Law has different meanings as well as different functions. Philosophers have considered issues of justice and law for centuries, and several different approaches, or schools of legal thought, have emerged. In this chapter, we will look at those different meanings and approaches and will consider how social and political dynamics interact with the ideas that animate the various schools of legal thought. We will also look at typical sources of “positive law” in the United States and how some of those sources have priority over others, and we will set out some basic differences between the US legal system and other legal systems.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction to Law and Legal Systems
Chapter 2: Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics
Chapter 3: Courts and the Legal Process
Chapter 4: Constitutional Law and US Commerce
Chapter 5: Administrative Law
Chapter 6: Criminal Law
Chapter 7: Introduction to Tort Law
Chapter 8: Introduction to Sales and Leases
Chapter 9: Title and Risk of Loss
Chapter 10: Performance and Remedies
Chapter 11: Products Liability
Chapter 12: Bailments and the Storage, Shipment, and Leasing of Goods
Chapter 13: Nature and Form of Commercial Paper
Chapter 14: Negotiation of Commercial Paper
Chapter 15: Holder in Due Course and Defenses
Chapter 16: Liability and Discharge
Chapter 17: Legal Aspects of Banking
Chapter 18: Consumer Credit Transactions
Chapter 19: Secured Transactions and Suretyship
Chapter 20: Mortgages and Nonconsensual Liens
Chapter 21: Bankruptcy
Chapter 22: Introduction to Property: Personal Property and Fixtures
Chapter 23: Intellectual Property
Chapter 24: The Nature and Regulation of Real Estate and the Environment
Chapter 25: The Transfer of Real Estate by Sale
Chapter 26: Landlord and Tenant Law
Chapter 27: Estate Planning: Wills, Estates, and Trusts
Chapter 28: Insurance

This course instructs students on how to develop technologies that help people measure and communicate emotion, that respectfully read and that intelligently respond to emotion, and have internal mechanisms inspired by the useful roles emotions play.

An introduction to bargaining and negotiation in public, business, and legal settings. Combines a "hands-on" skill-building orientation with a look at pertinent social theory. Strategy, communications, ethics, and institutional influences are examined as they influence the ability of actors to analyze problems, negotiate agreements, and resolve disputes in social, organizational, and political circumstances characterized by interdependent interests.

This course allows students to develop effective written and verbal communication strategies specifically for the workplace. From idea gathering to drafting to delivery, this course will prepare students to effectively write, present, and communicate in a variety of methods and styles, tailored to professional audiences.

About the GVSU Edition

This text is an adaption of Business Communication for Success, an open textbook produced by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing in 2015.

Chapters 9, 18, and 20 of Business Communication for Success: GVSU Edition were revised and rewritten by student authors in 2017, as part of a course in the Writing Department at Grand Valley State University. All other chapters retain the content and formatting of previous editions.

Note about the 2015 edition:

The edition produced by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing was itself adapted from a work distributed under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA) in 2010 by a publisher who requested that they and the original author not receive attribution.

This adaptation reformatted the original text, and replaced some images and figures to make the resulting whole more shareable. The 2015 adaptation did not significantly alter or update the original 2010 text.

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Verbal Communication
Chapter 3 Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 4 Listening
Chapter 5 Culture & Communication
Chapter 6 Interpersonal Communication
Chapter 7 Small Group Communication
Chapter 8 Organizational Communication
Chapter 9 Public Speaking

This book is an introduction to communication theory — the theory of how humans share, encode, and decode what they know, what they need, and what they expect from each other.

