Monthly Archives: September 2008

The big questions…

Btw, i was at a teaching seminar that i’m attending monthly for the next year at Columbia so a warning you both get to hear me think about all of the issues in relation to 3068:).

But, one thing from the first session. we were talking about ‘liberal education’ and the tensions between asking the ‘big questions’ per se vs. the specifics of particular theories, concepts etc. and it made me think about this the purpose of this ‘rhetoric of work’ idea we’re playing around with and the autobiography assignment. in short, i’m trying to get students to make sense out of communication in organizations in a more personal way – trying to ask the question, ‘what is the meaning of work?’ across the ages and today as well as ‘what is the meaning of work to you?’ that in some ways is a ‘big question’ that we’re trying to then connect and/or simply ‘use’ as an entre into a conversation about specific managerial and organizational communication ideas and questions – so, no conclusion there on this issue for me, but it gave me encouragement to keep thinking this way.

We were also talking about what are the ‘big ideas’ you want students to take away from a class — so, it made me think about our list of topics visa vie, a list of what issues do you want them to ‘wrestle with’ or reflect upon in relation to the course material? and, that learning goals may also include issues to reflect upon in their own lives and jobs . . .

so, what are the ‘big’ issue for 3068? i leave that for further discussion with wine and/or coffee . . .

Self, Other and Context

So we have at last finished the Eisenberg Chapter; Defining Organizational Communication. Though the first half went very well, I found that the second half of the chapter  was more tedious and though many students seemed to understand the broad concepts, I could see that the more complex and perhaps subtle theories on organizations as dialogues was difficult for them to grasp.

We were able to establish a strong connection at one point between the notion of Self, Other and Context and the modern work world when I challenged the students to demonstrate to me that their generation was the most self oriented generation yet. Many agreed and a few disagreed but it began to dawn on them that the notion of Self was not just me, me, me, that it was also the constant demand to define oneself at work, at play, and online. And that this happens in relation to the other; organization or individuals.

As is often, the minute we brought in the notion of defining oneself through face book or through secret coding in text messages, the students really began to theorize on their own. Phew! I finally got them there but after an hour of redirecting and refining and reminding them to read the article!!!!!!!

So I am thinking again, as Caryn mentioned, about how to prep for the coming chapters on new technologies and Organizational Communication. I think relating it to the use of social networking and the workplace will be a subject area the students will be able to relate to…

On another note, I am going to make a glossary page and start putting up terms that I have been using and defining in my COM3068 course as I think it might be a nice future reference for other faculty or even myself to see what were dominant terms during this semester.

Talk about timing!

I assigned the Eisenberg article “Defining Organizational Communication” for this Monday’s class. I woke up and listened to the news on the financial institutions crumbling, and I wondered if my students would make the connection between the Comm strategies in the article and this current event? Especially the strategic control theory… Well delights of delights, about 10 students had made the connection, 4 students actually had text messages from their CEO’s, ( in full strategic ambiguity mode) and the rest of the class seemed to really get the theory and how it was being played out right in front of their eyes. I had to struggle to keep everyone to a minimum in speaking not the other way around!

I am curious to hear more about Caryn’s hesitations on the Strategic Control theory and the Creativity and Constraints. I found the students really seemed to delight in debating the ethical side of the former and I feel these days the students really have some true to life examples of what it is and how it works. But perhaps there is a  side to it that I am not fully capturing.

I am also wondering how we could take some of these real life events and the communication; internal and external, and put it into an assignment or a paper. Perhaps  there is a way to use this relationship between ORG COM theory and the current financial crisis and something on the exams. Maybe to use the current financial crisis and see how the students can analyse and write a recommendation to the CEO or the board…

First Week

I have just had a very fruitful class discussion on the Claire chapter “Philosophy and rhetoric of work.” I would like to give credit to my students, who not only seemed to have read the whole chapter but took notes and had many things to say. They found the chapter easy to read as well as a good historical and contextual understanding of what I meant when I talked about the course as a Macro look at communication in organizations and how the influence of the global world influences how we talk about work as well as organize it.

I am now working on the prompt for the first paper. I have asked the students to write a 2-3 page paper on their work experience and how it relates to the Clair Chapter as well as Chapter one of the Miller book. Chapter one in the Miller book talks about the complicated way in which modern day communication happens and what that means for the world of work today. I might even add the Eisenberg chapter as background for their paper… I would like it to be in a personal essay format where the students explore their personal work history and put it into context. Hopefully, they will do this through the use of definition, historical context and references to the chapters I previously mentioned.

I am hoping this paper will bring them closer to thinking about the subject matter in a more theoretical way and at the same time show them how much a part of their lives these philosophies are. It would also be a mini exercise in what will be a more formal final paper.

As I re read this it sounds like a lot, but I think it should be pretty simple for them to do…? Do you have any feed back or suggestions?

I am also in the processing of putting up a few more articles in the reading section so keep your eyes open.