argument or Claim:

1. How the author/authors support the argument/claim with evidence

2. How the author/authors weave theory and evidence together (via deductive and inductive structures)

3. How the author/authors use the argument to deliver on the promises/expectations established in the introduction

NOTES:

• Analyses should be written in outline form, with rich enough details that I can tell you’re picking up on key phrasing of problem statements, response statements, justifications, and theoretical vocabulary. This may mean quoting full sentences at times, or citing the first lines of paragraphs when it seems justifiable to use the author’s/authors’ own words. At other times, you should be paraphrasing. Develop a sense of when direct quoting or paraphrasing is important based on what the authors in the articles are doing.

• Each component above must be clearly labeled in your outlines.