Introduction to Organizational Behavior

BA 3361-005
Spring 2005
Sat. 9:00-11:45
SOM 1.110

Instructor: Tracey Rockett

Office: SOM 4.206
Phone: 972-883-4747
E-mail: thru WebCT
Office Hours: S 12:00-12:30 and by appointment

Required Text:
Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior, 3rd ed., George and Jones,
Prentice Hall.

WebCT:
You will need to sign up for a WebCT account for use during this class. This will be the
method of communication that I will use to post information about upcoming events and
grades. In addition, I require you to direct any email communication thru WebCT. A
new university policy to protect student privacy directs that faculty are not required to
answer student emails unless they are from a UTD account. This means that I will not
respond to emails unless they come through WebCT. WebCT access is free and easy to
sign up for – just sign up at McDermott Library if you do not already have an account.

Course Description:
This class is meant to provide you with an introduction to the field of Organizational
Behavior. Over the semester we will cover a number of topics at the individual, group
and organizational level of analysis. We will be discussing your role in the organization
as an organizational citizen – covering a wide range of topics from how to get along with
others in the organization to ethical responsibility. The class will be conducted using a
variety of methods including lectures, exercises, cases, class discussions, and videos.
Since this is an upper level course, I will expect a great deal of participation from you in
the form of class discussions.

Quizzes:
I will give random pop-quizzes throughout the semester. These quizzes will be brief and
will be related to questions about the readings for the day. The quizzes will include five
simple questions to test your reading of the material. They will be either true/false, fill-
in-the-blank, or multiple choice. You can score a maximum of 5 points on each quiz. I
will not give make-up quizzes.

1
The quizzes will count for 20% of your grade. The grade will be calculated according to
the number of points you accumulate over the course of the semester. There is a
maximum of 20 points. There is ample opportunity to receive the full 20 points, even if
you have to miss a class. If you come to class regularly and read the materials, it should
not be difficult for you to earn the maximum 20 points. However, if you choose not to
attend class then your grade will likely suffer.

Papers:
You will be required to write two papers over the course of the semester. These are not
intended to be major research papers. These papers serve two purposes. One, it will
allow you demonstrate your ability to integrate concepts. That is, your ability to think
about and understand concepts as they relate to one another. Two, it will allow you to
practice your writing presentation skills.

You have the option to work on this paper as an individual, or in a group of no more than
3 people. If you choose to work on the paper as a group and feel that someone is not
participating, you may “fire” that person from your group at any time and they will be
required to write their own paper. This is to ensure that all individuals are doing their
share.

Each paper will be worth 15% of your grade. The due date for each paper is listed on the
schedule. Please make note of the paper deadlines. I will not accept late papers. I will
not accept papers sent by e-mail either. If you are going to be absent, please make
arrangements to have your paper turned in at the beginning of class by someone else.

Exams:
There will be two exams. The exams will consist of true/false, fill-in-the-blank and essay
questions. If you do not like, or do not do well, on this type of exam format, perhaps this
is not the class for you. Both exams will be weighted the same, and will not be
comprehensive. The exams will be in-class, closed note and closed book, and will last
for one hour and 30 minutes. Each exam counts for 25% of your grade.

I will hand out review sheets prior to the exams. The review sheets will contain topic
areas that could be drawn on for an exam question. The exam questions will primarily
come from class discussion and lecture. If you attend class on a regular basis and
complete the quizzes, exercises, and writing assignments, I do not expect that you will
have a problem.

My make-up policy is simple. If you miss an exam for any reason, you will need to take
a comprehensive, all essay, make-up at the end of the semester. If you know of a conflict
ahead of time and need to reschedule an exam for a different time, please discuss it with
me at least one week before the exam date. If you do not contact me one week prior to
the exam date, you will need to take the make-up at the end of the semester.

2
Re-grading:
I do not want to make mistakes in my grading and I want to be fair to all of the students
in the class. However, I do not want to grade every paper or exam twice. Therefore,
there are two rules I use for re-grades: 1) all requests for re-grades must be presented in
writing with a description of what you want me to consider in the re-grade process; 2)
when I re-grade a paper or exam, I re-grade the entire paper or exam, not just the areas of
concern. Therefore, it is possible for the grade to go down as a result of a re-grade.

Attendance:
Although I do not take attendance, it is still a very important part of the grade equation.
If you miss more than a class or two, it will impact your grade in several ways. You will
possibly miss a quiz. You will also miss important information that may be on the exam.
The quiz grade is designed so that it is possible for you to miss one or two without
consequence (assuming that you are doing well on the quizzes you have taken).
However, repeated missed assignments will hurt your grade. The bottom line is, if you
do not plan to come to class on a regular basis, it is unlikely that you will pass.

Course Grading:

Quizzes 20%
Paper 1 15%
Paper 2 15%
Exam I 25%
Exam II 25%
100%

UTD Policy on Cheating:

Students are expected to be above reproach in all scholastic activities. Students who
engage in scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the
possibility of failure in the course and dismissal from the university. "Scholastic
dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission
for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another
person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair
advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." (Regents’ Rules and
Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22). Since
scholastic dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the
university, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced.

Bottom Line – I take cheating VERY seriously and will take appropriate action if I catch
you cheating! DON’T DO IT!

3
Course Schedule*

Jan 15 Course introduction and overview

Ch. 1

Jan 22 Ch. 2

Jan 29 Ch. 3

Feb 5 Ch. 4

Feb 12 Ch. 5

Feb 19 Ch. 6
Paper 1 due

Feb 26 Ch. 7

Mar 5 EXAM I

Mar 12 Spring Break

Mar 19 Ch. 10

Mar 26 Ch. 11

Apr 2 Ch. 13

Apr 9 Ch. 14

Apr 16 Ch. 18
Paper 2 due

Apr 23 Ch. 12

April 30 EXAM II

* This schedule is flexible and is subject to change as necessary.