University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Curriculum Proposal Form #4A
Change in an Existing Course
Type of Action (check all that apply)
Course Revision (include course description & former and new syllabus)
Contact Hour Change and or Credit Change
Diversity Option
General Education Option
area: GS *
Grade Basis
Repeatability Change
Other:
* Note:
For the Gen Ed option, the proposal should address how this course relates to specific core courses, meets the goals of General
Education in providing breadth, and incorporates scholarship in the appropriate field relating to women and gender.
Effective Term: 2117 (Fall 2011)
Current Course Number (subject area and 3-digit course number): COMM 228
Current Course Title:
Interpersonal Communication
Sponsor(s):
Sally Vogl-Bauer and Barb Penington
Department(s):
Communication
College(s):
Arts and Communications
List all programs that are affected by this change:
The Interpersonal Communication emphasis in Communication. Otherwise, this course is simply
an elective offering at this time.
If programs are listed above, will this change affect the Catalog and Advising Reports for those
programs? If so, have Form 2's been submitted for each of those programs?
(Form 2 is necessary to provide updates to the Catalog and Advising Reports)
NA
Yes
Proposal Information:
I.
They will be submitted in the future
(Procedures for form #4A)
Detailed explanation of changes (use FROM/TO format)
FROM:
COMM 228 Interpersonal Communication
Theory and exercises in interpersonal communication situations. Basic theory, self
disclosure, listening, conflict, trust and other topics will be examined.
TO:
COMM 228 Interpersonal Communication (GS)
Theory and exercises in interpersonal communication situations. Basic theory, self
disclosure, listening, conflict, trust and other topics will be examined.
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II.
Justification for action
At the present time, COMM 228 does not have any type of General Education designation;
we are seeking a General Education designation of GS for COMM 228.
This is a course that has no prerequisites and can be taken as soon as the first year of study.
The course covers an array of topics and gives students knowledge, understanding, and skills
in fundamental areas of interpersonal relationships and interpersonal communication
concepts. COMM 228 also provides students a foundation for further studies in
communication, such as nonverbal communication, listening, cross cultural communication,
or conflict resolution.
There are numerous reasons why COMM 228 Interpersonal Communication would be a
strong addition to the General Education Social Science (GS) offerings that directly pertain to
the goals of General Education at UW-Whitewater.

COMM 228 directly complements the content taught in GENED 130 Individual and
Society. COMM 228 is a course that takes a social science approach to the study of
verbal and nonverbal messages present in interpersonal relationships. It also addresses
societal influences, such as the role of technology, and how interpersonal communication
strategies and choices are impacted as a result.

COMM 228 helps students develop the skills necessary to communicate effectively in
written, oral, and symbolic form. In COMM 228 students acquire a base of knowledge
that helps them enhance, modify, or alter their communication skills that could be applied
throughout their lives.
i. COMM 228 examines the role messages play (both verbal and nonverbal) in the
development, maintenance or repair of interpersonal relationships. This ranges
from the communication that takes place in casual relationships to the exchanges
that take place in more intimate interpersonal relationships.
ii. COMM 228 also discusses the channel of communication used for interpersonal
messages. Coverage is given to the pros and cons of communicating orally faceto-face or over the telephone, or in written form, such as a memo/formal written
document, via email, or when text messaging.

COMM 228 covers a breadth of topics. Topics include, but are not limited to: selfconcept, perception, verbal messages, nonverbal messages, listening, emotions, self
disclosure, conflict, intercultural relationships, and relationship development.

COMM 228 helps students to understand and appreciate the cultural diversity of the
United States and other countries and how this impacts communication in interpersonal
relationships. In particular, sex differences and cultural differences are integrated
throughout course content. This is also reinforced in the textbook(s) used for this course,
where diversity coverage is the norm in mainstream interpersonal communication
textbooks and is not limited to a single chapter, but rather, tends to be dispersed
throughout the chapter coverage of the entire textbook.
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
COMM 228 assists students in understanding and making decisions regarding ethics and
personal value judgments. Students are frequently given ethical dilemmas in content
areas and asked to make decisions on how to respond to someone’s interpersonal
communication. When appropriate, current events provide opportunities to explore the
ethical challenges and personal choices and responsibilities that are associated with
various communicative behaviors. Most recently, current events tied to social media, in
particular, Facebook, provide logical starting points to get students to think about how
they communicate with others in an online venue, and what would be considered
appropriate and acceptable versus inappropriate or problematic exchanges.
There are two other related reasons for why a GS designation would help students at UWWhitewater.
III.

Courses in Interpersonal Communication offered at other institutions are often
considered as part of their general education curricular offerings. Adding a General
Education designation of GS would also aid transfer students in satisfying their general
education requirements.

COMM 228 could serve as an early recruit tool for students unaware of the fact that they
could major in something such as Interpersonal Communication, since students are often
unaware the major exists as freshmen.
i. Because there are no prerequisites to this course, students would be eligible to
enroll in COMM 228 as freshmen.
ii. By getting earlier exposure to a course such as COMM 228 they may declare a
major in this area sooner in their undergraduate careers, which may help to
reduce the amount of time it takes students to graduate.
Syllabus/outline (if course revision, include former syllabus and new syllabus)
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