Understanding and being understood

The purpose of this assignment is to provide students with a medium to communicate their
understanding of course content and, in particular, the key concepts and issues discussed
therein. It also provides students an opportunity to further develop their analytical and critical
reasoning skills.
The Module Brief should be addressed directly and explicitly to a particular audience. Each
should be written as though you are presenting and explaining the material to a novice
negotiator. A novice is someone who might have a basic understanding of negotiation and
some concepts and issues associated therewith, but who lacks a rich or nuanced understanding
of them. Your job is to help the novice negotiator gain that understanding
II. ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS
A Module Brief is a document of at least 1,000 words…but no more than 1,500 words. A brief is
comprised of TWO (2) sections. Each section should be presented separately and identified
clearly through the use of an appropriate heading (i.e., Summaries & Key Insights). NOTE: It will
likely be a challenge to complete the assignment in the word limit indicated. Therefore, it
essential to be thoughtful and concise. Be prepared to work through multiple drafts.
Every D2L course Module folder has a link entitled “Module Brief Assignment”. The link
indicates which module items should be addressed for a given Module.
1) SUMMARIES: Provide a one (1) paragraph summary for each item indicated in the
“Module Brief Assignment”. The objective is to identify and explain for the novice
negotiator key information, main argument(s), core theme(s), etc., presented in each
reading. Each summary should seek to be as comprehensive of significant content as
possible. There is no limit on how long a given paragraph can be (subject, of course, to the
1,500 word maximum for the document).
• DO: Summarize each reading separately.
• DO: Make clear to the reader what item is being summarized.
• DO: Provide page numbers that correspond to the theories, concepts, etc. discussed.
(Page # alone is sufficient.)
• DO NOT: Simply restate (sub)headings that appear in a reading. Summarize content.
• DO NOT: Use bullet points or give lists. Communicate in prose.
2
2) THREE KEY INSIGHTS: Identify and explain to the novice negotiator the three (3) most
important themes, concepts, issues, theories, etc. raised in the materials indicated in the
Module Brief Assignment. Look holistically at the materials (at the “big picture” the module
materials address). Importance should be determined by the relevance of the concept,
issues, theory, etc. to the development of a negotiator. Simply listing “important stuff” is
not sufficient. The Brief must explain why each insight is important for the novice
negotiator.
• DO: Present each key insight in a separate paragraph. Note: It is not three insights per
module item, but three insights across all items required in the Module Brief assignment.
• DO: Keep in mind that a good indicator of a “key insight” will be something that is
emphasized across multiple module materials. Hint. Hint.
• DO: Begin the presentation of each key insight by providing a one (1) sentence summary
of the insight and bold it so the reader can easily identify it.
• DO: Explain to the novice negotiator (aka your audience) why the concept, insight, etc. is
important/significant. Identification alone is not sufficient.
• DO: Provide reference page numbers that correspond to the theories, concepts, etc.
discussed. This will help the novice locate the information should s/he wish.
• DO NOT: Invoke your personal opinion. Whether you “like” something is not relevant.
Your job is to explain how this insight will benefits the novice negotiator.
If you are wondering about the relative emphasis that you should give to each section, a good
point of departure would be: Summaries (50-60%) & Key Issues (40-50%). These are just
notional estimates, though. I will not evaluate briefs on how strictly they adhere to this
guidance, but rather how well they engage the course material.
III. EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT
This assignment is about idea-grappling. For this reason, I want to remove some of the
pressure that normally comes with writing assignments. Each Module Brief will be assigned
either a 1 (Satisfactory) or a 0 (Unsatisfactory). These will be recorded in the grade book
To receive a (1) “Satisfactory” a student must meet all assignment expectations. The Brief will
provide clear evidence that the author has completed all of the assigned readings and has
actively grappled with the material in the manner expected (esp. the Key Issues). These papers
are generally well-written and the author observes all the “technical” requirements.
A submission will receive a (0) “Unsatisfactory” if it does not meet all assignment
expectations. A brief will be assigned this mark if it overlooks any of the assigned materials. A
brief also will be assigned this mark if it does not identify and/or explain the three key insights.
For more “Do’s and Don’ts” see the “SOME FREE ADVICE” section below