I. Chapter 1: Professional Business Communication
1. Introduction
2. What is Communication?
3. Communications Process: Encoding and Decoding
4. Eight Essential Components of Communication
5. Why Is It Important To Communicate Well?
6. Communication in Context
7. Your Responsibilities as a Communicator
8. Conclusion

II. Chapter 2: Delivering Your Message
9. Introduction
10. What is Language?
11. Messages
12. Principles of Verbal Communication
13. Language Can be an Obstacle to Communication
14. Improving Verbal Communication
15. Conclusion

III. Chapter 3: You and Your Audience
16. Introduction
17. Perception
18. Self-Understanding Is Fundamental to Communication
19. Getting to Know Your Audience
20. Listening and Reading for Understanding
21. Conclusion

IV. Chapter 4: Nonverbal Communication
22. Introduction
23. Principles of Nonverbal Communication
24. Types of Nonverbal Communication
25. Movement in Your Speech
26. Nonverbal Strategies
27. Conclusion

V. Chapter 5: Presentation Organization
28. Introduction
29. Rhetorical Situation
30. Strategies for Success
31. The 9 Cognate Strategies
32. Purpose and Central Idea Statements
33. Research
34. Organizational Models for Presentations
35. Outlining Your Presentation
36. Transitions
37. Conclusion

VI. Chapter 6: Developing Presentations
38. Introduction
39. Methods of Presentation Delivery
40. Preparing For Your Delivery
41. Practising Your Delivery
42. What to Do When Delivering Your Speech
43. Conclusion

VII. Chapter 7: Presentations to Inform
44. Introduction
45. Functions of the Presentation to Inform
46. Types of Presentations to Inform
47. Adapting Your Presentation to Teach
48. Preparing Your Speech to Inform
49. Creating an Informative Presentation
50. Conclusion

VIII. Chapter 8: Presentations to Persuade
51. Introduction
52. Principles of Persuasion
53. Presentations that Persuade
54. Making An Argument
55. Speaking Ethically and Avoiding Fallacies
56. Conclusion

IX. Chapter 9: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Communication
57. Introduction
58. What is Intrapersonal Communication?
59. Self-Concept
60. Interpersonal Needs
61. Rituals of Conversation
62. Employment Interviewing
63. Conflict in the Work Environment
64. Conclusion

X. Chapter 10: Intercultural and International Communication
65. Introduction
66. Intercultural Communication
67. Common Cultural Characteristics
68. Divergent Cultural Characteristics
69. International Communication and the Global Marketplace
70. Styles of Management
71. Conclusion

XI. Chapter 11: Group Communication, Teamwork, and Leadership
72. Introduction
73. What is a Group?
74. Group Life Cycles and Member Roles
75. Group Problem Solving
76. Teamwork and Leadership
77. Conclusion

XII. Chapter 12: Digital Media and Communications
78. Introduction
79. Digital and Social Media
80. Online Engagement
81. Your Digital Footprint
82. Conclusion

Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies overviews the time-tested conceptual foundations of the field, while incorporating the latest research and cutting-edge applications of these basics. Each chapter will include timely, concrete, and real-life examples of communication concepts in action. A key feature of this book is the integration of content regarding diversity and organizational communication in each chapter through examples and/or discrete sub-sections. Discussions of diversity are not relegated to feature boxes. Also integrated into the content are examples that are inclusive in terms of race, gender, sexuality, ability, age, marital status, religion, and other diverse identity characteristics.

This is a review of the Communication in the Real World  https://louis.oercommons.org/courses/communication-in-the-real-world-an-introduction-to-communication-studies completed by Douglas Marshall, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Southern University at New Orleans 

Examines intercultural communication, including cultural patterns, verbal and nonverbal communication codes and their practical application in today's diverse society.

Chapter 1 - Foundations of Culture
Chapter 2 - Understanding Cultural Identity
Chapter 3 - Social Construction of Cultural Identity
Chapter 4 - Cultural Biases
Chapter 5 - Taxonomies of Cultural Patterns
Chapter 6 - Understanding Intercultural Communication
Chapter 7 - Intercultural Communication Competence
Chapter 8 - Striving for Engaged and Effective Intercultural Communication

Crisis communication is one of the many specialized areas or functions of public relations. This course will specifically focus on the use of crisis communication to protect and defend a company or organization facing a problem or challenge that threatens to harm its brand or reputation. As a sudden and unexpected serious event, a crisis can fall into four categories: acts of God, mechanical problems, human error, and management decision or indecision. You may recall examples of crisis in news media coverage of killer earthquakes and tsunamis, grounded airplanes, stranded cruise ship passengers, and senior government officials or CEOs who are fired or asked to resign following adulterous affairs. If you want to learn to become a professional public relations specialist, it is important to have a basic understanding of the important role public relations has in helping guide a company or organization through a crisis or serious event.

