School of

Humanities & Social Sciences

Dr. Abderrahim Agnaou

Office: 112
Building: 08
Extension #: 2462
E-mail: a.agnaou@aui.ma

Office Hours:
MW 14:30-18:00 & TR 17:00-18:00

COM2301: Professional Communication

[– Syllabus –]
Spring 2013

“ The greatest problem in communication is

the illusion that it has been accomplished.
George Bernard Shaw
”
 - Course Description -
This course provides students with knowledge of communication skills and strategies in professional
contexts. Students will learn and apply interpersonal and group communication practices that are standard
in professional settings. Students will work individually and in groups to do research, presentations, and in
class activities to explore interpersonal and group dynamics, and to deal with intercultural challenges. They
will become familiar with workplace practices and job search strategies including doing interviews and
preparing a career portfolio.

- Course Objectives -
The objectives of this course are:
 To raise students’ awareness of communication in multicultural professional environments and make
them understand the unique social, cultural, economic, and political contexts in which they operate.
 To help students determine the extent to which “Western” and “global” theories, methods, and
practices relating to intercultural communication in the workplace are relevant to the Moroccan
context;
 To expand students’ knowledge about the appropriate use of their English language skills in
communication events and episodes within the global professional context; and
 To help students, as multilingual speakers, gain insights into professional communication through the
medium of English in Morocco and abroad.

- Intended Learning Outcomes -

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
 Understand basic theories and strategies of Conscious Communication as it relates to professional
work contexts
 Demonstrate ability to use communication strategies appropriate in professional settings
 Deliver professional presentations individually and in groups
 Use basic technologies such as email, PowerPoint, Prezi, etc. to enhance oral and written professional
communication
 Conduct effective meetings
 Conduct interviews
 Compose basic written forms of communication essential for the job market (emails, agendas, reports,
cover letters, résumés, etc.)
 Produce a comprehensive career portfolio and know how to use it in a job search

- Prerequisite Skills -
To succeed in COM 2301, students should have mastered basic skills from SSK 1205 (“Interpersonal Skills
and Social Interaction”), and COM 1301 (“Communication through Speaking”), including how to:
 Present information comfortably in clear and concise English,
 Make both informative and persuasive presentations,
 Conduct research and design a research plan,
 Use conventional research methods including citation and formatting styles (MLA or APA), and
 Understand and apply basic communication techniques such as empathy, verbal/non-verbal skills, and
active listening.

- Readings -
In order to understand, assess, apply, and critique the information presented in class lectures and
discussions, assigned readings from your textbook (see textbook below) are to be completed before coming
to class. Each unit of the course as described in this syllabus is supported by some chapter (see class
schedule below). Doing all of the required readings in a timely manner is essential for getting a good in-
2
class participation grade (see course evaluation below). You may choose to do aditional reading on your
own to enrich the class discussion and gain a broader background in the topics under study (see suggested
further readings below).

- Textbook -
Goodall, H. L., Goodall, S., & Schiefelbein, J. (2010). Business and
Professional Communication in the Global Workplace (3rd Edition). Boston,
MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

 I put a PDF format of Chapter 1 of the textbook for your convenience

during the add-drop period on the course page on the Jenzabar portal
under: [My Courses / COM 2301 - Professional Communication]
(please do not distribute).

 A preview of the textbook is available on Google Books and Amazon

- Companion Website -
I maintain an e-mag format companion website that I continuously update for you. Please take a look at the
materials posted there, and click the button to receive notifications when new items have been
added. You may also suggest content by clicking on the “Suggest” tab on top of the page.

http://www.scoop.it/business-and-professional-communication

Link available on the Jenzabar portal under: [My Courses / COM 2301 - Professional Communication]

- Evaluation/Grading (co-constructed) -

Course components and deliverables Weighting

* All assignments Attendance 05% (graded and ungraded)
e.g. homework, in-class exercises, and
Classroom Participation* 15%
peer evaluations count towards your
classroom participation Quizzes (at least 4) 10% grade.
Informational Interview 15%
A+ 97-100% (4.00)
Group Project B+ 87-89% (3.33)
I (Symposium) C+ 77-79% (2.33) D+ 67-69% (1.33)
15%
A 93-96% (4.00) B 83-86% (3.00) C 73-76% (2.00) D 60-66% (1.00)
A- 90-92%Group Project B-
(3.67) II (Field report)
80-82% (2.67) C- 70-72% (1.67) F 15%
< 60% (0.00)
- Career Portfolio 15% Attendance
Policy Mid-term Exam 05% -
Attendance and Final Exam 05% participation are
essential in a course of this nature since the major part of this course consists of giving presentations and
working in groups. Your success in this course depends, to a large extent, on your being in class. Do not
come to class late, if you do that twice it is considered an unexcused absence. If you are going to be absent
from the university because of illness, death in the family or another personal emergency please notify me

3
ASAP. For any absence that a student desires to have excused, sufficient documentation must be provided.

- Communication Policy -
During the work week (M-F, 9am-5pm) I will try to respond to e-mails received within 24 hours, if not
sooner. I do not check e-mail frequently during the weekend, so if you send a message to me after 5pm on
Friday afternoon, do not expect a response until Monday. If you do not receive a response from me within
48 hours, please re-send your message as it may not have found its way to my inbox.
All communications (electronic and otherwise) that you have with me in this course should be professional.
This means using proper grammar and sentence structure in your e-mail messages. If I receive an e-mail
that is sloppily written I will not respond.

