SYLLABUS FOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR

PUBLIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATORS

Group J

Term: Fall 2010

Course Number: PSA 500

Instructor: Michael McCafferty, J.D.

Office: Room Room 100 E Calumet College of St. Joseph, in Chicago by appointment

Office Phone: 219-473-4278; 773-721-0202-278

E-mail: mmccafferty@ccsj.edu

Office Hours: Thursday 12:30 – 2:00pm

Course Time: Thursday = morning 8:30 a.m. –12:30 p.m.; evening 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Course Description:

PSA Communication Leadership skills and Managing Crisis Decisions

Examines the theories and practices of strategic and operational planning for crisis and emergency management. The student will learn and practice decision during crisis events and non-emergency situations. The student will differentiate the= types of leadership models to employ in a high stress emergency environment versus routine, non-crisis management decision making. Students will study and develop mo= dels to achieve coordination of public safety agencies and collaboration with private resources. Group lead= ership skills will be learned and performed, including task leadership in both the designated leader and emergent leader perspectives. Process skills performed by crisis managers, such as, practicing standard operating procedures, exercising intuition and practicing mental stimulations will be learned and exhibited = in group presentations. Students= will role-play as a spokesperson in a media situation, responding to a reporter’s questions after a public safety incident occurs. Cases and group scenarios will be examined to apply these concepts in practice.

Prerequisites: None

Textbooks: Cragan, John F., Kasch, Chris R. a= nd Wright, David W. (2009) Communication in Small Groups: Theory, (7^th.Ed.)

Statement of Plagiaris= m:

If an instructor or other Calumet College of St. Jos= eph personnel find that a student has plagiarized or been involved in another f= orm of academic dishonesty, the instructor or other personnel may elect to bring the matter up for judicial review. The maximum penalty for any form of acad= emic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. The procedures for judicial review are listed under the section of CCSJ handbook that addresses student grievances.

Calumet College of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the particular discipline (i.e., MLA, APA, Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian.). All of these guid= elines are available in the Calumet College of St. Joseph library or bookstore. These texts outline how to cite references from a variety of sources, including electronic media. This course will use the APA style detailed in the Public Safety Writing Manual.

Withdrawal from Classes Policy:

After the last day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students = may withdraw from a course in which they are registered with permission from the faculty member conducting the course. A written request detailing the reaso= n(s) for the withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. Written request for wi= thdrawal must be received by the Registrar by the last day of classes prior to the f= inal examination dates specified in the catalogue. Written requests may be maile= d to the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number 219-473-4259. Students are= to make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses. The request= is forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final determination to accep= t or deny the request. If the request is honored, the student will receive notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the notification will indic= ate why the withdrawal is disallowed.

An official withdrawal is recorded as a "W" grade on the student's transcript. Dropping a

course without written permission automatically incurs an "F" grade for = the course (see

Refund Schedule).

Class Policy on Attend= ance: Students are expected to be on time for class. Students entering class late are expected to do so quietly and in a courteous manner. Attendance at all class meetings is mandatory. It is a serious matter when a student even misses one session. A lower grade may result. If a student misses more than one session, the student is required to withdraw f= rom the module by contacting the instructor.&n= bsp; Students who miss all or part of one class must make arrangements wi= th the instructor to make up time missed.

Class Policy For Assignments: All assignments are du= e on the scheduled date.

Course Objectives: Public Safety Administrators need t= o be able to master three areas of communication skills.

Written: Public Safety Administrators need to be able to write clear, concise, descriptive reports; the writing needs to reflect technical maste= ry;
Oral: Public Safety Administrators need to be able to convey i= deas with clarity, organization and ease; adjust to the needs of the group = to whom they are speaking; and pronounce words clearly and precisely.
Group Communication: Public Safety Administrators need to understand basic principles of group dynamics, groups within various systems and organizations, especially community groups, and group function. They need to be skilled at applying these principles to group settings and be skilled = at team building. The student will demonstrate mastery of the competencies specified below in each of three areas of communication: written, oral= and small group processes.

