Spring 2020 Graduate Course Offerings

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS

INSTRUCTOR:  DR. MADELINE MAXWELL
CMS 386N.2
THURSDAYS 3:30-6:30 pm in CMA 7.120
CLASS SIZE = 12
 
DESCRIPTION:
Through presentation of scholarly readings and immersion into one’s own in-depth research project, this course explores a variety of qualitative research approaches, taking into account issues of epistemology (ways of knowing), methodology (ways of examining), and representation (ways of writing and reporting). We will examine interpretive theory, and several intellectual traditions that constitute this field of research including ethnography, sensemaking, analytic induction, and grounded theory. We will read exemplars of qualitative research that illustrate these particular theoretical traditions as well as examine key issues such as gaining access to research sites, forms of interactions with research subjects, and research ethics. Students will carry out their own research project, engaging in 20+ hours of field research. Through this project, students will have the opportunity to collectively enact and reflect upon the central phases of qualitative research such as: planning, negotiating access, observing, interviewing, creating field texts, analyzing field texts, writing, and explicating the contribution of their work. The goal is that students will emerge from the class with first-hand qualitative research experience and a significant understanding of qualitative methods that can serve as a basis for an ongoing research program.   
 
TEXTBOOKS:
Tracy, S. J. (2019). Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact (2nd edition). ISBN-10: 1119390788 | ISBN-13: 978-1119390787
 
PREREQUISITES/RULES:
Open to all Communication Studies graduate students and with instructor approval, other University of Texas graduate students.
 

ADVOCACY

INSTRUCTOR:  DR. JOHN DALY
CMS 386P (meets with MAN 383)
TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS 12:30-2 pm in UTC 3.132
CLASS SIZE = 10
 
 
DESCRIPTION:

This course focuses on research and theory related to the very practical issue of how one "sells" ideas in organizations, politics, and life. Materials in the class integrate theories, research, and popular sources on topics drawn from persuasion, marketing, leadership, and communication.

TEXTBOOK:
Daly, J.A. (2011). Advocacy; Championing Ideas and Influencing Others
 
PREREQUISITES/RULES:
The CMS part of the course is restricted to Communication Studies graduate students. The Business School portion is restricted to Business graduate students.
 

COMMUNICATION, COGNITION AND EMOTION

INSTRUCTOR:  DR. ANITA VANGELISTI
CMS 386S
WEDNESDAYS 3:30—6:30  in CMA 7.120
CLASS SIZE = 12
 
 
DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to acquaint students with theory and research on communication, cognition, and emotion. More specifically, we will be examining a number of social scientific theories of cognition and emotion as well as empirical work on various types of emotions, the role(s) of emotion in personal relationships, and several theoretical concerns that affect research on communication and emotion.
 
TEXTBOOKS:

Reading packet will be available at Paradigm https://squareup.com/store/paradigmbooks/

PREREQUISITES/RULES:
Open to all Communication Studies graduate students and with instructor approval, other University of Texas graduate students.
 

 

VOICES OF CITIZENSHIP

INSTRUCTOR:  DR. ROD HART
CMS 390N
TUESDAYS 3:30-6:30 PM in CMA7.120
CLASS SIZE = 12
 
 
DESCRIPTION:
This seminar examines who the American people are and what can be done about them. It asks questions like this: What is an “authentic” citizen?  What does the person-on-the-street really sound like?  What sort of talk is needed to create communities?  To sustain them?  What images of citizenship are presented to us by the media?  How have digital technologies affected lay discussion?  Are people taught to be citizens or do they come by it naturally?  And what is a good citizen?  Has the definition of good citizenship changed over time?  Is a new ideal needed for the 21st century?
 
TEXTBOOK:
Core texts: Anderson’s Imagined Communities; Schudson’s The Good Citizen; Perrin’s Citizen Speak; Hart’s Civic Hope; Kramer’s Politics of Resentment; Dunkelman’s The Vanishing Neighbor; Coleman’s How Voters Feel; and Reagle’s Reading the Comments.  Additional selections to be assigned as needed.
 
PREREQUISITES/RULES:
Open to all Communication Studies graduate students and with instructor approval, other University of Texas graduate students
 

GENDER AND COMMUNICATION

INSTRUCTOR:  DR. JOHANNA HARTELIUS
CMS 390R
MONDAYS 3:30– 6:30 PM in CMA 3.130
CLASS SIZE = 12
 
DESCRIPTION:

The purpose of this course is to examine gender as an aspect, effect, and implication of communication. In terms of theory and method, the course has its center of gravity in rhetoric and critical scholarship; however, the course welcomes various student backgrounds and research foci, and is designed to facilitate productive discussion. For the major research assignment, each student may choose to employ the method/approach of her/his field or academic specialty as long as the project relates to gender and communication.

 

The following types of questions will drive our readings, discussions, and projects: What can we learn about gender and gender advocacy from thinkers who have made a lasting impression on Western thought (like Nietzsche and de Beauvoir)? How are gender and gender advocacy represented in public discourse and media? How do communication practices and performances in everyday life reinforce and/or challenge norms? Are we presently experiencing/witnessing a cultural paradigm shift in gender identities and gender advocacy, or are structures of power/privilege (gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, etc.) as strong as they ever were? Weekly topics: gender in popular media; gender non-binarity; intersectional experiences and politics; the origins of masculinity ideals; feminist perspectives/methods in rhetorical/critical scholarship.

