Course Syllabus

COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor:       Graham Mitchell

Contact:           (760) 855-0111 (mobile) / glmitchell@sdsu.edu 

Class Days: Mondays

Class Times: 7:00 – 9:40 PM

Class Location: Online

Office Hours Times (and by appointment): TBD

Office Hours Location: TBD

Course Overview

The ability to communicate, lead teams, and manage projects in a professional environment is a skillset that adds value to an organization and sets an employee apart. Effective public servant leaders have mastered important professional skills, such as:  

  • reading, listening, and thinking critically,
  • writing and speaking with clarity,
  • delivering organized and convincing oral presentations,
  • leading teams,
  • developing team management skills, and
  • engaging the public.

This course prepares students for the public sector workforce by developing specific skills through traditional academic rigor along with practical activities. This course aligns with the mission of the School of Public Affairs:

“The School of Public Affairs is dedicated to supplying the region with well-educated, diverse, ethical graduates. The School both educates and trains undergraduate and graduate students in specific skills, techniques and knowledge encouraging analytical and critical thinking about public and private sectors. We prepare students for the challenges of changing political and social environments. We are dedicated to advancing the commitment to public service and to providing applied scholarship designed to address emerging border and regional issues.”

Course Structure and Conduct

This undergraduate and graduate level course requires students to be well prepared. Like a work environment, class members should consider themselves colleagues who help in each other’s development. One key component of this class is developing critical thinking skills; as such, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. 

One of my objectives is to create a safe environment where students can improve their communication and management skills.  This effort requires experimentation, pushing one’s limits, and some inevitable failures. As such, students must help create this safe place for colleagues and must be willing to push themselves. 

Because this course prepares students for the workplace, basic expectations are important:

  • Arrive to each class on time by making sure you are logged on a few minutes before class begins,
  • Meet deadlines (late work will be penalized 10 percent per 24-hour period),
  • Read and respond to e-mails regarding assignments,
  • Consider assignments as work assignments being submitted to a supervisor that determines whether you are promoted or receive a pay increase,
  • Spend at least as much time editing as you do writing (as a former editor, I enjoy editing, but not a student’s paper), and
  • Adhere to the length limits or written assignments. Writing concisely for an audience is a skill; knowing how much to include or not to include is an art.

Course Assessment and Grading

Exams (3)                                                                                  30%    

Assignments (6/7)                                                               30% / 35%

Project Management Report & Presentation     30%

On-Line Activities (3)                                                        10% / 5%

Note: Graduate students will be required to prepare a more extensive Project Management Report than undergraduate students. Graduate students will also complete a seventh assignment.

 

The following is a detail of the points assigned to exams, assignments, the project, and activities:

 

EVALUATION TOOL

DUE DATE

UNDERGRADUATES

GRADUATES

Exam 1

Sep 28

10%

10%

Exam 2

Oct 26

10%

10%

Final Exam

Dec 14

10%

10%

Assignment 1 – Communication

Aug 31

5%

5%

Assignment 2 – Project Proposal Memo

Oct 12

5%

5%

Assignment 3 – Public Speaking Memo

Oct 19

5%

5%

Assignment 4 – Redraft Memo

Nov 11

5%

5%

Assignment 5 – Editing Staff Report

Nov 19

5%

5%

Assignment 6 – Powerpoint Presentation

Nov 28

5%

5%

Assignment 7 – Grad Student Papers

Dec 3

0%

5%

On-Line Activity 1 – Teams

Sep 21

3%

1%

On-Line Activity 2 – Presenting Data

Oct 19

4%

2%

On-Line Activity 3 – Critical Thinking

Nov 2

3%

2%

Group Project

Dec 7

 

 

Group Grade

 

20%

25%

Individual Grade

 

10%

5%

Academic Honesty

The University adheres to a strict policy regarding cheating and plagiarism. These activities will not be tolerated in this class. Become familiar with the policy and what constitutes plagiarism (http://studentaffairs.sdsu.edu/srr/cheating-plagiarism.html). Any cheating or plagiarism will result in failing this class and a disciplinary review by the University. These actions may lead to probation, suspension, or expulsion.

Examples of Plagiarism include but are not limited to:

  • Using sources verbatim or paraphrasing without giving proper attribution (this can include phrases, sentences, paragraphs and/or pages of work)
  • Copying and pasting work from an online or offline source directly and calling it your own
  • Using information you find from an online or offline source without giving the author credit
  • Replacing words or phrases from another source and inserting your own words or phrases
  • Submitting a piece of work you did for one class to another class

Turnitin

Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. You may submit your papers in such a way that no identifying information about you is included. Another option is that you may request, in writing, that your papers not be submitted to www.turnitin.com. However, if you choose this option you will be required to provide documentation to substantiate that the papers are your original work and do not include any plagiarized material.

