Pasadena City College, Spring 2014
Speech 10: Interpersonal Communication #8961
Saturday 12:20–3:30 PM Room C111
SYLLABUS
Professor:
Email:
Division Office:
Office Hours:
Office/Mail Box:
Dr. Caroline LaMonda
mclamonda@gmail.com and cxlamonda@pasadena.edu
(626) 585-7216
3:30 – 4:00 PM Saturday, and by appointment.
CA102
Course Description and Learning Outcomes: This course focuses on
the theory and practice of communication in close relationships
and small group interactions. The readings, discussions, and
exercises are designed to encourage you to analyze your
relationships with others, recognize your communicative
strengths and weaknesses, and develop a vocabulary for thinking
about interpersonal communication issues. You will also
experience the advantages and disadvantages of working in small
groups, learn practical skills for problem solving and conflict
management in small groups, and investigate how groups function
so that you can develop the skills necessary to engage in
productive group endeavors.
Text: Julia T. Wood, Interpersonal Communication, Everyday
Encounters. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2009
*Additional materials will be provided.
Attendance: The nature of this course necessitates regular
attendance and participation. Roll will be taken at the
beginning of each class meeting, so please attend promptly. You
are permitted six hours of absence without penalty. Each hour of
absence subsequent to the first six will lower your
participation grade by ten points. Be sure to deactivate and put
out of sight all electronic devices during the class meeting.
This policy is designed to prevent interruptions, ensure that
speakers and classmates are not distracted, and to allow you to
receive full participation points for each class period.
Evaluation:
Midterm Exam
Experiential Essay One
Experiential Essay Two
Final Exam
Group Presentation
Evaluation Paper
Participation
Points Possible
70
40
40
50
100
40
60
400
points
points
points
points
points
points
points
points
17.5%
10%
10%
12.5%
25%
10%
15%
100%
Course Grading Standard
360
320
280
240
239
95%
87%
77%
67%
59%
-
- 100% = A,
- 89% = B+,
- 79% = C+,
- 69% = D+,
and below =
400
359
319
279
000
90%
84%
74%
64%
F.
-
points
points
points
points
points
94%
86%
76%
66%
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
90%
80%
70%
60%
59%
-
100%
89%
79%
69%
0%
=
=
=
=
=
A
B
C
D
F
AB, 80% - 83% = BC, 70% - 73% = CD, 60% - 63% = D-
Assignments:
Exams
The midterm exam will be comprised of fifty multiple choice or
true false questions and ten fill-in questions. The final exam
will be comprised of thirty multiple choice questions and ten
fill-in questions. The final will not be cumulative. Exams will
cover all materials, lectures, and readings. Make-up exams will
not be given without a legitimate, documented medical excuse.
Experiential Essays
Papers will not be accepted after the due date, so please plan
accordingly. Hard copies of all essays must be handed to the
professor at the start of the class period. Be sure to print
papers well in advance of the time they are due in order to
avoid technical difficulties that prevent you from submitting
your paper and receiving credit for it.
You will write two experiential essays chosen from the four
topics listed below. Each essay should be five to seven double
spaced pages. Each essay is worth up to forty points and will
be graded in terms of:
applications made to personal experience (10)
appropriate use of course concepts (10)
evidence of critical thinking (15)
writing quality (5).
Essay One Due 2/22/14
Analyze your own nonverbal behavior. Focus on your use of
artifacts, proxemics, paralinguistics, kinesics, haptics, and/or
chronemics. What does your nonverbal behavior say about
yourself and your relationships with others? Provide specific
examples in your discussion.
Experiment. Change one of your nonverbal behaviors and describe
the change. How did people respond to this change? Why? How
did you feel? Why?
or
Observe someone in conversation either with yourself, with
someone else, or both. Then, based on your observations, write
an essay that addresses the following questions.
a. Without revealing names or identities briefly describe
the people involved in the conversation. Where are they?
b. What types of listening were most appropriate in this
conversation? What types was/were used?
c. What effective listening behaviors were demonstrated
during the conversation? Provide specific examples.
d. What ineffective behaviors were employed? Provide
specific examples.
e. Over all, how successful was this conversation? Why?
Essay Two Due 4/5/14
Select a conflict situation you are experiencing in a current
relationship or group context. What particular strategies have
you been employing to deal with the conflict? Have they been
effective? Ineffective? Both? Why? Change your style of
conflict management. Explain and analyze the results of making
this change. Be sure to include specific examples in your
discussion.
or
Choose a friendship or romantic relationship that you are
currently a part of. What do you think holds this relationship
together? What creates difficulties? Be sure to use course
concepts to support your views.
Interview the person you are writing about. Explain the
assignment and let them know that you will not reveal their
identity. Describe their views on the issues you have been
thinking about. In what ways are their views compatible with
your own? How to they differ? What did you learn from talking
about the relationship? Include specific examples in your
analysis.
Group Project
You will be given a group presentation assignment on
March 29, 2014. You will choose your own group members and
topic. Each presentation will focus on a subject that is of
interest to the group and also has the potential to provide a
useful and engaging learning experience for the audience.
Presentations may utilize class participation, dramatic
enactments, lectures, demonstrations, or experiments. All will
include a question/answer period. Further information concerning
the project will be provided on 3/29. You will be assigned a
specific time and date to present, and no make-up presentations
will be possible. The purpose of this assignment is to give you
an opportunity to apply what you have learned in class about
interpersonal relationships and working in small groups.
Group Project Evaluation Paper
Due 5/3/14
This paper asks you to critique your group’s functioning and
effectiveness. You will evaluate aspects of the group processes
you observed and experienced while preparing for and presenting
the project. The evaluation paper should be six to eight pages,
double spaced, and typed. Further detailed instructions for the
evaluation paper will be given at a later date.
Your paper will be graded in terms of:
application of course concepts related to group processes(15)
quality of analysis (15)
writing quality (10)
Evaluation papers will not be accepted after the start of the
class period on 5/10/14.
Participation
Because this is a communication course you will have many
opportunities to actively participate in class discussions,
activities, and written assignments. Any homework assignments
will also be included in the participation portion or your
grade. It will not be possible to make up participation points
related to in-class activities. Extra credit will be factored in
to the participation portion of the course point total.
Tentative Nature of the Syllabus: If necessary, this syllabus
and its contents are subject to revision; students are
responsible for any changes or modifications distributed in
class.
Tentative Schedule
Date
Topic
Due
1/18
Interpersonal and Small Group Communication
one
1/25
Nonverbal Communication
five
2/1
Creation of Self/Perception
2/8
Listening/Language
2/15
Presidents, Holiday
2/22
Small Group Participation
2/29
Decision Making/Review
3/8
Midterm Exam
3/15
Spring Break
3/22
Conflict/Friendship
nine, ten
3/29
Romance/Project Assigned
eleven
4/5
Public Speaking in Group Situations
essay two
4/12
Project Conferences
4/19
Group Project
4/26
Projects Presented
5/3
Projects Presented
5/10
Final Exam
two, three, essay #1
six
four, essay one
outline, bibliography
experiential assignment
evaluation paper