" This course provides an exciting, eye-opening, and thoroughly useful inquiry into what it takes to live an extraordinary life, on your own terms. The instructors address what it takes to succeed, to be proud of your life, and to be happy in it. Participants tackle career satisfaction, money, body, vices, and relationship to themselves and others. They learn how to address issues in their lives, how to live life, and how to learn from it. This course is offered during the Independent Activities Period (IAP), which is a special 4-week term at MIT that runs from the first week of January until the end of the month. This not-for-credit course is sponsored by the Department of Science, Technology, and Society. A similar, semester-long version of this course is taught in the Sloan Fellows Program. A semester-long extension of the IAP course is also taught to the population at large of MIT (please see PE.550, Spring). Acknowledgment The instructors would like to thank Prof. David Mindell for his sponsorship of this course, his intention for its continued expansion, and his commitment to the well-being of MIT students."

Contrary to what many believe or think, effective teaching involves a systematically structured dialogue between the teachers and the learners. Teachers do not just deliver content to learners. Their preparedness, mannerisms and classroom organization is key to their success. A clear understanding of communication gadgets, structures and processes, therefore, becomes critical to this success. Computer applications and how teachers and learners can use them to produce/improvise instructional media materials are also presented.

Educational psychologists work to understand how to structure educational systems in order to meet the mental and emotional needs of students. They study how people learn, identify and suggest efficient teaching methods, and evaluate the effectiveness of various educational policies and practices. Educational psychologists often point out the inherently social nature of our current educational system, study the ways that learning environments affect education, and study the ways that societal, local, and family issues affect learning and classroom practice. Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: explain why knowledge of psychology is important to effective teaching; discuss, compare, and contrast cognitive and behavioral psychology; discuss, compare, and contrast constructivist and behaviorist models of teaching and learning, as well as their applications in classroom management; identify important cognitive stages of development, the typical age range of each stage, and the ways that teachers can use that knowledge; identify important aspects of personal, emotional, and moral development, and ways that teachers can use that knowledge; identify diversity in terms of differences in learning styles, intelligence, cultures, and gender, as well as specific abilities and disabilities, that a modern classroom might need to accommodate; discuss theories of motivation and defend those you would use in your classroom; discuss classroom management strategies that smooth the learning process and prevent or deal with misbehavior, and defend those strategies you would use in your classroom; identify communication skills that enhance learning, management, and coordination with students' families; identify strategies for enhancing students' ability to use complex cognitive skills; identify the major parts of a lesson or unit plan; identify and discuss types of teacher-made assessments; discuss the uses of and issues surrounding standardized testing; identify and discuss factors that influence job satisfaction in a teaching career. (Psychology 303)

Gain practical insight and improved understanding of engineering experimentation through design and execution of "project" experiments. Building upon work in 16.621, students construct and test equipment, make systematic experimental measurements of phenomena, analyze data, and compare theoretical predictions with results. Written final report on entire project and formal oral presentation. Includes instructions on oral presentations. Provides valuable link between theory and practice.

Introduces laboratory experimental techniques. Principles of experimental design and reliable measurement. Laboratory safety. Instruction in effective report writing and oral presentation, including revision of written work. Selection and detailed planning of an individual research project, including design of components or equipment. Preparation of a detailed proposal for the selected project carried through to completion under 16.622.

Intercultural communication is the study and practice of communication across cultural contexts. It applies equally to domestic cultural differences such as ethnicity and gender and to international differences such as those associated with nationality or world region. Intercultural communication focuses on the recognition and respect of cultural differences, seeks the goal of mutual adaptation, and supports the development of intercultural sensitivity.

