Interpersonal Communication
Com 123
Instructor: Chelsea Oshita
Office: Fell Hall 280H
Email: choshit@ilstu.edu
Classroom: Fell Hall 162
Office Hours: 1-2 TH or by appt.
Phone: 309-438-3672
Section: 002
Meeting time: T/TH 2p-3:15p
Text (Required): 13th Edition
Adler, R. B., Rosenfeld, L. B., & Proctor, R. F. (2014). Interplay: The process of
interpersonal communication. New York: Oxford University Press.
Additional Requirements:
 A working ISU email account that you check regularly.
 A stapler* (anything handed in must be stapled, or it will not be accepted)
Interpersonal Communication (COM 123) Course Goals:
1) Students will become more competent interpersonal communicators (using
knowledge, skill, motivation, and judgment).
2) Students will demonstrate an understanding of the interpersonal
communication process.
3) Students will demonstrate the ability to apply interpersonal communication
concepts such as active listening, perception, self-concept, and message
systems (verbal and nonverbal) to everyday communication situations.
4) Students will become more competent in communicating in small group
discussions and in-class activities (articulating and defending their own
ideas as well as listening to and considering the ideas of others).
5) Students will demonstrate an understanding of the differences in
interpersonal communication contexts.
6) Students will identify their own patterns of functional and dysfunctional
interpersonal communication habits
Assignments:
 All assignments must be typed. Handwritten assignments will not be
accepted unless discussed prior to due date with instructor
 All assignments are to be typed using 12pt. font and 1 inch margins
 All assignments are to be double-spaced (except for the header)
 All assignments are to be STAPLED
 All references are to be cited using American Psychological Association (APA)
Style (6th Edition).
 All assignments must be turned in WITH THE RUBRIC or you will lose 10
points.
Headers:
Please make your headings for ALL assignments uniform. I have provided an
example below that I will expect you to follow. Although your work will be double
spaced (with the exception of your outlines), 12pt font, and will have 1 inch margins,
the heading should be SINGLE SPACED, on the right-hand side, and on the first page
ONLY.
Your Name
Teacher’s Name
Course Title (COM 123)
Assignment
Date
Assignment Due Dates:
All artifacts, assignments and exams must be completed on the date assigned. No
late work will be accepted unless I have previously approved an alternative due
date. If you do not turn in an assignment on the date assigned, if you are unprepared
to deliver a speech on your assigned day, or if you do not come to class on an exam
date, you will receive a ZERO for that assignment unless an alternative due date has
been previously approved or documentation has been provided for extreme
circumstances. Make sure to anticipate predictable problems so you can prevent
them. For example, running out of paper or ink, or losing computer files you failed to
back up are problems that need not occur if you are looking ahead. If you work
ahead of time, you will not be rushing to get your work done, so think ahead! I will
work with you if you have a legitimate reason for your absence (determined by me)
AND arrangements have been made with me prior to the class meeting. I want to
help you in any way possible, but will not accept less than your full effort. Like
most instructors, I am more understanding if you keep me informed: If you
encounter problems, please let me know right away. All assignments are to be
stapled together prior to coming to class, I do not want to lose any of your
materials. If your assignments are not stapled together I will not accept it.
Activities:
Activities will be done in class and cannot be made up. On 5 random days when the
class does an activity, I will award “activity points” for showing up to class (10
points, @ 5 random days, for a total of 50 “activity points”). Detailed instructions will
be given at the appropriate times.
Participation:
Since this class is an INTERPERSONAL course, it is very important to have
discussions and participation between classmates. Participation is a function of
attendance, demonstration of having read the material, asking questions that extend
the thinking of the class and instructor, contributing relevant examples, and
demonstrating respect for the contributions of classmates. Participation will
be assessed through the demonstration of your attendance, preparation, and
input in class. If you are disruptive or are not benefitting the learning environment of
the classroom, this will be reflected in your activity point total. At the middle and end
of the semester you will have the option to write a 1-2 page paper reflecting on your
participation throughout the semester as an argument as to why you should receive
a specific grade (this is detailed in the following section).
Chapter Notes:
To ensure you are learning the course content outside of our synthesized class
session, you are required to present chapter notes as the end of each week (dates
detailed on "Tentative Schedule" below). These chapter notes will be evaluated and
returned the next class session. I will collect 12 chapter notes throughout the
semester.
These chapter notes are broken into two sections: (1) Key Terms and (2) Activities.
(1) Key Terms: This section is used to evaluate your knowledge of basic
principles provided throughout the textbook.
