Course Descriptions
GNED 103 PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Practice in developing and improving writing for professionals. This course emphasizes workplace and technical communication and editing appropriate to diverse professions. Students investigate and practice selected types of discourse employed in professional writing situations, and are prepared for different systems of writing that are relied on during the professional careers of business manager. Students examine and analyze examples from the writing of workplace professionals and use them as models to demonstrate the transition from casual to professional writing.
This course also includes strategies and techniques for effective presentations in the business and managerial professions. An emphasis is placed on oral and visual techniques for formal and informal situations including leadership, conflict resolution, interviewing, negotiation, and group communication.
GNED 104 SELF, SOCIETY, AND INSTITUTIONS
Self-understanding and the quest for personal and professional realization are mediated by a host of social and institutional forms, including the family, social class, the economy, schools and modern governmental and corporate structures. This course will select and organize readings and other relevant materials in sociology, political science and economics to enable students to analyze some contemporary institutional forms and to appreciate the dynamic interaction between such forms and the individual’s personal experiences and areas of study.
GNED 105 ORGANIZATIONS, ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND SYSTEMS THEORY
This course will focus on the theory of organizations, including basic models and concepts. Organizational characteristics, the behavior of people in organizational settings, and the impact of organizations on individuals will be studied. Problem identification in organizational settings will be considered and resolution methodologies will be explored, with an emphasis on systems theory as a tool for analysis.
GNED 204 INFORMED USE OF STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
This course is an introduction to statistical techniques commonly used in the analysis of data from many sources. Emphasis is placed on the assumptions, restrictions, and uses of various methods of analyzing data rather than on the mathematical derivation of formulae. The basic objectives of the course include: overcoming some of the myths and fears associated with statistical analysis; learning to think “statistically” and to share the vocabulary of data analysts; providing a basic working knowledge of fundamental statistical analyses; introducing you to various software programs and the Internet; preparing students to become critical consumers of information; and stimulating an intellectual curiosity about the use of statistics in our professional and personal lives.
GNED 205 TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION EXCHANGE, AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS
This course investigates the impact of information and information systems, technology, practices, and artifacts on how people organize their work, interact, and understand experience. Social issues in information systems design and management: assessing user needs, involving users in system design, and understanding human-computer interaction and computer-mediated work and communication are explored. Students will also discuss the use of law and other social policies to mediate the tension between free flow and constriction of information.
The underlying philosophy behind this course is the belief that designing and managing effective information systems requires an understanding of the circumstances of their use: real people use them for specific purposes under specific circumstances. Information systems (computer-based and traditional) both shape and are shaped by their users and their context. Therefore, the course considers the social nature of information and information systems, and their design and use as part of how people make sense out of their worlds, interact with one another, and coordinate action across time and space. The course also considers such issues as the social construction of information; knowledge communities (including organizations) and the collaborative nature of knowledge; the self and community in an electronic world; assessing user needs; involving users in system design; and issues in human-computer interaction, and computer-supported cooperative work.
GNED 304 POLITICS, GOVERNMENT, AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
This course includes a review of major philosophical concepts that have shaped government in the United States and an analysis of contemporary political institutions and behavior, focusing on the American governmental system. An introduction to political power and how the domestic policy process works; how to evaluate American domestic policy; and the content of several major domestic policies such as energy, environment, health, education, welfare, economic stability, labor, and justice and social order.
GNED 305 INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, DIVERSITY, AND MULTICULTURALISM
This course begins with an introduction to basic principles of interaction between two people. Emphasis is on enhancement of skills in a variety of interpersonal contexts. Theory and research on the development, maintenance, and termination of interpersonal relationships will be covered. The course will also examine the multiplicity of cultures and subcultures within the contemporary United States and will explore personal awareness and appreciation of multiculturalism. Skill development will include activities for experiencing diverse cultural perspectives. Skills for recognizing, analyzing, and mediating cultural and psychological factors impacting conflict and accord between diverse cultures will also be considered.
GNED 403 GLOBALIZATION
The concept of “Globalization” will be explored through contemporary readings. Recognizing the reality that increasingly we live in a world that is economically, politically, and environmentally connected, this course seeks to challenge students to think beyond their immediate surroundings and view themselves as part of a larger global community. The course focuses on the complex set of global, intercultural, political, and economic issues that we face as citizens in this global community.
GNED 404 LEADERSHIP AND LITERATURE
Readings on leadership will be examined with particular attention to issues which resonate with the modern-day business world and the leadership it demands. Weekly readings will require reaction papers and the submission of questions for class discussion. A final comprehensive paper will be required.
GNED 405 ETHICS, VALUES, AND THE COMMON GOOD
In this course, the student is challenged to formulate a philosophy of life, providing the base for such concerns as ethics in business, accountability in government, respect for human rights, and responsible lifestyle in our contemporary world. Ethical theories and personal values are examined through readings, analysis of the workplace, and classroom discussions.
The concept of the “common good” is also explored, providing an undercurrent, or theme, for classroom discussions. What exactly is “the common good”, and why do many ethicists advocate that it should occupy a critical central place in current discussions of problems in our society? As Newsweek columnist Robert J. Samuelson recently wrote: “We face a choice between a society where people accept modest sacrifices for a common good or a more contentious society where group selfishly protect their own benefits.”