Contents 1 Foundations Of Human Communication Inquiry II 1.1 Administrative details 1.1.1 Contact 1.1.2 Course Objectives 1.1.3 Course Activities 1.1.3.1 Individual activities: 1.1.3.2 The collective activities 1.1.4 Textbooks 1.1.5 Evaluation 1.1.6 Class conduct 1.1.7 Schedule of classes 1.1.8 Jan 14 Introduction, sign up on the wiki 1.1.9 Jan 21 Procedures and Technologies to be used in class 1.1.10 Jan 28 Erina McGeorge 1.1.11 Feb 4 Brant Burleson 1.1.12 Feb 11 Steve Wilson; Susan Morgan 1.1.13 Feb 18 Jeong-Nam Kim 1.1.14 Feb 25 R Jensen; Tyler Harrison 1.1.15 March 4 Jake Jensen 1.1.16 March 11 Charlie Stewart 1.1.17 March 15 SPRING BREAK 1.1.18 March 25 Robin Clair 1.1.19 April 1st Stacey Connaughton 1.1.20 April 8th Beverly Sypher 1.1.21 April 15th Felicia Roberts 1.1.22 April 22 Lorraine Kisselburgh and Seungyoon Lee 1.1.23 April 29 Conclusions

Foundations Of Human Communication Inquiry II

Administrative details

Contact

Dr. Sorin A. Matei

BRNG 1232

Wed 19 - 21:50

16680 - COM 60100 - 001

Office hours: Wed 3 - 5

Office: BRNG 2132

Tel 4-7780

Email smatei at purdue dot edu

Course Objectives

This is a hands on, interactive introduction to the scholarly craft of communication research. It will show you how communication scholars practice their trade and what they do.

This class is the second in a two-course sequence that introduces doctoral students in communication to key approaches to understanding human communication. It provides them with the theoretical background and analytic skills needed to understand the differences between these approaches and how to evaluate them. COM 600 offered the foundation for understanding the competing paradigms of communication scholarship. This semester, COM 601 will build on the foundations laid out in last semester to demonstrate the ways in which individual scholars apply these paradigmatic issues in their programs of research.

Course Activities

There will be a number of individual and collaborative activities.

Individual activities:

A. Three papers that will discuss the benefits, critical issues, and future research opportunities opened up by the research agenda presented by any three guest speakers. Each student can chose any scholars they wish without any prior announcement. However, it is highly recommended that the students think in advance of a paper writing schedule.

Papers should describe in sufficient detail the specific methodologies used by the researchers, the justification the authors use for these methodologies, and the validity of their findings. The papers should also judge the ability of each specific methodology to advance the cause of communication research. The papers should be not longer than 6 pages, double spaced, not including bibliography. Should be formated APA style and should be turned in no later than one week after the class discussion hosted by the chosen scholar. Should be submitted via email to smatei at purdue edu.

B.  A methodological paper that analyzes the relative degree of "interest" (as defined by Murray Davis) of at least two sets of papers (research agendas), generated by two different scholars invited to speak to our class. The paper should also discuss the validity, ethical implications and overall significance of the research analyzed in the two sets of paper discussed. The paper is due on MAY 7, 13:00. It should be delivered via email to smatei at purdue dot edu. It should be 15 pages long, without sources. The sources should include at least 6 papers discussed in class and at least 6 outside papers.

The collective activities

will consist of answering, wiki style, the questions proposed by the course speakers before their conversation. The questions will be posted on the class syllabus and the answers are due the night before our class meeting. (Tuesday night, 9 PM). Each student is expected to contribute to at least 8 questions, at least five sentences. No more than 1 question can be answered during a specific week. Editorial interventions are welcome, but the answers are to focus on adding new material.

Textbooks

Baxter and Babbie. The basics of Communication Research

Booth et al. The Craft of Research

Barzun and Graf. The Modern Researcher

Barzun. Simple and Direct.

Strunk and White. Elements of Style. (Or buy from any bookstore, since it might take a while to ship)

The books are not available at the bookstore. Please use the links above.

Optional Readings

Whittemore, R., Chase, S., & Mandel, S.L. (2001). Validity in Qualitative Research. Qualitative Health Research, 11, 522-537.