Special focus in readings and discussions will be given to:

  • Prominent/enduring theoretical perspectives on gender
  • Works by thinkers/theorists/activists who have shaped the concept of gender in theory and practice (but may not have marked themselves as gender-focused)
  • Scholarship on gender and gender advocacy produced by National Communication Association and Rhetoric Society of America scholars from the 1990s to the present

Class meetings will last three hours with a break after about two hours. During the first two hours, we will discuss readings, address issues raised in students’ reading reflections, and listen to students’ Annotated Bibliography Reports. The third hour is dedicated to the development of each student’s course project; this will combine the form of office hours, a peer writing group, and a laboratory.

 
TEXTBOOK:
Readings will be provided electronically; students who wish to use the course as a “library builder” will receive additional bibliographical information and suggestions.
 
PREREQUISITES/RULES:
Open to all Communication Studies graduate students and with instructor approval, other University of Texas graduate students
 

SURVEY OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

INSTRUCTOR:  DR. SHIV GANESH
CMS 390S.10
TUESDAYS 6:30-9:15 pm in CMA 7.120
CLASS SIZE = 12
 
DESCRIPTION:
The field of organizational communication has come a long way from its beginnings in studies of interpersonal supervisor-subordinate communication. Indeed, it can be said that nowhere else in organizational studies can one find such a bewildering array of research interests, so many fascinating interdisciplinary theories, and such methodological breadth. Contemporary scholars of organizational communication have grappled with a diversity of issues, including labour, corporate mergers, global justice activism, nonprofit organizations, collective action, diversity management, leadership, gender and sexuality, worker identification processes, corporate social responsibility, strategic corporate communication, workplace wellbeing, NGOs and development, work-family balances, entrepreneurship, spirituality in the workplace, globalized organizations, environmental sustainability, colonial workforces, high-tech workers, temporary workers, industrial labour, and domestic labour— and these are but a sample. So, while this course is designed to give you a substantive understanding of major issues, topics and approaches to the academic study of organisational communication, it is by no means comprehensive.
 
Thus, the course is structured around major themes in organizational communication research rather than specific topics in organizational communication. We will begin the semester by examining some key historical aspects of the study of organizational communication, in order to gain an overall sense of the field and its tensions. We will follow this up with specific discussions about such historically important themes in organizational communication research as structure, power, networks and culture. We will then explore some contemporary themes, including discourse, identity, tensions, “new” materiality and postcoloniality. As we engage with these themes, we will explore a range of issues and topics, from gender, justice and social movements, to globalization, corporate transparency, technology, temporary labour and inequality. Students will complete a set of reading précis during the course of the semester, as well as a book review project and a final term paper.
 
 
TEXTBOOKS:
To Be Determined
 
PREREQUISITES/RULES:
Open to all Communication Studies graduate students and with instructor approval, other University of Texas graduate students.
 

SCALE DEVELOPMENT AND INSTRUMENT DESIGN

INSTRUCTOR:  DR. DAWNA BALLARD
CMS 390S.11
MONDAYS 3:30 – 6:30 PM in CMA 7.120
CLASS SIZE = 12
 
DESCRIPTION:
This is a hands-on course that provides in-depth instruction on issues related to scale development and questionnaire design, ranging from developing a theoretical construct to establishing validity to increasing response rate.  In addition to examining the relevant theoretical and practical literature on this topic, students will engage these issues, in part, through developing their own measurement instrument.  Therefore, this class is well-suited both for individuals already engaged in a specific line of research and poised to develop appropriate measurement instruments as well as those new to an area of scholarship who expect to need such tools in the future.
 
TEXTBOOK:

DeVellis, R. F. (2016). Scale development: Theory and applications. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L. M. (2014). Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

 
PREREQUISITES/RULES:
Open to all Communication Studies graduate students and with instructor approval, other University of Texas graduate students.
 

GRANT WRITING IN COMMUNICATION

INSTRUCTOR:  DR. KERI STEPHENS
CMS 392P.6
TUESDAYS 3:30-6:30 in CMA 6.152
Class Size:  12
 
DESCRIPTION:

This seminar course prepares graduate students to understand and participate in the grant-writing process.  Many of the assigned readings are actual grant proposals that we will analyze and critique.  Students will also gain graduate student teaching experience when they prepare and teach the class about their particular research interests.  This is an important assignment because their peers in the class will serve as their grant reviewers. The course concludes by having all students write a grant proposal and participate in grant review panels.

As an introduction to the grant-writing process, we will explore some fundable topic areas like health, safety, disasters, and organization science.  We will explore the growing need to create interdisciplinary teams and to negotiate site access for funded research projects.  While we will explore opportunities from large federal agencies like the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation, we will cover at least 20 additional funding sources, including several sources unearthed by students in our class.  Many students will identify a dissertation improvement grant or an early career grant that they will develop for the final course project. 

Assignments:

1) Conduct online research to identify and develop a basic understanding of funding agencies, jargon, and writing styles.  2) Interview a successful funded faculty member in an area closely related to the student’s research interest. 3) Teach part of a graduate class and the content will include theory, typical methods, and key literature cited in a specific area of research.  4) Participate in a grant peer-review process and participate on grant review panels. 5) Identify a grant application that fits the student’s needs and complete the application by the end of class.

 
TEXTBOOK:
Published articles available from the UT Library, Grant Applications, and Public Resources
 
PREREQUISITES/RULES:
Open to all Communication Studies graduate students and with instructor approval, other University of Texas graduate students.