Section 3 - Thursday 12-2, B239 EH Section 5 - Friday 9-11, 222 WH

Office: 3031 East Hall Phone: 647-3856

Office Hours: Tuesday 10-11, Wednesday 1-2 E-mail: valmyers@umich.edu

SYNOPSIS: Organizations are complex networks of social relationships between individuals, within groups, and between groups. We will examine individual, relational, and group behaviors in organizations throughout this course.

WHY ATTEND SECTION MEETINGS: Section meetings provide a format to further explore lecture topics, introduce new material, and apply concepts in interesting and meaningful ways. Section meetings are not merely a review of the lecture. It is important that you attend section meetings for several reasons:

• Interesting exercises and films will increase your understanding of lecture topics.
• The discourse among students (listening to, asking and responding to questions) will facilitate your learning.
• Material covered in section meetings will assist you in completing your final project and will be on your exams.
• 10% of your grade depends on it!

*** You must attend the first 4 section meetings or you will be dropped from the course. Section attendance is mandatory on Thursday SEPT. 30 and Friday OCT. 1 in order to form groups for the project.

Exams 50%.....(Mid-term 25%; Final 25%: short answer, multiple choice etc.)

Group Project 25%.....(5% project proposal, 5% mid-point report, 15% final report)

Class Participation 25%.....(7.5% discussion, 7.5% assignments, 10% attendance)

***Participation and attendance will influence my decisions about borderline grades.

MY ROLE AS GSI: I will do what I can to help you understand the material and do well in the class, which means that I will: be prepared for sections, give you adequate feedback, hold regular office hours, make appointments to meet with you as needed, and respond to e-mail in a timely manner. I welcome your feedback about the materials, exercises, and my teaching methods.

DECORUM IN THE CLASSROOM: This does not mean that we will decorate the room — except with our uniqueness. Our goal is to create a safe environment that promotes learning, in its various forms, which includes learning from one another. In order to do that, it is imperative that everyone observe the following guidelines for conduct in the classroom:

• Be courteous, respectful, and supportive
• Remember that diverse perspectives enrich the learning environment and you individually. Be receptive to new and different ideas.
• Critique ideas and not individuals
• Feel free to ask questions
• The classroom is a good place to refine basic life skills such as punctuality, responsibility for assignments, and creativity. Use this opportunity to develop yourself. If you will be late or absent, at least be creative about your excuse. Seriously, notify me via voice or e-mail prior to your absence (E-mail is preferred). Your mates and I will miss your input. You are responsible for obtaining notes from missed lectures and sections from your mates. I will not re-teach the section during my office hours.

ASSIGNMENTS & PARTICIPATION: Learning also occurs outside of the classroom. Therefore, you will have two assignments in life’s laboratory of learning:

1) You are required to complete 3 News Article Assignments (worth 2.5% each) throughout the semester. Select articles from the Wall Street Journal, Business Week Magazine, or the New York Times (or internet), that are relevant to our topic of the week. You may choose topics and articles as they appeal to you. I recommend that you make selections at the beginning and middle of the course. All of these assignments may be turned in throughout the semester, but no later than December 7. This exercise will help to make the concepts from lecture more meaningful and may provide ideas for your group project. (For you silent types, this assignment lets me know that your wheels are turning and gives you something to discuss in class.) The following criteria will be considered when grading:

- 1-1½ typed, double spaced pages (maximum) 12 pt. font

- A brief synopsis of the article (with a copy of the article attached)

- A paragraph about the lecture topic

- Reflections about how the article relates to or contradicts our topic of the week

2) The Group Project requires you to gather information about an existing organization and compile a written report. A more detailed explanation of the group project is on a separate handout.

PARTICIPATION: The requirement to participate in class can be intimidating. But there is a secret to reducing your stress and anxiety about speaking in class: BE PREPARED by reading all assigned materials before class meets. Read and consider the practical application of theories to real life, this will increase your capacity to participate. If just reading this makes you anxious, let’s discuss strategies to help you overcome this.

Some students think of class participation as a sort of lottery — play early, often, and with any small amounts. This is not a winning strategy. Try to further the discussion by building upon your mates comments or asking related questions. Your participation will be judged based upon quality and not quantity of involvement.