SYLLABUS

ENGLISH 622-DL          WORKING IN TEAMS                Fall, 2004

 

INSTRUCTOR:

 

Dr. Nancy Steffen-Fluhr, Associate Professor, Humanities Department

    

OFFICE:               415 Cullimore   

                                                Also: Murray Center for Women in Technology, 2nd floor, Campus Center

                PHONE:                Cullimore Office: x3295                        Murray Center: x4885         

Home: 973-208-9015                             FAX: 973-642-7205

                EMAIL:                 steffen@njit.edu     and                       steffen@optonline.net

                       

TEXTS:

               

1.       Beebe, Steven A. and John T. Masterson. Communicating in Small Groups. 7th Edition

Boston: Pearson. 2003.   [“B&M” hereafter]

                                If you have not already done so, please purchase this text today.

2.       Deek, Fadi P. and James A.M. McHugh. Computer-Supported Collaboration with

Applications to Software Development. Boston: Kluwer. 2003.  [“D&M” hereafter]

Assigned readings from this text will be available online in our Webboard Virtual Classroom. You do not need to purchase a hardcopy.

3.       Course Pack [“CP” hereafter]

I will make some of these additional readings available online in Webboard; I will send you hard copies of the others via postal mail.

 

ASSIGNMENTS/GRADING:

 

Writing Assignment 1.0      Data Sheet                                                                                            0         POINTS

Writing Assignment 2.0   Self Portrait                                                                                         5

Exercise A Memo Survival: The Hurricane Is Coming                                                 2

Exercise B1                            Goal-Orientation Questionnaire                                                     0.5

Exercise B2                            Communication Behavior Questionnaire                                      0.5

Exercise C Memo  Solstice Mystery                                                                                  2

Writing Assignment 3.0   The Carlyle Windsor House Case                                                   10

Exercise E Memo                  Survival: Stranded on the Ice                                                           4

Exercise F                              Conflict Styles Questionnaire                                                           0.5

Exercise G Memo  Role-Playing Negotiation                                                                 4

Exercise H1                            Group Member Ranking Form                                                         1

Writing Assignment 4.0   The Plating Tank Case                                                                      20

Exercise I                               Group Acceptance Questionnaire                                                   0.5

Writing Assignment 6.0   PORTRAIT OF A COLLABORATION                                         20

+ COURSE JOURNAL

PARTICIPATION IN WEEKLY DISCUSSIONS OF THE READINGS                    20    [1/week]

 

TOTAL                                                                                                                                                  100        

 

There are no exams in this course.

 

 

WEEKLY READING/ DISCUSSION SCHEDULE:

 

          Week 1        Introduction; Theory

                Readings:                              B&M Chapters 1 & 2

                Exercise:                 Survival: The Hurricane Is Coming

                Writing Assignments:         1.0 Data Sheet

                                                                2.0 Self-Portrait

 

          Week 2        Norms & Roles; Group Climate

                Readings:                              B&M Chapters 4 & 5

                                                                Jarvenpaa, Sirkka and Dorothy Leidner. “Communication and Trust in

Global Virtual Teams.” www.ascucsc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue4/jarvenpaa.html

Exercises:                               Hurricane Team Memo & Debriefing

Goal-Orientation Questionnaire                                        

Communication Behavior Questionnaire

 

         Week 3         Collaborative Writing; Computer-Mediated Collaboration

                Readings:                              Sharples. M. “The Collaborative Tradition.”  CP

Farkas, David K. “Collaborative Writing, Software Development, and

the Universe of Collaborative Activity.” CP

                                                                D&M Chapter 2

                                                                B&M pp. 335-342

                Exercise:                 Solstice Mystery

Writing Assignment            3.0  The Carlyle Windsor House Case

 

          Week 4        Group Decision-Making & Problem-Solving

                Readings:                              B&M Chapter 8

                                                                D&M Chapter 3

                Exercise:                                 Survival: Stranded in the Desert

                Writing Assignment:           Carlyle Windsor Case (Continued)

 

          Week 5        Problem-Solving Techniques & Tools; Groupware

                Readings:                              B&M Chapter 9

                                                                D&M Chapter 6; Chapter 7 (excerpt)

Hiltz, S.R. and Murray Turrof. “Computer-Based Delphi Processes.” CP

http://eies.njit.edu/~hiltz/

               

          Week 6        Managing Conflict; Computer-Mediated Groups & Productivity

                Readings:                              B&M Chapter 10

D&M Chapter 1 (excerpt only); Chapter 4

                Exercise:                 Conflict Styles Questionnaire

 

         Week 7         Group Leadership; Gender and Collaborative Work

                Readings:                              B&M Chapter 11

“Gender Differences & the Use of Conflict Strategies”Dennis, Alan, et. al. “Gender Differences in the Effects of Media Richness” CP

                Exercise:                 Role-Playing Negotiation  

                                                                Exercise:                                 Survival: Stranded on the Ice

 

          Week 8        Non-Verbal Communication

                Readings:                              B&M Chapter 6

                                                                Borisoff and Merrill. “Gender and Nonverbal Communication” CP

               

Group Member Ranking Form

 

          Week 9        Cross-Cultural Communication

Readings:                              Andersen. “Cues of Culture: The Basis of Intercultural Differences in

Nonverbal Communication”  CP

                Yuan. “Yin/Yang Principle and…Intercultural Communication”  CP

                Ting-Toomey. “Managing Intercultural Conflicts Effectively” CP

 

                Writing Assignment:           4.0 The Plating Tank Case 

ASSIGNED ON NOV 24; DUE ON DEC 6

 

          Week 10  Cross-Cultural Communication

                Readings:                              Scollon and Scollon. Intercultural Communication. Chapter 1. CP

                Writing Assignment:           The Plating Tank Case (Continued)

      

         

WRITING ASSIGNMENT 6.0. PORTRAIT OF A COLLABORATION:

 

Due December 13, along with collaboration journal