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LING2289 – Communication in Institutions, Organisations and Professions

2020 – Session 1, Weekday attendance, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Dana Skopal
dana.skopal@mq.edu.au
Susan Hoadley
susan.hoadley@mq.edu.au
Margaret Wood
margaret.wood@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit explores communication as the means by which our social institutions function through discursive practices. In organisations, professions and other institutions, communication (spoken, written and multi-modal) is central to how 'things get done'. Taking an applied and socio linguistic approach, the unit introduces concepts and techniques to examine communication in a range of contexts (eg clinical interaction, workplace talk, organisational governance). By the end of the unit, students will have developed the skills not only to research and analyse the communication in institutions, organisation and professions, but also to develop their own communication skills for professional practice.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://students.mq.edu.au/important-dates

Learning Outcomes

  • ULO1: Characterise the operation of discursive practices in institutional contexts.
  • ULO2: Analyse spoken, written and multi-modal communication using linguistic concepts and techniques.
  • ULO3: Research, assess and critique institutional, organisational and/or professional communication (spoken, written and multi-modal).
  • ULO4: Critically reflect on and apply the concepts and techniques introduced in the unit to your own communication practices.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Participation and engagement 20% No Week 2-11
Communication analysis 35% No Week 7
Communication research 45% No Week 13

Participation and engagement

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 18 hours
Due: Week 2-11
Weighting: 20%

Students complete a series of reflective activities and online tasks throughout the teaching session. (Typically 3 x 250 words reflections and 6 x 10 multiple choice question quizzes.)
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Characterise the operation of discursive practices in institutional contexts.
  • Critically reflect on and apply the concepts and techniques introduced in the unit to your own communication practices.

Communication analysis

Assessment Type 1: Qualitative analysis task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 35%

Students will analyse and discuss an example of communication (typically in a 1,250 word report) using tools and themes covered in the unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Characterise the operation of discursive practices in institutional contexts.
  • Analyse spoken, written and multi-modal communication using linguistic concepts and techniques.

Communication research

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 45%

Students will select and analyse institutional/organisational text(s) and present the analysis and discussion of their findings in a multi-modal format (for example, a 5 minute video or equivalent).
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Characterise the operation of discursive practices in institutional contexts.
  • Analyse spoken, written and multi-modal communication using linguistic concepts and techniques.
  • Research, assess and critique institutional, organisational and/or professional communication (spoken, written and multi-modal).

1 If you need guidance or support to understand or complete this type of assessment, please contact the Learning Skills Team

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

This unit is taught in 'flipped' classroom mode. This means that online modules incorporating video lectures, activities, readings or similar are provided via iLearn (the Macquarie University Learning Management System) for each week. In addition, students must attend an on-campus, two-hour workshop tutorial each week, in which they will discuss and put into practice the theory and concepts they have studied via the online modules and other unit materials.

Students must take responsibility for their own learning, prepare for the tutorials and make a positive contribution to the unit community.

There is no prescribed textbook for this unit. 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Late assessment task submissions

  • Late submissions without an extension will receive a penalty of 3% of the total mark available for the assessment task per day including weekend days (i.e. this is 3% of the total marks possible for the task – NOT 3% of the marks the student received. For example, if the assessment task is worth 100 marks and the student is two days late their mark for the task is reduced by 6 marks.)
  • Late submission of an assessment task without an extension will not be accepted at all:
    • after the date on which marked assessment tasks have been released to the rest of the class the unit convenor's discretion
    • more than one week after the end of the teaching session at the unit convenor's discretion.
  • Extensions will only be given in special circumstances, and can be requested by completing the Special Consideration request at ask.mq.edu.au and providing the requisite supporting documentation.
  • Extensions that will result in submissions after the assessment task has been returned to the class will require a separate assessment task to be completed at the unit convenor's discretion.
  • For more information on Special Consideration, see the university website https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration\
  • If a student fails the unit due to non-submission of an assessment task or non-attendance at an exam, an FA grade will be applied in accordance with the University's Assessment Policy.
  • Unit convenors have the discretion to determine whether or not students should fail a unit on the basis of lateness penalties alone if other learning outcomes of the unit have been met.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Enquiry Service

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Equity Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
21/02/2020 Dana Skopal added to Unit convenor and teaching staff section.