Midterm Prompt Essay: Bureaucracy, Organizations, And Human Communication

Write a (double spaced, 12 point font, APA style*) essay in which you discuss the relationship between bureaucratic organization and human communication as depicted in the movies (UP IN THE AIR AND HIDDEN FIGURES) In your essay, treat each film as if it were a case study. Approach the films as organizational communication analysts, noting differing viewpoints that are in motion and conflict. Identify crucial, defining moments in each film; the scenes that tell viewers what the filmmaker wants us to notice about the social, cultural, economic, political, and or technological dimensions of the organizations and processes depicted. You may discuss visual oral and or written communication—artifacts, dialogue, sound—whatever is relevant to your thematic analysis. You may read ahead if the chapters you want to use for your selected films have not yet been covered in class. Apply ideas, concepts and/or theories from our Miller textbook to your analyses of those scenes. You are free to move within/across chapters—you do not have to cover them all) but for those who will ask HOW MANY CONCEPTS DO WE HAVE TO USE? You should include reference to 3 approaches/processes for EACH film, (A TOTAL OF SIX for the paper). Be specific about the particular theories and or concepts within these approaches and processes you will use in your analysis. Do not re-use approach/process theories and or concepts in your analysis (i.e. do not apply one set of theoretical tools to both films.) Book needed is Organizational Communication by Katherine Miller For the first film ( Hidden Figures-Choose 3 scenes that match the concepts)...the 3 concepts are as well as the first 3 pages: Chapter 6-Sexual Harassment Chapter 7-Phases of Socialization Chapter 8-Decision Making For the second Film (Up in the Air-Choose 3 scenes that match the concepts)...the 3 concepts are as well as the last 3 pages: Chapter 6-Resistance Chapter 4-Requisite Variety Chapter 6-Ideology and Hegemony Note: only source is the book Each analysis should stand-alone—please do not compare and contrast the films, do not retell the story of each film. Focus on what you want to say about bureaucracy, organizations, and human communication as depicted in the scenes that resonate with you, and which exemplify ideas you have encountered in the Miller text. Give me enough information about the scene and theories/concepts to show the fit between scene and analytic approach. Demonstrate your command of the terms and ideas you are using in your analysis, and make sure to cite your sources with author, date, page number. When you make a connection-- (here's the concept, this is whose concept it is, this is what it means, here's how it was demonstrated in the film), then tell your reader why it is noteworthy, important, interesting to you—go beyond “matching” concepts to say something more about the importance of the examples you select.