| Course ID: | COMM 3600. 3 hours. |
| Course Title: | Small Group Communication |
Course
Description: | Theory and techniques of small group discussion, with an
emphasis on current experimentation and research. Emphasizes
student involvement in groups working on socially significant
projects of their own choice. Course content includes the
factors which affect quality of communication and group
outcomes; interpersonal and task behaviors, leadership, norms,
conflict resolution, and creativity. |
| Oasis Title: | Small Group Communication |
| Duplicate Credit: | Not open to students with credit in COMM 3600S |
Semester Course
Offered: | Offered every even-numbered year. |
| Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
|
| Course Objectives: | 1. To develop a working knowledge of small group communication
processes and their relationships to outcomes such as group
productivity and cohesion.
2. To develop communication skills relating to conflict
management, leadership, and decision making in small group
contexts.
3. To develop an ability to critically analyze group
communication processes.
4. Students will complete research assignments which will
involve computer-based research and paper preparation.
5. Students will consider the moral and ethical implications of
a variety of communication situations. |
| Topical Outline: | 1. What is a small group: Issues in Group Size
2. Distinguishing individuals, groups, and aggregates
3. Deindividuation processes
4. Group Formation: Interpersonal Attraction
5. Group Affiliation and Support
6. Group Development: Group Cohesiveness
7. Group Performance: Social Facilitation
8. Social Facilitation and Group Task Types
9. Group Task Types: Brainstorming
10. Group Conflict: Intra-group Conflict
11. Group Conflict: Intra-Group Conflict
12. Group Influence Processes: A Typology of Influence Types
13. Group Influence Processes: Conformity and Minority Group
Member Influence
14. Group Influence Processes: Obedience to Authority
15. Leadership: Traits versus Styles
16. Leadership: Styles and Leadership Emergence
17. Groupthink
18. Group Polarization
19. Biased Sampling of Information
20. Group Project Presentations |
| Honor Code Reference: | “Academic honesty is – defined broadly and simply – the
performance of all academic work without cheating, lying,
stealing, or receiving assistance from any other person or
using any source of information not appropriately authorized or
attributed” (From the Preamble to “A Culture of Honesty”). The
University, the Department of Communication Studies, and I
personally take academic honesty very seriously. Every student
at the University of Georgia should be familiar with the
booklet, “A Culture of Honesty: Policies and Procedures on
Academic Dishonesty.” If you are not, please obtain one of
these booklets and read it carefully. This document has a
thorough presentation of four types of academic dishonesty,
including plagiarism, unauthorized assistance, lying/tampering,
and theft, as well as the procedures that are in place to
adjudicate alleged incidents of academic dishonesty. The
policies and procedures described in “A Culture of Honesty”
will be strictly followed. University Mandated Statement
Concerning the University Honor Code & Academic Honesty All
academic work must meet the standards contained in “A Culture
of Honesty.” Students are responsible for informing themselves
about those standards before performing any academic work. More
detailed information about academic honesty can be found at
http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/acadhon.htm. |