(2) Activities: This section contains short answer (three or more sentences)
responses to questions using textual material, key terms, and other
resources.
Participation Justification Paper:
Justification papers are 1-2 page papers where the student argues how many points
they feel they deserve for participation in the class. Papers will be due at the middle
and at the end of the semester. These papers will be optional. If you believe that
your participation does not need to be justified because you participate that often,
you may choose to forgo this assignment.
Instructional Discussion:
Each student will be responsible for facilitating an instructional discussion of an
assigned chapter. Students will conduct research to find a scholarly article that
goes along with the chapter they are assigned. Students will compose an outline of
discussion questions and learning objectives to orally pose to the participants
during the discussion. You may utilize any instructional games, simulations, or
activities that you think would complement the discussion. Presentations should be
10-15 minutes. Your rubric, outline, and article should be attached and turned in
together.
Evaluation Criteria:
 Did you compose and conduct clear, thought provoking discussion questions,
which focused on key aspects or implications of the article?
 Did you attempt to relate the discussion topic to previously discussed
relevant topics?
 Did you attempt to relate the discussion to your colleagues’ relevant
experiences and interests?
 Did you engage your colleagues in full discussion participation (i.e. they
should be talking more than you)?
Artifacts (2):
(2-3 pages double-spaced, typed). The artifacts are analyses of observations,
experiences, conversations, newspaper clippings, television clips, advertisements,
songs, magazine articles, cartoons, etc. that illustrate some concept or theme from
the class. Therefore, be thinking throughout the semester of artifact ideas as they
present themselves. Rubrics are to be attached to back of the artifact. If you do
not attach the rubric you will lose 10 points on the assignment.
Artifacts should generally include three sections:
1) A description of the concept presented in text or in lecture
2) A description of the artifact
3) An explanation of how the concept applies to the artifact
The magazine articles, cartoons, newspaper clippings, and ads should be attached.
There will be 2 artifact assignments throughout the semester with specific due
dates, and they are 25 points each.
Exams:
There will be three (3) unit exams covering information from the text, additional
handouts provided by instructor, and from lecture. No exam will be
comprehensive. Exams will assess your understanding of interpersonal
communication concepts and theories, as well as your application and integration
abilities.
Final Project:
(See rubrics for project requirements): In coordination with course goals, the final
project will be a “How-to-Guide to Communication” within an interpersonal
relationship of your choice. Through this project, students will be able to
demonstrate their interpersonal communication competence. (Examples of
relationships that you can discuss are as follows: romantic relationship, friends-withbenefits relationship, cross-sex friendship, workplace or co-worker relationship,
parent-child relationship, same-sex friendship, cross-cultural relationships, etc.). Your
rubric, outline/script, and final project should be attached and turned in
together.
A second option for this assignment is to write a 6-page paper detailing the utility of
interpersonal skills from a professional perspective. For example, if you want to be
an HR professional when you graduate, you would go through the chapters and
select the skills that you deem to be most important to this profession. You then
would discuss these skills as they would be applicable to the profession and your
success as an HR professional. For example, you may write a page about why
listening skills would be important and how you would use appropriate listening to
be better at your job.
Evaluation:
Exam 1
100 pts.
Exam 2
100 pts.
Exam 3 (Final Exam)
100 pts.
Final Project
100 pts.
Chapter Notes (12 at 10pts.)
120 pts.
Activity Points (5 at 10 pts.)
50 pts.
Artifacts (2 at 25 pts.)
50 pts.
Participation (2 at 25 pts.)
50 pts.
Instructional Discussion
50 pts.
“Any Old Bag” Speech
10 pts.
TOTAL
730 pts.
90-100%
80-89%
70-79%
60-69%
Below 60%
A
B
C
D
F
** Please Note: If I feel the class has not been keeping up with the required reading,
I reserve the right to administer pop quizzes at any point in the semester**
**Assessments and point values subject to change**
My Teaching Philosophy:
Communication is crucial not only to success in college, but also in your future as
professionals. Communication is necessary to achieve stable relationships in day-today life. It is my responsibility to equip you with the skills you need for all of your
future communication interactions. I am not here to make your life difficult or to
embarrass you. That being said, I have high expectations of each student and for the
course. I will do my best to ensure all expectations are clear. However, as we all
know no one is perfect. If you are having trouble understanding my requirements,
or struggling at any point, I welcome questions and concerns. I expect all inquires to
be done in a respectful and professional manner, as with all interactions throughout
the course. Classmate interactions will be frequent. This is a discussion-based class,
and as such, all students will be given many opportunities to state opinions and
beliefs. This creates a learning environment where we can all test out ideas and help
each other refine our beliefs about the world. I have a zero-tolerance policy for
disrespect in the course. While I welcome individualism, I will not tolerate attacks
on other`s ideas.
