Faculty Contact Information:
Dr. JED Riggs
PSC 9 Box 3018
APO AE 09123
EMAIL smartguy53@yahoo.com | |
Consultation:
| One-Half Hour before class, and by appointment. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
Text used exclusively in this course--
Robbins, S.R. 2003. Organizational behavior (10th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Texts used in multiple courses --
Ott, J.S., Parkes, S.J. & Simpson, R.B. 2003. Classic readings in
organizational behavior (3rd ed.). Toronto, Ontario: Thomson Wadsworth.
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the
American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington DC:
Author. | |
Supplementary Readings:
| All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
| A variety of full-text, online, free-of-charge and pay-per-view academic journals are listed on the PA Webboard (http://webboard.ed.umuc.edu/~pa). The Journal of Organizational Behavior is especially useful in this course. | |
Course Description:
| Prerequisite: Undergraduate principles of management or permission of the program director. Presents basic concepts of formal organizations. Students become acquainted with the major conceptual models that purport to explain organizational behavior, acquire an understanding of the methods used to study organizations, and analyze research that has been produced. While the emphasis is placed on critical analysis of literature that deals with "what is," attention is given to views about "what should be" in order for people to derive maximum satisfaction and other benefits from organizational activity. | |
Course Goals:
As one of three foundations courses in the MPA program, a requirement for the Certificate in Public Management, and an elective in the MIS program, this course introduces and analyzes major theories of organizational behavior and the ways in which theses theories inform management of organizations in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Particular attention is given to theories focusing on:
- Individual and group behavior in relation to each other and larger organizations
- Leadership styles, principles and contingencies
- Motivation and Reward Systems
- Values, Attitudes and Job Satisfaction
- Organizational Communication
- Organizational Culture
- Organizational Development and Change
| |
Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
- Analyze case material, web sites, public law, and research articles related to organizational behavior and organizational change
- Investigate the relationship between historical and current issues in organizational behavior
- Utilize electronic resources to find primary source documents, data, statements on best practices and research articles related to issues in organizational behavior and organizational change
- Develop and present written and oral arguments, case studies, and/or research papers on current issues in organizational behavior that make reference to and build on factual and expert information.
| |
Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90%
B 80 – 89%
C 70 – 79%
F Below 70%
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F(a) is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog. Hard copies of the catalog are available in your local Education Center. | |
Course Requirements:
|
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you must complete...
A mid-term examination.....30%
A final Examination........40%
A Theme Paper..............30% | |
Description of Course Requirements:
Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the face-to-face classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an 8-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most 14-week graduate distance education courses require at least 10 hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.
Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.
Write graduate level papers or case studies: You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment.
Orally/visually present prepared material: You are required to present your research in a professional manner. In a face-to-face course, this typically means an oral presentation accompanied by appropriate visual material. In a DE class, this means creating a visual/textual presentation for your instructor and classmates.
Complete one or more written examination(s): The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary to successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The questions used for this course will either be taken directly from past comprehensive exams or written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam.
Specifically for this class, you will complete a midterm exam which will fall on the Sunday of Weekend two. It will cover all readings and lectures from the beginning of class through the Saturday of Weekend Two. You will have a final examination which will cover all readings and lectures from Sunday of Weekend Two, and will fall on the Sunday of Weekend Four.
In addition, you will complete a 15-20 page original work covering an investigation of any of the topics covered in class. You may complete this requirement in one of two ways:
1... Either a detailed literature review charting the evolution of thought in any of the assigned areas; or...
2... An analysis of how theory in any of the assigned areas is being employed in a real world setting.
For the paper, I will require every student to present by Saturday of Weekend Two, a paper topic sheet. This topic sheet will contain three things...
1. A description of the actual topic.
2. A description of the actual approach to be used.
3. A sample bibliography.
This topic must be in my hands no later than the Saturday of Weekend Two. You may email me a topic sheet earlier if you wish. Tha paper must be in my hands no later than Sunday of Weekend Four. If, for any reason, the paper is not in my hands on the appointed day, the paper will be docked an automatic 15% of its grade. | |
Course Schedule:
WEEKEND ONE:
1. Introduction to Organizational Behavior.
WEEKEND ONE READINGS: Robbins - 1,2,6,7; Ott - 1-3,7,9.
2. Sources of Individual Behavior.
3. Same Topic.
4. Motivation Theory.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEKEND TWO.
1. Understanding Groups.
WEEKEND TWO READINGS: Robbins - 8-13; Ott - 11,13-15,17,20,22.
2. Same Topic.
3. Leadership, Conflic & Trust.
4. MIDTERM EXAM
---------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEKEND THREE:
1. Organizational Structure.
WEEKEND THREE READINGS: Robbins - 14-17; Ott 26-30.
2. Work Design.
3. Organizational Culture.
4. Same Topic.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEKEND FOUR
1. Organizational Change.
WEEKEND FOUR READINGS: Robbins - 18; Ott - 40,41,43.
2. Same Topic.
3. Review/Critiques.
4. FINAL EXAMINATION. | |
Academic Policies:
The University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from internet resources. I may be using this service in this class by either requiring students to submit their papers electronically to Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf of a student. If you or I submit part or all of your paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database throughout the term of the University's contract with Turnitin.com. If you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class. Please Note: If you object to the storage of your paper on Turnitin.com, I may utilize other services to check your work for plagiarism.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi.
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Faculty Bio:
| Dr. JED Riggs is Collegiate Professor with the University of Maryland University College-Europe/Bowie State University. He has taught in the University of Maryland system since 1994. | |