- Course Policies -
 Complete all reading assignments on time. Lectures may not always cover the text but you will be
expected to know and to apply the material covered in your textbook. Many quizzes will be
administered at different and unannounced times.
 DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. DO NOT FABRICATE. DO NOT CHEAT. Please see the Student Handbook for
specific details concerning the policy of the university.
 Think ahead. Start your projects early. Plan time for the unexpected. Excuses such as broken
printers, lost disks, forgotten books are not considered valid.
 Always make a copy of all course work, whether on computer or hard copy. Keep copies of all work
on file until you receive your final grade. Never give anything to the instructor without having a
backup.
 If you don't have a classroom budy, please get one. Please don't contact me to find out what you
missed after an absence.
 I would appreciate your efforts to use gender-neutral language in your speaking and writing. Since
the language we speak and write leads us to perceive in certain ways, gender-neutral language will
help all of us perceive women and men on equal terms, participating equally in the world. For
example, use “he or she” instead of “he” when the person to whom you are referring could be of
either sex. Similarly, use “people” or “humanity” instead of “man” or “mankind.”
 I have over 9 hours of posted office hours each week; please use them to meet with me to discuss
your concerns, questions, or potential problems with deadlines.
 BE INFORMED: read newspapers (local, national and international), news magazines and watch any
news programs.

- Written Assignment Requirements -

 All assignments, unless otherwise noted, are to be typed (MLA or APA).
 Name and Course information in upper right hand corner of the paper (MLA or APA).
 Correct spelling is required. Grade reduction for mechanical errors.
 Outlines are due the day of your presentations.

- Suggested Further Readings -

 Hooker, John (2008). “Cultural Differences in Business Communication.” Tepper School of
Business. Carnegie Mellon University. http://ba.gsia.cmu.edu/jnh/businesscommunication.pdf

 Book chapter: http://business.uni.edu/buscomm/buscomcourse/ReadingsSummer07/Differences

%20in%20Communication%20Culture.pdf
4
 - Tentative Course Schedule -

Dates Coverage Area Assignments/deliverables

 Introduction to the course and to classmates
Mar. 5,7Week 7: Feb. 26,28Week 6: Feb. 19,21Week 5: Feb. 12,14Week 4: Feb. 5,7Week 3: Jan. 29,31Week 2: Ja.n 22,24Week 1:

 Breakthrough Skills for the Global Workplace Textbook Chapter 1

 Understanding the CCCD method Activities 1-4. p. 14

 The Evolution of Communication in the

Workplace Textbook Chapter 2
 Memos, Briefs and Reports

 Presentations in a Global Workplace Textbook Chapter 10

 Interpreting visuals and graphics In-class Memos and Briefings
 Quiz 1

 The Power of Verbal and Nonverbal Start of the Informational Interview

Communication Textbook Chapter 3
Professional Issues Group Presentations

 Issues in the Professional Context - Group Presentations

 Issues in the Professional Context - Group Presentations

 Listening in the Multilingual World Textbook Chapter 4

 Exploring Interpersonal Communication Textbook Chapter 5
 Quiz 2
 Digital and graphic presentation of documents Progress Report on the Informational
 Professional documents: In-class workshop Interviews
 Flip-books and Professional Web 2.0 Tools
 Interviewing and Conscious Communication Textbook Chapter 6
Informational Interview Reports Due

Mid-term Exam: Thursday 7 March

5
 Spring Break March 11 – 17
 The CCCD process in professional interviews
May 7,9Week 16: 2Apr. 30, MayWeek 15: Apr. 23,25Week 14: Apr. 16,18Week 13: Apr. 9,11Week 12: Apr. 2,4Week 11: Mar. 26,28Week 10: Mar. 19,21Week 9:
 The Job Search and Conscious Communication
 In-class simulations and role-plays
 Resume and Cover Letter Workshop
 Quiz 3
 Communicating in Groups and Teams
 Group dynamics, team communication and
leadership
 Conflict resolution and problem-solving
 Career portfolios: Feedback for cross-
fertilization
 Problem-Solving: In-class workshop
 Persuasive Communication in a Global
Workplace
 Crisis communication issues
 Quiz 4
 Group Project I: Research Projects
 Group Project I: Research Projects
 IT and Conscious Communication
 Group Project II: Site Visit (Feedback)
6
Dream-job related ad
Textbook Chapter 7
In-Class Job Interviews
Career Portfolio Progress Reports
Start Collecting Artifacts for Career Portfolios
Textbook Chapter 9
Focus Groups for the Site Visit
Areas of Concentration for the Site Visit
Problem-Solving Group Projects
Problem-Solving Group Presentations
Career Portfolio Due
Textbook Chapter 11
Professional Site Visit(s)
Crisis Situation Analysis
Symposia Due
Symposia Due
Textbook Chapter 8
Site Visit Report Due
Personal website or blog with all digital
documents generated throughout the
semester and Web 2.0 links Due (Optional:
Bonus)
May 14,16Week 17:

Final Exam

Good luck and have fun!