I believe in an atmosphere of creativity and uniqueness and I encourage all students
to put their all into the course. The more that we all put in of ourselves, the more
exciting the course will be.
Behavioral Expectations Policies AND Procedures:
Attendance:
 You are expected to come to class prepared to discuss and participate in
activities associated with the readings. I will synthesize the material into
discussions and activities where you will play a large role. In order to
assess your preparation for class, you will complete the participation



requirement as stated above. Thus, regular attendance is expected. Being
absent will deprive you of valuable class discussions and will also prevent
you from fulfilling certain graded in-class activities, which cannot be
made up. Excessive absences will affect your participation grade in this
class. If you are absent from class more than two times during each
participation period (two halves), you cannot earn higher than a B for
participation during that half of the class; more than three you cannot earn
higher than a C for participation; more than four you cannot earn higher
than a D for participation; and more than five you will not any points for
participation.
You are always responsible for all material distributed in your absence. Also
note, any/all materials are handed out only once. If you are not in class to
receive them, you should obtain the information from a fellow classmate.
I do not make distinctions in terms of "excused" vs. "unexcused" absences. If
you talk to me in advance (not the day of class) about missing or have an
emergency that you let me know about with documentation as soon as
possible, I make sure that you are able to turn in assignments for full credit.
Please try to be in class on time. Attendance is taken at the beginning of each
class. Tardiness will result in deduction of participation points.
o Tardiness will not be tolerated. Every two times that you show up
late, it will be considered an absence. If you feel that you have a
legitimate reason for being tardy, come talk to me the first week of
class.
I understand that unexpected things come up in life; if you have a legitimate
reason for not being in class, you must contact me as far as possible in advance.
I am willing to work with you and work something out that benefits both parties, but
you have to communicate with me and keep me informed. If you are involved in any
university activities that will cause you to miss class, I need a schedule of classes
that you will miss and a signed note from your coach or advisor verifying that
you are on the team.
Number of Absences
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Points Deducted from
Participation Grade
-3
-6
-9
-12
-15
-18
-21
-24
-27
-30
-33
-36
*Professional Courtesy:
Professional courtesy includes respecting others' opinions, not interrupting in class,
being respectful to those who are speaking, and working together in a spirit of
cooperation. I expect you to demonstrate these behaviors at all times in this class.
With that in mind, sleeping, reading materials irrelevant to class purposes, texting,
or disrupting the class will not be tolerated and will result in the student being
considered absent for that particular class period.
We are a support system for each other because public speaking can be a scary
experience for some individuals. I expect you to be in class on all instructional
discussion days. Show up to class and support your classmates because they
will do the same for you.
Communicating with your Instructor:
Email is the best way to get in contact with me if you have questions or concerns.
Please allow at least a 24-hour response time, 48 hours on the weekends. For
example, if you email me an hour before class starts, do not assume I will respond to
that email within the hour. It is expected that email communication be of
professional quality. When writing through e-mail to an instructor, please identify
yourself and the subject matter in the subject line of the email. Please be sure to
address me in a professional manner. Always sign your name in your e-mails. Please
follow these guidelines so your e-mail is given full consideration.
*E-mails that are received without a name and class section will not be
answered
Presentation Etiquette:
On presentation days, you have dual responsibilities as a speaker and an audience
member. When you are presenting, you will dress appropriately. When you are an
audience member, you will be attentive and ask challenging but constructive
questions when the presentation is finished. Because most people are nervous when
they present, you will be supportive both verbally and nonverbally. You will never
enter or leave the room while a presentation is in progress. If you choose to not
attend class for other classmates` presentations, you will lose 10 points from your
own grade, if the absence is not excused. If your cell phone rings or sounds an alert
during any presentation, you will lose 20% from your individual presentation grade.
If on a presentation day you are late, NEVER come into the classroom during a
presentation, wait until you hear applause at the conclusion of a presentation. If you
walk in during a presentation as the result of being late, you will lose 5 points off of
your individual presentation grade.
