PCC. SUMMER 2014. SPCH 10: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
SPCH 10 (4712). MTW 4:00-6:50 pm, Room C261
SPCH 10 (5038). MTW 7:00-9:50 pm. Room C261
Instructor: Mariusz Ozminkowski, Ph.D. (626) 799-5834, Email: mozminkowski@csupomona.edu
Website: www.ozminkowski.com/interpersonal.html
THE COURSE: Introduction to interpersonal communication: verbal and non-verbal face-to-face interactions;
understanding messages sent and received; awareness and resolutions of communication barriers.
Student Learning Objectives. Upon successful completion of this class, the student should be able to:
1.
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6.
appraise the role of the self in communication.
recognize, compare and contrast interpersonal communication concepts.
employ problem solving and conflict management skills.
demonstrate active listening.
understand interdisciplinary character of the subject of Interpersonal Communication
analyze interpersonal communication issues with the knowledge of a basic scientific methodology.
Experiential Learning: This course combines theory and practice. For a student to benefit from the class
beyond learning the basic interpersonal theories, the course requires active participation in the class and a
serious attempt to integrate: (a) conceptualizations based on the reading, observations, lectures and (b)
everyday experiences in interpersonal communication.
REQUIRED TEXT: Adler, Rosenfeld, and Proctor. INTERPLAY. 12th Edition (11TH edition acceptable).
Published by Oxford University Press. ISBN for the 12th edition is: 978-0-19-982742-8
ASSIGNMENTS. During the semester you will complete the following assignments:
PERSONAL INTRODUCTION (10 points, 3 minute presentation). I would like you to begin this course
with a brief introduction. There are many ways to approach this assignment. One fairly standard suggestion
is to refer to a memorable personal experience. The experience must be meaningful. Share with us not only
the incident, but also share its significance. Let us know what you learned from the experience and what you
want us to learn about you. Use that experience as a point of departure for explaining your personality,
background, beliefs, or aspirations.
Another approach, based on the same principle as the previous one, is to tell your audience about
your recent travels. The quality of the speech is not based on how far away or how exotic the place of your
travels was. It could be a trip to Africa or Japan, but it could be also a short excursion to Santa Barbara or local
mountains. Use that place as a point of departure for explaining your personality, background, beliefs, or
aspirations. In other words, the speech is not so much about the museums, waterfalls, and exotic places, but
about yourself. Here is what the Autoclub’s magazine Westways wrote about traveling: “We travel, sometimes
unknowingly, to learn about ourselves in the process of learning about others. Impatience, compassion,
extravagance, spontaneity, fear, comfort, pleasure, and curiosity are often our travel companions. So our
idiosyncrasies… Travel is much about who we are as it is about where we are…”
TWO EXAMINATIONS (Midterm and Final). 2 x 100 points for a total of 200 points.
Examinations will consist of multiple-choice questions and/or short answer questions. They are not cumulative.
A review will be given before each examination. There will be no provision for substitute tests or examinations
without exceptionally strong and documented cause.
TWO THOUGHT LETTERS. (2 x 10 points = 20 points)
As part of the requirements for this course, you will write two “thought letters” in which you will explore your
responses to questions or problems covered in your text and lectures. Specific topics will be decided in class
in response to class discussions and specific interests of the students. The “letters” should be about
1½ -2 double-spaced typed pages long (approx. 450-600 words).
A thought letter is an early exploration aimed at a friendly audience. It is the kind of idea-exploring letter
that you might write to a friend or a colleague when wrestling with a new problem. The purpose of the “letters” is
to stimulate thinking about issues, questions, and problems raised by your study of interpersonal communication.
1
A BOOK REVIEW (approx. 600 words + oral presentation, 3 minutes). 20 points.
For your review you should select a book on the subject related to the material covered in our class (e.g., selfconcept, self-esteem, self-disclosure, culture in Interpersonal Communication, assertiveness, Relationship
development, conflict, etc.). The book should be a non-fiction publication and should not be a textbook.
Your review should allow the reader to join you in examining the book. Tell the reader what the book is
about. The summary should provide an accurate portrayal of the book. Describe the book in clear, objective
terms. Tell enough about the content to identify the author’s major points.