Evaluation

Reaction papers: 150 points each, for a total of 450 points

Methodological paper: 250 points

Wiki activity: 200 points

Class interaction: 100 points

Class conduct

The class has no official "attendance policy" (there is no record of attendance). Students are nevertheless expected to attend every single session. They are expected to be active and to answer all questions asked in class. All materials submitted to this class should be written only for this course and should follow all University regulations regarding intellectual property and academic honesty. All citations should be credited to specific authors using the APA style. All direct quotations should include a page number. If using an online document use the APA manual of style guidelines.

Schedule of classes

Jan 14 Introduction, sign up on the wiki

No class, read the syllabus and be prepared to talk about these readings:

Murray S. Davis That's interesting

Strunk and White, Elements of Style

Jan 21 Procedures and Technologies to be used in class

Jan 28 Erina McGeorge

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline Jan 27. One question per week please.

1. Is it more useful to conceptualize and study advice as a form of persuasive behavior or as a form of supportive behavior? Why?
2. What matters more to the outcome(s) of advice messages: the source of the advice, or qualities of the message itself? If this "depends," on what?
3. Identify some of the limitations of existing research on advice. What research designs, measures, etc. might be necessary to remedy these limitations? What insights, theoretical or practical, might be gained from doing research that remedies these limitations?

Readings

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

Advice in Support Interactions, Erina MacGeorge, Powerpoint presentation

Babbie Chapters 1, 2 and 4

Erina's Lab Interaction Study on Advice

Feb 4 Brant Burleson

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline Feb 3. One question per week please.

1. How does cognitive complexity influence the production and interpretation of messages and why does it have these effects?
2. How do comforting messages work? What are the ways in which they might help alter the feelings of emotionally distressed people?
3. What makes someone a good or skilled communicator? What does someone need to know, feel, and be able to do if they are to communicate effectively and appropriately?
4. Constructivism claims to be an interpretive social science that has a critical (practical) intent. Is this possible? Can a framework at once be scientific, interpretive, and critical? Why or why not?

PowerPoint Presentation

Readings

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

Max Weber, Politics as a vocation

Max Weber, Science as a vocation

1. Summarize in a bullet point list the counterfactual arguments listed by Murray Davis in his article

1. List the Strunk and White precepts of good sytle and composition (do not include simple grammar issues).

Feb 11 Steve Wilson; Susan Morgan

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline Feb 10. One question per week please.

Steve Wilson

1. Child maltreatment 101: What is child maltreatment, and who defines it? What are various forms of child maltreatment? How prevalent is it? What are risk factors for child maltreatment?
2. What role can communication scholars play in interdisciplinary efforts aimed at understanding and preventing the (re)occurrence of child maltreatment? What insights can be drawn from the two research articles that you read (published in CA&N and HCR)? How might theories or concepts from other areas of the communication discipline be helpful in this regard?
3. In the case study that you read, what is the difference between first and second order change? What would count as "success" in terms of trying to bring about each type of change?
4. Why might communication scholars be reluctant to study this topic? How is the role of the scholar related to the role of the teacher, professional, legislator, and/or civic member/volunteer?

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

Susan Morgan

1. What are some potential problems with "linear" theories of attitude and behavior change? What do they miss that could be important to the study of health issues and behaviors?
2. When there is a new scientific breakthrough in medical or environmental science, what determines how people will react to it?
3. What do the findings in these studies demonstrate about the importance of a wide range of research methodologies? What would have been missed by only using a single methodological approach?

Readings

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

Reading 4

Feb 18 Jeong-Nam Kim

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline Feb 17. One question per week please.

Questions

1. What specifically does STP help predict? How does STP define a “public”?
2. How is “active communication behavior” conceptualized in STP? How is it in STOPS? What are the differences you find between two?
3. In your reading of the situational theory of publics, what kind of constructive criticisms can you offer? Specifically, in what way the situational theory of publics can be improved?
4. Can organization communicators create problem recognition, level of involvement, or remove constraint recognition though mass-mediated communication? Can they change attitude and/or behavior in the way they desire? If possible, how likely they are? What is the probability or success ratio between the number of successful creation/change against the number of attempts to “create publics” or “change actions” since mass media were available to us?