Technical Support for Canvas

Student support for Blackboard is provided by the Library Computing Hub, located on the 2nd floor of Love Library. They can be reached at 619-594-3189 or hub@mail.sdsu.edu

Texts & Materials

Strunk, William and E.B. White. The Elements of Style, 4th Edition

Schmidt, Terry, Strategic Project Management Made Simple: Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams (2009) - available through Immediate Access

Articles and videos as assigned

 

Course Schedule

The following is a preliminary schedule for the semester.  The schedule includes reading assignments and due dates for assignments and activities. 

WEEK

TOPIC/ACTIVITY

READING & ASSIGNMENTS

Week 1 –

Aug 24

Intro to Course, Team Building, Learning Plan, Assessment, Communication & Leadership

 

Week 2 –

Aug 31

Communication & Leadership

Assignment 1 – Memo - TED Talk on Communication (Aug 31)

Week 3 –

Sep 7

NO CLASS – LABOR DAY

 

Week 4 –

Sep 14

Team Management 1

Article TBD

Week 5 –

Sep 21

Team Management 2

Article TBD

Online Activity 1 - Teams

Week 6 –

Sep 28

Intro Group Assignment /

Mid-Term 1

Mid-Term 1

Week 7 –

Oct 5

Project Management 1

Strategic Project Management, pages 1-86

Week 8 –

Oct 12

Project Management 2

Strategic Project Management, pages 87-204

Assignment 2 – Group Project Proposal Memo (Oct 12)

Week 9 –

Oct 19

Public Speaking, Presentation Tools, and Presenting Data

Online Activity 2 – Presenting Data

Assignment 3 – Memo - TED Talk on Public Speaking (Oct 19)

Week 10 –

Oct 26

Mid-Term 2

Mid-Term 2

Week 11 –

Nov 2

Critical Thinking/Identifying Bias

Online Activity 3 – Critical Thinking

Week 12 –

Nov 9

Grammar 1 & Memos

Elements of Style, pages 1-33

Assignment 4 – Redraft Memo (Nov 11)

Week 13 –

Nov 16

Grammar 2, Editing, Other Gov’t Docs

Elements of Style, pages 34-81

Assignment 5 – Edited Staff Report (Nov 19)

Week 14 –

Nov 23

NO CLASS – GROUP WORK – ASSISTANCE APPOINTMENTS

 

Week 15 –

Nov 30

Emerging Communication Tech, the Press, Social Media

Assignment 6 – Powerpoint Presentation (Nov 28)

Assignment 7 – Grad Students’ Leadership Profile (Dec 3)

Week 16 – 

Dec 7

Group Presentations /

Final Exam Prep

Group Presentations & Paper

Week 17 – 

Dec 14

Final Exam

Final Exam

Contacting me

My aim is to respond within 12 hours to text or emails.  You may email or text me at the following email address and phone number:  glmitchell@sdsu.edu / (760) 855-0111.  If you text me, be sure to include your name in the text.

Title IX & Sexual Violence

As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus.  I am a mandated reporter in my role as an SDSU employee. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share information regarding sexual violence on SDSU’s campus with the Title IX coordinator, Jessica Rentto (619) 594-6017. She (or her designee) will contact you to let you know about accommodations and support services at SDSU and possibilities for holding accountable the person who harmed you. Know that you will not be forced to share information you do not wish to disclose and your level of involvement will be your choice.

 If you do not want the Title IX Officer notified, instead of disclosing this information to your instructor, you can speak confidentially with the following people on campus and in the community.  They can connect you with support services and discuss options for pursuing a University or criminal investigation. Sexual Violence Victim Advocate (619) 594-0210 or Counseling and Psychological Services (619) 594-5220, psycserv@sdsu.edu.

For more information regarding your university rights and options as a survivor of sexual misconduct or sexual violence, please visit titleix.sdsu.edu or sdsutalks.sdsu.edu.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. You can also learn more about the services provided by visiting the Student Disability Services website.

To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Student Services

A complete list of all academic support services is available on the Academic Success section of the SDSU Student Affairs website.

For help with improving your writing ability, the staff at the SDSU Writing Center is available in person and online.

Counseling and Psychological Services offers confidential counseling services by licensed psychologists, counselors, and social workers. More info can be found at their website or by contacting (619) 594-5220. You can also Live Chat with a counselor http://go.sdsu.edu/student_affairs/cps/therapist-consultation.aspx between 4:00pm and 10:00pm, or call San Diego Access and Crisis 24-hour Hotline at (888) 724-7240.