On presentation days, you have dual responsibilities as a speaker and an audience
member. When you are presenting, you will be expected to dress professionally or
appropriately for your topic (how you dress impacts your credibility as a
speaker). When you are an audience member, you will be attentive, think critically
throughout each presenter’s speech, and be prepared to ask challenging but
constructive questions when the speech is finished. Because most people are
nervous when they give a speech, you will be supportive both verbally and
nonverbally. Please do not enter or leave the room while a speech is in progress
and remember to turn off cell phones. If you do not show up for other classmates’
speech days you will lose 10 pts. from your speech grade. If your phone rings
during a speech you will lose 20% from your speech grade. Also, if you are late
on a speech day, NEVER come into the classroom during a speech. Wait outside until
you hear applause and the conclusion of the speech.
Cell Phones/Texting & Electronics:
Laptops will be allowed for note taking purposes only. However, all other electronic
devices are to be turned off and put away before class begins. If you are not paying
attention in my class, or I do not feel that you have truly attended my session I will
mark you absent for the day. IF YOUR PHONE RINGS DURING AN EXAM, I WILL
DEDUCT 20% FROM YOUR GRADE. If it rings during someone else’s Instructional
Discussion or another presentation, you will lose 10 points off your own
evaluation.
I am very understanding and if a situation arises where a student needs to keep
their cell phone on, for instance if a direct family member is sick, I will allow
Behavioral Expectation Policy:
Should any student violate the expectations of appropriate classroom behavior (as
mentioned in the professional courtesy and presentation etiquette policies above), the
instructor will schedule a meeting to discuss these expectations and develop a
behavioral modification plan. If these behaviors persist, you will be at-risk for failing
the course.
Cheating/Plagiarism:
Students are expected to be honest in all academic work, consistent with the
academic integrity policy as outlined in the Code of Student Conduct. All work is to be
appropriately cited when it is borrowed, directly or indirectly, from another source.
Unauthorized and unacknowledged collaboration on speech topics and/or the
presentation of someone else’s work warrants plagiarism. Students found to
inadvertently commit acts of dishonesty will receive appropriate penalties specific
to the assignment in question. Students found to commit intentional acts of
dishonesty will receive a failing grade in the course and will be referred for
appropriate disciplinary action through Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution
Office.
Special Needs:
Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented
disability should contact Disability Concerns at 350 Fell Hall, 438-5853
(voice), 438-8620 (TDD).
Mental Health Resources:
Life at college can get very complicated. Students sometimes feel overwhelmed, lost,
experience anxiety or depression, struggle with relationship difficulties or
diminished self-esteem. However, many of these issues can be effectively addressed
with a little help. Student Counseling Services (SCS) helps students cope with difficult
emotions and life stressors. Student Counseling Services is staffed by experienced,
professional psychologists and counselors, who are attuned to the needs of college
students. The services are FREE and completely confidential. Find out more at
Counseling.IllinoisState.edu or by calling (309) 438-3655.
Illinois State University Bereavement Policy:
In the event that a student experiences a death of an immediate family member or
relative as defined below, the student will be excused from class for funeral leave,
subsequent bereavement, and/or travel considerations. The student will provide
appropriate documentation and arrange to complete missed classroom work as
soon as possible according to the process outlined below. Upon notification of the
absence and proper documentation, each faculty member shall excuse the student
from class according to this policy and provide an opportunity to complete missed
exams, quizzes, and other required work. Ultimately, the student is responsible for
all material covered in class and must work with each individual professor as
soon as they return to complete any required work.
Details can be found at the following website:
http://policy.illinoisstate.edu/students/2-1-27.shtml
School of Communication Research Pool:
There will be a few extra credit opportunities for research participation. The extra
credit points will be added to your final grade, and may not necessarily appear in
the gradebook immediately upon your completion of the opportunity. There are no
guarantees for extra credit, and it is each student’s responsibility to be aware of and
take advantage of such opportunities. You may receive extra credit for participating
in any of the studies in the School of Communication’s Research Pool. The Research
Pool is updated as research studies are opened/closed, and it is your responsibility
to access the Pool and be aware of available opportunities. The Research Pool can be
accessed via:
https://sites.google.com/site/isucomresearch/
Each project listed on the Research Pool site will indicate the specific number of
Research Credits associated with the project. The course instructor will get evidence
of participation and the time of participation from the researcher(s) who administer
the research studies at the conclusion of the semester; however, it is your
responsibility to make sure that the researchers have the necessary evidence of
your participation at the time of the study. Before participating in a study, please be
sure to have your name, ULID (i.e., the part of your email before @ilstu.edu),
instructor name, and course and section number ready, as you will need to
provide these to receive credit. Research Credit can only be applied to one course
for each study, unless specified otherwise in the Research Pool. A maximum of 5% of
your final course grade can be earned from extra credit opportunities via the Research
Pool. After the final exam there will be no further opportunities for extra credit or to
otherwise improve your grade. Please also be aware that federal guidelines indicate
that instructors offering extra credit for research participation must offer a
reasonable alternative (such as a research paper) for students who want to earn
extra credit but do not want to participate in a study.
