COMM 348-001 (35980): Interpersonal Communication
Spring 2016
Instructor: Laura E. Brown, Ph.D.
Email: laura.brown@wku.edu
Course Info: T/Th, 9:35-10:55am
Office Hours: T/Th, 8:15-9:15am; 2:15-3:15pm
Office Location: FAC 145
Course Location: FAC 223
Course Text (required):
Adler, R. B., & Proctor, R. F. (2011). Looking Out/Looking In. (13th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
Course description: The purpose of this course is exploring, describing, explaining, and analyzing
verbal and nonverbal forms of human interaction. Topics such as listening, self-disclosure, conflict
management, and relational development and disengagement are explored in theory and in practice.
Students will also have the opportunity to reflect upon and to develop their own interpersonal
communication skills. We will also work to understand how thought, action, and communication
influence and are influenced by the social, political, and economic forces of contemporary society. At
the end of the class, students will understand interpersonal communication theories and concepts,
comprehend the functions of communication in real-world interpersonal settings, and know more about
their own interpersonal communication skills and talents.
In support of the vision of the Department of Communication, students will understand:
• The communication process and human relational interaction in increasingly complex and
diverse environments.
• Multiple theoretical and philosophical perspectives of communication as reflected in its history.
Upon completion of this course, students will demonstrate competency in:
• Conducting reflective analysis of discourse and construction of arguments intended to influence
beliefs, attitudes, values and practices.
• Analyzing and interpreting mediated communication (e.g., computer-mediated communication,
mass media, politics, etc.)
• Adapting communication across contexts and diverse communities.
Assignments:
Course readings: Readings must be completed for the day they are assigned on the course schedule.
Be sure to read the book, and take notes while you are reading. Lectures are intended to complement,
not duplicate, information in the book. Quiz questions will be based on information from the textbook
and from lectures.
Communication report: This written assignment and accompanying informal oral presentation will
allow you to report on some of the many ways interpersonal communication issues surface in the world
in which we live. Readings, television programs, movies, books, comics, advertisements, print media,
classroom experiences and our interactions with others will provide fertile ground for your
communication reports. Each of you will be responsible for bringing in an artifact to share with the
class for your communication report.
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Twitter engagement: Over the course of the semester, students will work individually and in groups
to contribute to our course Twitter account. Related tasks could include tweeting questions and
comments during specified lectures, tweeting the results of group work, tweeting outside related course
material, retweeting relevant tweets from others, facilitating course discussions, etc.
Our course Twitter handle is: @Comm348aSp16
Our course Twitter hashtag is: #comm348a
When you tweet course content, please use @[our course Twitter handle] and the appropriate hashtags.
Although I will not monitor your personal Twitter accounts, if you use one of our course hashtags, that
content becomes course content. If I ask you to edit or delete online course content, you must do so
immediately or risk earning a ZERO for the entirety of the Twitter engagement points (25 points) and
participation points (50 points).
Quizzes: There will be four quizzes over the course of the semester. Quizzes will include a variety of
question types (e.g., multiple choice, true/false, etc.).
Group research project: The purpose of this group project is to explore a question that group
members have regarding communication in interpersonal relationships. This exploration will take the
form of an observation-based project in which students observe an aspect of personal relationships in a
natural setting (at least four observations per student). To present their findings, each group will give a
formal oral presentation of the results of their project to the class and will have the opportunity to turn
in an optional paper. Full participation in the group project is required of all students. If group
members present evidence that a student has failed to fully take part in the group project, that
individual’s group grade will be negatively affected. Otherwise, all group members will receive the
same grade.
Self-analysis portfolio: Each student, using self-generated evidence, will turn in a portfolio of
evidence and a written report analyzing his or her communication processes and skills. Students will
complete a variety of self-analysis exercises throughout the semester, and these exercises will serve as
self-generated evidence for the eventual essay. The completed portfolio (the exercises/evidence and the
essay) will be due at the end of the semester, so please be sure to keep your exercises/evidence in a
place where you will be able to retrieve them later.
Class participation, attendance and in-class activities: A course in interpersonal communication not
only encourages active participation in class discussion and exercises, but also requires it. Participation
will be evaluated by participating in class activities, constructive input during class, the degree of
preparation for class, and demonstrated efforts to learn and understand the material. Throughout the
semester, you will be asked to partake in activities related to class. Examples of such activities will
include: breaking into groups to produce a written/oral opinion on an issue, completing short writing
assignments, and think-pair-share activities. If you are absent, you CANNOT make up class
participation.
Evaluation:
Quizzes (4)
Self-analysis portfolio
Group research project
Communication report
Twitter engagement
Class participation
TOTAL
40 points each; 160 points
115 points
100 points
50 points
25 points
50 points
500 points
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Grading scale:
A
B
C
D
F
90-100%
80-89.9%
70-79.9%
60-69.9%
0-59.9%
450-500 points
400-449.5 points
350-399.5 points
300-349.5 points
299.5 or fewer points
Course policies:
Course communication: Course information and grades will be posted to the Blackboard course
website. Please check Blackboard and your WKU email regularly for updates, course material, and
grade postings. I am available during office hours. If you need to contact me at other times, please
email me. If you send me an email, I will respond to you within 48 hours. Remember that your
classmates are also excellent resources for you.