Readings

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

The Craft of Research

Feb 25 R Jensen; Tyler Harrison

Nick and Nathalie will bring in snacks.

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline Feb 24. One question per week please.

Robin Jensen

1. How would you define a rhetorical "text"?
2. What is the relationship between language and human behavior?
3. How might one justify studying previously ignored rhetorical artifacts?
4. How could the identification of historical language patterns be relevant to the contemporary world?

Readings

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

Tyler Harrison

1. Is a design perspective theoretical or pragmatic? In what contexts would a design perspective be useful?
2. What is the relationship between social context, structure, and interpersonal relationships? How do they influence interactions?
3. Can all design and structure issues be resolved through communication interventions?

Readings

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

March 4 Jake Jensen

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline March 2. One question per week please.

1. What is message-centered research?
2. Some have referred to communication as a “crisis discipline.” What is the crisis (or crises) that communication researchers are trying to address?
3. Why are communication researchers afraid of construct-driven research? Should they be?
4. Physics has decided that mapping the universe is one of the long term goals of their research. What long term goals should communication researchers be pursuing?

Readings

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

Simple and direct

March 11 Charlie Stewart

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline March 10. One question per week please.

1. What opportunities do social conflicts offer the individual and society?
2. When do social conflicts become destructive for the individual or society?

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

The Modern Researcher

March 15 SPRING BREAK

March 25 Robin Clair

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline March 24. One question per week please.

Questions

1. Discuss the distinctions between the first article (The use of framing devices to sequester organizational narratives: Hegemony and harassment) and the last article (Narrative from the Old Neighborhood) in terms of theory, method, and analysis.
2. How does the article on the colloquialism a “Real Job” demonstrate postmodern scholarship?
3. What is the main theoretical point of the article on “Unrealistic realities?” And what did you learn that surprised you with regard to child abuse or child abuse narratives?
4. How is identity socially, and more specifically, discursively constructed based on what you read in the article “Organizing Silence: The Treaty of New Echota?”

Readings

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

Reading 4

Reading 5

April 1st Stacey Connaughton

Lala will bring snacks

Question 1 What is Dr. Connaughaton's main research focus?

Question 2 What is Dr. Connuagton's main contribution to the field?

Question 3 Summarize the approach she takes in Study no. 1 (GOP strategy among Latinos)?

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline March 30. One question per week please.

Readings

Reading 1

Reading 2

April 8th Beverly Sypher

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline April 7. One question per week please.

1. Are there universals in definitions of civility?
2. How do we account for cultural differences in explanations of workplace civility and workplace bullying?
3. What, other than decreased trust, are likely consequences of incivility?

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

Reading 4

April 15th Felicia Roberts

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline April 14. One question per week please.

1. What is "meaning" and where is it located?
2. Can we reconcile our internal sense of "mind" with something more socially grounded?
3. How do the observational methods and analytic procedures from these papers differ from or resonate with what you think of as "communication scholarship"?

Readings

Reading 1

Reading 2

Reading 3

Felicia's exercise

Also, please follow these instructions and record your notes here

April 22 Lorraine Kisselburgh and Seungyoon Lee

Please answer the questions in advance of our class meeting. Deadline April 21. One question per week please.

1. How does studying organizing from the standpoint of network theory benefit communication scholarship?
   
2. How does the study of social structure (and its evolution) help us understand communication, organizational and organizing processes?
   
3. Contrast the individual (micro) and institutional (macro) approaches used in the two research papers within the context of Monge & Contractor’s multi-theoretical multi-model (MTML) approach.
   
4. Discuss additional ways that organizational communication research can be used to address issues with significant social impact.
   

Readings

Readings 1a and 1b (Monge & Contractor, 2003; Chapter 1 and Chapter 10)

Reading 2 (Kisselburgh)

Reading 3 (Lee & Monge)  

Reading 4 (Kisselburgh, Berkelaar, & Buzzanell, 2009)

Reading 5 (Lee & Chib, 2008)

April 29 Conclusions

Directions to Class Venue!

Hunter's Pub Down Under
302 Ferry St
Lafayette, IN 47901
(765) 429-8149