*For each research study you participate in I will aware 2 points of extra credit, for up
to a total of 10 points.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR COM 123:
*NOTE: I reserve the right to modify our schedule at any point throughout the semester.
Week
1
Date
1/12
Day
T
CHAP.
Material Covered
Course Orientation / Introductions /
Interview as a Biographer / Syllabus
Overview
Assign Any Old Bag Speech
Think about choices for Instructional
Discussion
Any Old Bag Speeches
Sign up for Instructional Discussions
1/14
Th
2
1/19
T
1
Interpersonal Process
3
1/21
1/26
Th
T
1
3
1/28
Th
3
4
2/2
2/4
T
Th
4
4
5
2/9
T
8
Interpersonal Process
Communication and the Self
Assign Artifact 1
Communication and the Self/Instructional
Discussion
Perceiving Others
Perceiving Others/ Chapter 4 Instructional
Discussion
Emotions
2/11
Th
8
Emotions/Instructional Discussions
6
2/16
T
**Exam 1 Review Day**
7
2/18
2/23
2/25
Th
T
Th
5
5
8
3/1
3/3
T
Th
6
6
9
3/15
T
7
3/17
Th
7
**Exam 1: Unit 1: Chapters 1, 3, 4, & 8**
Language
Language/Instructional Discussions
Assign Artifact 2
Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal Communication/Instructional
Discussion
Listening: Understanding and Supporting
Others
Assign Optional Participation Justification
Paper
Listening: Understanding and Supporting
Others/Instructional Discussion
Assignment Due
Read Syllabus
Show Up
Presentations
Pick Instructional
Discussion Chapter
Syllabus Contract
Due
Read Chapter 1
Review Chapter 1
Read Chapter 3
Review Chapter 3
Read Chapter 4
Review Chapter 4
Read Chapter 8
Review Chapter 8
Artifact 1 Due
Review Chapters 1,
3, 4, & 8
Exam Day
Read Chapter 5
Review Chapter 5
Read Chapter 6
Review Chapter 6
Read Chapter 7
Review Chapter 7
Artifact 2 Due
3/22
T
10
Communication Climate
3/24
Th
10
11
3/29
T
Communication Climate/Instructional
Discussions
** Exam 2 Review Day**
12
3/31
4/5
4/7
Th
T
Th
9
9
13
4/12
4/14
T
Th
2
2
14
4/19
T
11
4/21
Th
11
4/26
T
12
4/28
Th
12
10
15
**Exam 2: Unit 2: Chapters 5, 6, 7, & 10**
Dynamics of Interpersonal Relationships
Dynamics of Interpersonal
Relationships/Instructional Discussions
Culture and Communication
Culture and Communication / Chapter 2
Instructional Discussion
Managing Climate
Managing Climate / Chapter 11
Instructional Discussion
Communication in Families and at Work
Communication in Families and at
Work/Instructional Discussions
Research Pool Webpage (Extra Credit)
Closes
Read Chapter 10
Participation
Justification
Paper Due
Review Chapter 10
Review Chapters
5,6,7, & 10
Exam Day
Read Chapter 9
Review Chapter 9
Read Chapter 2
Review Chapter 2
Chapter 11 Notes
Review Chapter 11
Read Chapter 12
Final Projects
Due (Tentative
Date)
Review Chapter 12
5/2-5/6: Final Exam Week (Final Exam TBD)
Final Exam Day- short exam review, final exam, final projects returned, and
participation justification papers due.
Syllabus Contract
I have read the syllabus for Chelsea Oshita`s Com 123 course, and agree to the terms for
required coursework and acceptable classroom behavior.
Signature: ____________________________________________________________
Name (please print) ___________________________Date____________________
Major: ________________________________________________________________
Cell Phone Number (in case of emergencies):___________________________________
What do you do in your free time (hobbies/extracurricular activities)?
What is one thing about you that might surprise people who don’t know you?
What is your dream job/career interests?
What is your favorite song, music artist, or music video?
Please list at least 2 goals you hope to meet through this course:


Briefly, how do you see the information and skills learned from this class applying to
your career?
What do you believe is your greatest strength academically?