The specific outcomes developed in each of these three communication skill areas are specified below.

Written:= Public Safety Administ= rators need to be able to be able to research, synthesize and present written proposals.

= 1. Proposals <= /span>

= 2. Academic Writing (integrated into research competencies) including:=

-the ability to struct= ure an annotated journal article

-the ability to constr= uct a review of literature

&nb= sp;

Oral: Public Safety Administ= rators need to be able to convey ideas with clarity, organization and ease. They need to be able to adjust to = the needs of the group to whom they are speaking. And, they need to pronounce w= ords clearly and precisely, i.e. using Standard English. They need to be able to state a po= sition clearly and develop it coherently. Finally, Public Safety Administrators need to be comfortable and effective in a public speaking forum.

Group: <= /span>Public Safety Administ= rators need to understand basic principles of group dynamics, groups within various systems and organizations, especially community groups, and group function. They need to be skilled at applying these principles to group settings. Public Safety Administrators also = need to be skilled at team building. There are three areas of= group skills relevant to PUBLIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION. These are:

· Listening: the ability to:

-receive information

-interpret information= re: criteria relevant to a specific problem

-analyze information r= e: a given set of problems

-consider different/diverse/conflicting points of view

-maintain a non-defens= ive posture within a controversial environment

-listen beyond the nor= ms of one's own experience

-the ability to effect= ively reflect back what one has heard and observed

· Managing Group Processes:

· Within a given group:

-facilitate communicat= ion among members

-manage conflict withi= n a group

· Between groups:

-facilitate communicat= ion between groups

-manage conflict betwe= en groups

Format For Written Assignments: MLA Guidelines should = be followed.

Grading Policy:

GRADING CRITERIA

Written Exam

Paper on Communication/

Leadership

Attendance and Participation

POINTS

50%

40%

10%

GRADING SCALE=

A 92-100

B+ 88-89 B 80-87

C + 78-79, C 70-77

D +68-69, 60-67

F BELOW 60

Assessment:

Formative Assessment: = Throughout the course students will be assessed on the degree to which they demonstrate progress toward mastery of written, oral and group communication skills. Summative assessment procedures wi= ll be designed as follows.

Skill Area	Assessment Tool=
Written	Work Samples; individual paper analyzing group communication; final group repo= rt summarizing solutions to be offered at the press conference.
Oral	Press Conference type presentation of group’s solution to assigned proble= m.
Group	Simulation of Small Group Processes; the students will work in task groups of 5- 7 members throughout the semester.

Class Assignments:

Week One

Chapter 1: the nine part definition of small group communication; 5 types of task groups; Chapter 2: the bulls eye model of sm= all group communication; 4 signposts for understanding small group discussion; Journal Article: What Management Style Suits You; Article: Managi= ng Crisis Decisions. =

Discuss paper.

<= /span>

Week Two

Chapter 3: 20 core skills; problem solving rode map; Case study discussed; Chapter 4: six discussion formats;= 6 problem-solving agenda systems; 8 specific discussion techniques;

Handout on paper.

Week Three

Chapter 5 : ten ethical commitments; determining topics for discussion; reasoning skills of participant; test of evidence; tests of argument; preparing discussion outlines; Chapter = 6: six key interpersonal concepts; eight individual variables; verbal and non-verb= al communication codes and groups; Major descriptors in small groups; Work in groups.

Abstract due.

Week Four

Chapter 7: seven leadership theories = (four designated, three emergent); 16 leadership communication behaviors; Chapter= 8: 10 major group roles; follower behavior; suggestions for building a better group; Chapter 9: Group think and risky shift; negotiation styles;

Week Five

Chapter 10: when and how to call meetings; types of everyday work groups; Chapter 1= 1: small group analogs; unified theory of small group communication; Exam review.

Week Six

Communicating with the media, lecture and on-camera training.

Week Seven

Review.