1: What is Intercultural Communication
1.1: Broadening our Horizons
1.2: Culture- Central to our Lives
1.3: Communication- A Human Necessity
1.4: Intercultural Communication as an Academic Discipline

2: Cultural Essentials and the Roots of Culture
2.1: A Values Analysis Approach to Intercultural Communication
2.2: A Dialectical Approach to Intercultural Communication

3: Identity and Intercultural Communication
3.1: Foundations of Culture and Identity
3.2: Exploring Specific Cultural Identities
3.3: Identity and Migration

4: Verbal Processes in Intercultural Communication
4.1: Language and Culture
4.2: Moving Between Languages
4.3: Variations in Communication Styles

5: Nonverbal Processes in Intercultural Communication
5.1: Principles of Nonverbal Communication
5.2: Types of Nonverbal Communication
5.3: Time and Space
5.4: Nonverbal Communication Challenges

6: Culture Shock
6.1: Introduction to Culture Shock
6.2: Managing Culture Shock

7: Barriers to Intercultural Communication
7.1: Ethnocentrism and Stereotypes
7.2: Prejudice and Discrimination
7.3: Racism and Privilege

8: Intercultural Conflict
8.1: Characteristics of Intercultural Conflict
8.2: Intercultural Conflict Management

9: Intercultural Relationships
9.1: Intercultural Friendships
9.2: Intercultural Romantic Relationships

10: Intercultural Communication Competence
10.1: Intercultural Communication Competence

11: Index
Index
References

Instructors: The Third Edition includes a set of test banks which are not available to the public. For access to these resources, please contact Dr. Barbara Tucker at btucker@daltonstate.edu.

Exploring Public Speaking: The Free College Public Speaking Textbook began as the brainchild of Dr. Kris Barton, Chair of the Department of Communication at Dalton State College. It also was made possible through a generous Textbook Transformation Grant in 2015 from Affordable Learning Georgia, a highly successful program of the University System of Georgia. Dr. Barton asked me to help him author/compile the text.

The goal was to provide a high-quality, usable, accessible, and low-cost textbook for the hundreds of students who take COMM 1110 at Dalton State College every year. This course is required of all degree-seeking students. We have been able to save students hundreds of thousands of dollars already with this text. Unexpectedly and happily, the text has also been downloaded close to 14,000 times (as of August 2018) all over the world and has been adopted at many other institutions.

Dr. Barton and I worked on creating the textbook from July 2015 until May 2016, with the goal of going live with the text in Summer of 2016. Tragically Dr. Barton passed away in early May, a reality that still does not seem real. He has been greatly missed as a friend, colleague, father, scholar, teacher, and mentor.

The launch of the book proceeded; however, due to the loss of Dr. Barton, the ancillaries were not finished. In Summer 2017 I took on a significant revision and updating which I named the Second Edition. I included in that edition information on college student success in the appendices. In January 2018, a colleague, Matthew LeHew, and I won a grant from the University System to create the ancillaries and improve the format for more accessibility. I decided to remove the “Dalton State” from the title and most examples for wider appeal. An appendix on library research retains the information for specific use of Roberts Library on our campus.

Over 90% of the book is original with Dr. Barton, me, or other colleagues at Dalton State College. Some parts, specifically from Chapters 9, 10, and 15, are adapted from another open resource public speaking text whose author prefers not to be cited.

This Third Edition, along with including necessary updates and being formatted with different software, includes four more appendices: one on online speaking, one on APA, one on humor and storytelling in public speaking, and one on Dalton State’s Library. I have also tried to clarify concepts, to provide “case studies” to show the rhetorical process, and include more outlines and examples.

We think this book is especially useful in coverage of PowerPoint, audience responsiveness, ethics in public speaking, special occasion speeches, and structure of speeches. Three ancillaries are available: electronic “flash cards” for study, Powerpoints on the 15 main chapters, and test banks for the 15 main chapters.

Reviews available here: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/exploring-public-speaking-2nd-revision

This is a review of Exploring Public Speaking: 4th Edition: https://louis.oercommons.org/courses/exploring-public-speaking-4th-edition completed by Douglas Marshall, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Southern University at New Orleans