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CAS 452W – Organizational Communication Theory and Research

Students Teaching Students

In coordination with an undergraduate-run organization called Students Teaching Students, CAS department faculty members mentor exemplary students who develop and teach 1-credit courses on a variety of subjects that advance expertise in communication and its role in public life. This semester, Associate Teaching Professor Lori Bedell is supporting undergraduates Kara Miller (who was in Lori’s RCL course a few years back) and Jess Strait as they teach a course titled “Period Talk: The Impact of Stigma on the Menstrual Equity Movement.”
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CAS 452W – Organizational Communication Theory and Research

Explores the nature and function of communication in organizations; emphasis on theoretical concepts, tools, and skills for effective management of communication. My goal is to open your minds to the importance and centrality of the communicative processes within formal and informal organizations. We will explore numerous theories that help to explain the complex interactions that occur at numerous levels within modern organizations. In addition, each student will participate within a semester long “communication audit” of an organization to test the explanatory power of our theories in the working world.

Course Objectives

  • To understand the historical changes in organizational structure since the industrial revolution and the effects of these structural changes upon the communication processes within organizations.
  • To identify the practical implications of organizational communication theory within the everyday activities of the organization for both employees and management.
  • To highlight the importance of negotiated power, dialogue, and adaptive abilities within the organization.
  • To prepare students for success in the complex, global, and technologically sophisticated world of modern organizations.