I. Course Description: An analysis of key readings on the relationships organizations have with their customers and clients, emphasizing the communication perspective.  Students will conduct a brief ethnographic study on this topic.

II. Prerequisite: COM 300 or COM 324 or consent of instructor. 

III. Course Goals: Upon completing this course, you should be able to (or have enhanced your ability to):

1) be able to apply relevant theories of communication to the relationships between organizations members and their customers  and clients of yourself and others in the organizational context;
2) be able to evaluate the usefulness of some of these theories for enhancing the customer/client relationship in your own workplace; and
3) have developed an awareness of ethnography as a tool for studying organizations.

IV. Course Tools:

• One required textbook, available from Follett’s IPFW Bookstore in the Kettler Hall basement, The Bookmark on North Anthony Boulevard, and from various web-based booksellers:

    Ford, W. S. Z.  (1998).  Communicating with customers: Service approaches, ethics, and impact.  Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.  (ISBN: 1572731419).

•  Links to required readings and other important course information will be e-mailed to course participants.  Reading guides and other important information will be posted to the course web site.  Accordingly, you are required to have an e-mail account and access to the World Wide Web.  It is expected that your e-mail account will not be set to block e-mail from me as spam and that you will check this account regularly.

V. Course Assignments: This course will be graded on a 1000 point scale, as follows:

• Tests (2 at 250 points each = 500 points).  The tests will cover material in lecture, class discussions and the readings.  The tests will not be cumulative, except as explicitly noted in test review.

• Research project (400 points).  This project will require you to propose and conduct an ethnographic study of some aspect of the customer client relationship at an organization of your choice. Upon approval of your proposal, graduate students will produce a 10-12 page paper suitable for presentation at a regional or national communication convention and undergraduate students will produce a 7-10 page paper suitable for presentation at an undergraduate research conference. Each student will make an in-class research presentation.  This assignment will be introduced and described in more detail in class.

• Class contributions (100 points) You are expected to attend class.  Beyond mere attendance, though, this is a participatory course.  Your productive contributions to class discussions and activities are important.  In addition, brief homework assignments beyond the readings will be assigned.  This portion of your grade reflects my assessment of your participation in class discussions and activities and brief homework assignments.  Each unexcused absence will reduce your grade for this component by 10 points.  11 or more unexcused absences will result in a grade of F for the course.  All that is required here is that you account for yourself for each class period, as follows: 1) If you know in advance you won’t be able to attend a given class, you should let me know the reason in advance, preferably by e-mail as that provides us with a written record.  2) In emergency situations where you can’t tell me in advance of your absence, it’s your responsibility to account for those absences as soon as possible afterward and in no event more than two weeks afterward. 3) If you arrive to class after I have taken attendance, it’s your responsibility to see me after class to insure that I have recorded your presence.  4) Leaving class early without permission shall constitute an unexcused absence. 5) Use of a cell phone in class for any purpose without express prior permission from the instructor shall constitute an unexcused absence.

VI. Grading Scale: A = 930-1000; A- = 900-929; B+ = 870=899; B = 830-869; B- = 800-829; C+ = 770-779; C = 730-769; C- = 700-729; D+ = 670-699; D = 630-669; D- = 600-629; F = 0-599. 

VII. Late or Missing Assignments and Tests: In the absence of extreme circumstances, written assignments will not be accepted after the class period in which they are due, and examinations not taken on the designated date can not be made up.  Failure to turn in an assignment or take a test will result in a grade of F for the course.

VIII. Academic Integrity: You are expected to be familiar with what constitutes academic misconduct in this course and at IPFW, and with what the penalties are for such conduct, as set forth in  parts II and III of the IPFW Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct, which is available online at: <http://www.ipfw.edu/senate/stu_code.htm>.

As Professor Carr used to say on his syllabi, “if caught cheating or plagiarizing, a student will receive no credit for the assignment and/or an ‘F’ for the course. Any instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean and Vice Chancellor and may result in expulsion from the University. Most instances of academic dishonesty result from a combination of the last-minute rush, poor judgment and a lack of familiarity with academic propriety. Consult the instructor well in advance of an assignment due date to clarify your responsibilities.”

IX. Incompletes: A grade of incomplete will only be given in compliance with IPFW’s policy on incomplete grades, available online at <http://bulletin.ipfw.edu/content.php?catoid=13&navoid=329#Grades.>, and then only under extraordinary circumstances.  If such circumstances arise, please let me know and we will discuss whether an incomplete is appropriate.

X. Campus Services:

• The Writing Center, Kettler Hall G19, 481-5740, <http://www.ipfw.edu/casa/writing/>, provides one-on-one assistance with writing, both in person and online.  There are also links to valuable writing resources on their web page.  

• Center for Academic Support and Advancement (CASA), Kettler Hall G21, 481-5740, <http://www.ipfw.edu/casa>, provides tutoring by appointment.  You may also find useful the hints on their web page for note taking, text reading, and test taking.

• Information Technology Services, Kettler Hall 206, 481-6030 <http://www.its.ipfw.edu/students>, provides student e-mail accounts and web space and administers the student computing labs.  Valuable computing help is available on their web site and by telephone.

• TLC Child Care Center, 2041 Reed Road (Cor. State), 424-8852, provides childcare services for students.

Copyright © 2001-2010 Irwin Mallin
Last Updated: 6 January 2010
URL: http://users.ipfw.edu/mallini/597s10syl.html