Classroom climate (face-to-face and online): Throughout the semester, we will work together to
create a classroom climate conducive for active participation and group learning. This includes paying
attention to others, showing respect, expressing opinions and thoughts in ways that are tactful, and
avoiding the use of denigrating or potentially offensive language. Although I will not monitor your
personal Twitter accounts, if you use one of our course hashtags, that content becomes course content.
If I ask you to edit or delete online course content, you must do so immediately or risk earning a ZERO
for the entirety of the Twitter engagement points (25 points) and for participation points (50 points).
Submitting assignments: Assignments, unless they are completed during class time, must be typed
(and stapled or clipped, if applicable). Failure to type any written portion of an assignment results in a
10% point deduction off the whole point value of the assignment. It is your responsibility to make sure
I receive your assignments. You should keep a backup copy of all of your typed assignments. All work
should be Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, 1 in. margins. All written assignments must conform to APA
style. If you are not familiar with APA style, you can visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) for
guidance or ask your instructor for additional resources.
Late assignments: All assignments must be turned in on time, and quizzes must be taken as
scheduled. Late assignments will be given a penalty of one letter grade per day. If an assignment is
more than two days late, it will not be accepted. If you know you are going to be absent, you need to
turn in the assignment early to avoid the late penalty. You CANNOT make up missed presentations
or in class activities.
Discussion of graded assignments: Success in this course requires thoughtful self-evaluation of your
performance. A student wishing to contest a grade must present his or her instructor with a typed
(either email or hard copy), well-considered case regarding the evaluation within one week of having
received the evaluation of the assignment in question, but not before 24 hours have passed. The
argument must be related to the assignment as presented, and based on how it compares with the
criteria for the assignment (not how it compares with someone else’s work or how it will affect a
student’s GPA). Once the student has submitted his or her argument to the instructor, the instructor
will respond in writing within seven days. Student and instructor may then decide to meet face-toface to discuss ways to improve future assignments.
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Grade calculations: Grades are determined on a straight percentage scale based on the number of
points earned out of a maximum of 500 points. There will be no further rounding or curving of
grades.
Academic integrity: You are responsible for producing original work in this class. Any case of
plagiarism or academic dishonesty will result in the automatic failure of the assignment or the course.
Please see the WKU Student Handbook for additional information. Academic dishonesty includes, but
is not limited to:
1. Cheating. Intentionally obtaining or attempting to use unauthorized materials or information (notes, texts or
study aids) or unauthorized help from another person in any work submitted for evaluation toward academic
credit including exams, quizzes, exercises or other assignments.
2. Plagiarism. Representing someone else’s work as your own or providing materials for such a
representation. To avoid plagiarism, students must acknowledge the source whenever:
a. quoting another person’s actual words;
b. using another person’s idea, opinion or theory;
c. borrowing facts, statistics or other illustrative material – unless the information is common knowledge.
3. Bribes, favors, threats. 1) Threatening, bribing, or attempting to bribe any person with the intention of
affecting an evaluation of academic performance; 2) conspiring to bribe or threatening a person with the
intention of affecting an evaluation of academic performance.
4. Grade tampering. Tampering or attempting to tamper with grades.
5. Recycling. Re-using or duplicating work you did for another course.
If you have any questions regarding academic integrity, please ask me.
Technology policy: Phones, iPods, etc. must be turned off or put away on “silent” during class unless
otherwise noted. Failure to do so will result in the student being counted as absent for that class
session.
Attendance policy: Attendance is required for success in the course. This course and one's grade
rely upon classroom participation. Classroom discussions will provide theoretical information that will
appear on quizzes, and classroom exercises are designed to provide learning opportunities. You cannot
make up missed time in class, missed participation opportunities, or missed presentations. You are
responsible for any missed notes or handouts. Please ask a peer for missed notes and other
information. Attendance counts towards your participation grade in the course (out of a total of 50
points). Over the course of the semester, attendance will be taken on 10 randomly selected days. If you
are not present on a day that attendance is taken, you will lose 3 points from your participation grade.
Legitimate reasons for unexcused absences are as follows: medical emergencies (not just appointments
with health care providers), religious observances, and university sanctioned activities. Each of these
legitimate reasons must be documented as requested by me. For habitual lateness, 10 points will be
deducted from your participation grade.
Academic assistance on campus: The Learning Center (TLC), located in the Downing University
Center, A330, provides free supplemental education programs for all currently enrolled WKU students.
For detailed information, please see: www.wku.edu/tlc
Accessibility: If you are registered with the Office for Student Disability Services in Downing
University Center, please notify me so that I may make accommodations as needed.
Please note that this syllabus is subject to change.
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