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Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Organizational Psychology

Syllabus Date:	May 31, 2000
Course Title:	Organizational Psychology
Department:	Business
Instructor:	Kenneth "Micheal" Townsend, MBA, BS, AA E-Mail Vita
Prerequisites:	None

Course Objectives:
This course is an introduction to organizational psychology and behavior. Through a combination of theories, case studies, and overall hands on approach to study, it will be the goal of the class to acquaint the students with the behavior related to organizations through the study of related topics. Key topics include but are not limited to effective communication, motivation, leadership, conflict, human resources, and how to deal with stress in the workplace.

Required Textbook: Online Bookstore
The textbook for this class is Organizational Behavior--Concepts, Controversies, and Applications, Robbins, Stephen P., Prentice Hall, A Simon and Schuster Company, Saddle River, NJ, 10th Edition, 2001
ISBN: 0131025414. (Purchase at Amazon or Barnes and Noble or at local university bookstores.)

Other Requirements:
1.) There will be two exams (one midterm and one final). The format of the tests will be primarily multiple choice and will cover the material that has been presented up to that point. Specifics of exam length and coverage will be dealt with prior to the exam dates. The exams will be completed no later than the last day of the week on week four and eight respectively.

1. Exam one will cover fifty items and will end with chapter 9.
2. Exam two will cover fifty items and will cover from chapter 10 to chapter18.

Hint: Exams will be taken online and graded by computer. The best way to prepare for exams is to read all assignments and to prepare for all assignments ahead of time. The easiest way to make a poor grade on an exam is to get behind and stay behind early. Also please note, exams are comprised of multiple choice questions so the answer is there. Make sure that if a question has a choice of two of the above, all of the above, or none of the above, you read the question and answer completely. Also, make sure you look very closely at questions that say "not". They are not meant to be tricky but can be to some people.

2.) There will several written assignments as well for this class. The material that shall be covered will come directly from the readings in the text. The readings will be of specified length and should be properly documented. This class will take eight weeks to complete. At the end of week one, two, three, five, six, and seven, there will be a written assignment due. At the end of the fourth and eighth week, there will be no written assignment due because of the exams. ***This is done to help the student. You may take the exam anytime after the assignment for week three and seven respectively, but you cannot start the written assignment for the next half of the class until the exam is taken. Potentially this class has a range of length. It could last 6 weeks up to but not over 8 weeks.

3.) Each of the written assignments with the exception of the last one should be approximately four to five pages in length (double spaced) and cover the material as presented in the book. I would expect the last assignment to be much longer to done properly and adequately. The assignments are outlined below. They are due no later than the week they are given and no earlier than the week they are given as well. Grammar is very important as well. Please make sure that all assignments would be presentable in a business situation. Make believe that I am the president of your company and the reports are meant to be used in our business. Please be consistent with documentation. Also note that the message board has updates to this syllabus included. Read it for specifics dealing with written assignments, etc.

1. Written assignment number one - Chapters 1 thru 3 - "Explain how organizational behavior is important in your workplace." Please stress the individual as well as the role of OB in the modern workplace. Give examples and documentation from the text. Other sources are fine, but not necessary for this assignment. Give specific examples when possible.

2. Written assignment number two - Chapter 4 thru 6 - Use the studies on pages 179 and 180 to discuss "Money as a motivator." "Discuss what motivates the average employee as well as yourself." Make sure that you note that money does not motivate everyone, it is maybe the key motivator, but does not motivate everyone in the same way. Stress the role of the personality as well as personal decision making in the motivation of employees. Again, what motivates me may or may not motivate you.

3. Written assignment number three - Chapters 7 thru 9 - "Explain the key parts of making a successful group and thus a good "team". Does motivation help? What about incentives? Go over the steps for creating successful teams. " Make sure that you include proper documentation from chapters in the text and from outside sources when necessary.

4. Written assignment number four - Chapters 10 thru 12 - A key factor in a good leader is communication. "Why is this so? Discuss the necessary reasons for good communication in the workplace and in the good leader. Discuss this topic with reference to the topics discussed in the text as well as from a personal viewpoint when possible.

5. Written assignment number five - Chapters 13 thru 15 - "Discuss the topic of organizational structure from the viewpoint of a new human resource manager." Make sure you touch on potential areas of conflict. Pretend that you must reorganize the structure of the company. This assignment is not as difficult as it seems. All that is expected is a general run through with either a specific company, your company, or a made up company.

6. Written assignment number six--Chapters 16 thru 18-The branch of business that works most with organizational behavior is the human resource branch. Discuss practices of this branch stressing issues such as training and development, or performance evaluations. You do not have to cover all of them, but please pick one and cover it in an in depth manner. Also as a side note, please touch on the culture involved in the organization and why human resource management plays such a vital role in this. Finally, focus on "Why is change important and why is flexibility such a major issue? This assignment may not seem to flow. It is not meant too totally. Please look at the assignment either as one large one or several mini-assignments. I have no problem with either. The best student at this point in the class should be able to integrate these topics into a very well done and cohesive report. The one still having problems with topics might have some difficulty with this one. This assignment counts 100 points and basically in my opinion summarizes very key points for the class. Make sure when necessary you refer back to other units and chapters and outside sources. Make sure you have outside sources and that these are well documented.

Instructor availability:
I am available periodically at the e-mail address above. Please e-mail me any questions. That is why I am here. I will do everything to help you as much as possible. Please do not wait until the end of the class to try to get help. It will be too late. Anytime your grade falls below C, I will try to contact you about it. If I do not, please do not hesitate to contact me through e-mail.

Attendance requirements and submission deadlines:
You must submit all assignments on time as listed above. Other interactions are encouraged, but not necessary. Late assignments will result in point deductions for the written assignments. Late exams will only be allowed to be remade if the student has an excuse that was excused before the exam. Warnings are given about exams prior to the beginning of the class. It is in the best interest of anyone wanting to "miss" an exam to get an excuse from myself or to take the exam just prior to the due date to ensure no problems. Interactions may be made with the instructor through "chat rooms" during the class. These are not required, but can be set up. E-mail usually is the easiest method to work with the instructor on material and the message boards. These appointments need to be made early and preparation is key here. The idea is to have any questions ready at the time of the "chatting." The instructor has also made preparations to allow for instant messaging through AOLs instant messenger. If interested, you may contact the instructor via the instant messenger at log in name joykaymicheal. This is a mix of my wife, daughter, and self's names if you are wondering. This would be a very easy method to get in touch with me in a quick and efficient manner. As noted above, please have questions ready at these appointments. If my wife is online, she may or may not have the messenger open. In this case, please leave regular e-mail and I will get back with you ASAP. As noted above, the only dumb question is the one you did not ask. Please ask questions early and often.

Grades and distribution:(points)
* First five assignments: 60 points each
* Mid-term exam: 100 total points
* Final exam: 100 total points
* Last assignment: 100 total points
Total points available: 600 total points for the class

Grading scale:

A	Excellent	90% or more
B	Good	80% or more up to 90%
C	Average	70% or more up to 80%
D	Below average	60% or more up to 70%
F	Failing	Below 60%