Once you explain what the book is attempting to do, you should tell your audience the extent to which
the book has succeeded. To evaluate a book effectively, you will need to establish evaluation criteria and then
compare the book’s content to these criteria. Some of the questions/criteria you should use are: What
contribution does this book make to one’s understanding of the subject of Interpersonal Communication/
Relationship? Who will enjoy or benefit from this book? How students in our class will/could benefit from this
book?
When giving your evaluations, be specific. If you say only that “This is a good book; I liked it very much,”
you have told us nothing of interest or value. Explain why do you like (or don’t like) the book. Why it is a good
(bad) book and why we all should (or shouldn’t) read it.
FINAL GROUP PROJECT (paper = 80 points; presentation = 20 points)
Final Group Project is a written report and class presentation in which you will need to analyze in depth a specific
issue in interpersonal communication/relationship applying what you have learnt from course texts, lectures and
discussions. This is a group project and all work will be done in groups of 4-6 students. Groups will be arranged
around the fifth week of the semester.
Main components of the Final Group Project
A. Selection. All social environments contain a tremendous range and variety of interpersonal relationships/
communication (romantic relationships, marriage, conflicts in the workplace, self-esteem problems, even
interpersonal dimensions of politics or business, etc.). For your project you will need to select one of them. You
may select a broader issue as, for example, “the role of personal communication/contacts in business or politics”
or a specific relationship and associated with it conflict. You could also analyze an interpersonal issue shown in
any (significant) work of literature or film. In any case, the project should be treated as a research paper in which
there is a research question or hypothesis (why something is happening) and an attempt at answering the
question or testing the hypothesis is given. All should be supported with at least some research outside the
textbook (mainstream journals, academic journals, books, etc.).
B. Project Report. 6-8 pages, double-spaced typed project report due on the last day of class.
This part should include the following:
1. A detailed description of the issue.
2. A statement of research questions or hypotheses.
3. An examination of the question/hypotheses based on research. In other words: what experts would say
about your research question/hypothesis.
4. A bibliography with a minimum of 5 sources. Your main resource in preparing and writing the paper will
be your textbook, but you should use other material as well. There is a multitude of books and articles
on the subject. You will be able to do some research during the class time.
D. Presentation. 10-15-minute group presentation covering the critical aspects of your project report, followed
by class discussion. Presentation dates will be arranged during the last two weeks of the quarter, to be notified.
OTHER ASSIGNMENTS (10-20 points each, up to 50 points). During the semester there will be several
other assignments: quizzes, in-class exercises, homework assignments, library research, etc.
ATTENDANCE. It is expected that you will attend all (or almost all) classes, read all assigned readings, and
participate in class discussions and exercises. Please, remember: You are responsible for meeting all the
deadlines for withdrawing from the course (without a record or with “W”).
2
Available points
A Personal Introduction
Midterm Examination
Final Examination
Thought Letter 1
Thought Letter 2
A Book Review
Final Group Project: paper
Final Group Project: presentation
Other assignments
Your points
10
100
100
10
10
20
80
20
up to 50
Total
Up to 400
GRADING: 91-100% = A; 81-90% = B; 71-80% = C; 61-70% = D; 60% and below = F.
COURSE OUTLINE:
week
Lecture/Discussion Topics. Reading Assignments.
M 6/30
Introduction to the Course
T 7/1
Universals of Interpersonal Communication (Ch. 1).
W 7/2
Personal Introductions
2
MTW 7/7, 8, 9
Culture (2). The Self (3). Perception (4)
3
MTW 7/14, 15, 16
Verbal/Nonverbal Messages (5, 6).
Listening (7), Emotions (8)
M 7/21
Midterm Examination is Today. Chapters 1-8.
TW 7/22, 23
Universals of Interpersonal Relationships (9).
Communication Climate (10). Friendship, Love, Family (12)
MTW 7/28, 29, 30
Conflict (11). Power in relationships.
Preparation for the term paper.
MT 8/4, 5
Presentations. Course Summary. Review for the Final
W 8/6
FINAL EXAM
1
4
5
6
3