Small Group and Team Communications – COMS 524

Course Description

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

The objective of this course is to teach effective small group communication and problem solving. This course requires the student to study group communication processes and to practice small group decision making as a team. The student will be taught theory and learn how to participate in small groups in application of that theory. This is a required course in the graduate program for a MA in Communication. It may also be used in some business curriculums that give instruction on decision making using the group process.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete four discussions in this course. The student will post an initial thread of at least 400 words; these threads MUST contain an in-depth discussion of the reading for the week in current APA format AND biblical integration that includes at least one Bible verse. Then, the student will reply to two classmate’s initial threads, writing at least 200 words in current APA format. The replies MUST include the reading for the week in current APA formatting and biblical integration that includes a Bible verse and an explanation of how that verse fits into what the student is saying. 

Case Study Assignments (2)

A group of 3-4 students will solve problems related to presented case studies. Students will have a meeting time and interact together as a group. In the event that the student is unable to attend the group session, he or she may use the Discussions option in Canvas to communicate with group members.

The groups will write an 8-10 page paper that presents the results of their analyses. The paper must include biblical integration and two sources per student on the team. The paper must follow current APA format and include a cover page, abstract, and reference page (not included in the page count).

Reflection Paper Assignment

The individual student will compose a paper of 1,000-1,200 words, describing the teamwork that the student experienced in his or her group. The goal of the paper is to identify and evaluate the non-decision-making elements in the small group. The paper must reflect a graduate-level understanding of the group and the course reading. Additionally, the student must have 2 outside, scholarly sources that are no more than 3 years old that discuss group member roles. The paper must have a cover page, abstract, body, conclusion, biblical integration, and reference page. All references must be in the current edition of the APA Style Manual.

Quizzes (2)

There will be two open-book/open-notes quizzes of 50 multiple-choice questions that have a time limit of 1 hour and 30 minutes per quiz.