INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION - SPEECH 10
Tuesday 6:00 pm - 9:10pm
Instructor: Ms. Christine Ersig-Marcus
Phone: (626) 585-7216
Email: cxmarcus@pasadena.edu
Required Text: Woods, J. T. (2010). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters (6th
ed.). New York: Wadsworth.
Course Objectives
1. To learn the major communication variables associated with interpersonal
communication.
2. To overview theory and research on interpersonal communication.
3. To understand your implicit theories of interpersonal communication and how they affect
your communication with self and others.
4. To learn how to structure and organize verbal and nonverbal messages in interpersonal
contexts appropriately and strategically.
5. To analyze and adapt messages to specific interpersonal relationships.
6. To learn how to use oral communication skills to initiate, develop, maintain, and dissolve
interpersonal relationships.
7. To listen actively and analytically in interpersonal relationships.
8. To reduce your communication apprehension and enhance communication confidence.
Student Learning Outcomes (Course SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
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 skills.
Experiential Learning
This is a skills-based, experiential course. Experiential learning requires active participation in
the class. To a large extent, you will get out of the class what you put into it. I believe there are
several guidelines to experiential learning:
1. You must become involved in the class and actively participate in class discussion and
any skill exercises conducted.
2. You must seriously try to learn the skills presented and practice them in class, and in your
everyday communication.
3. I have to model the skills being presented.
4. We must practice the skills being discussed in class when we communicate with each
other.
5. You must seriously attempt to integrate (a) your everyday experiences in interpersonal
communication, (b) your experiences in the class, and (c) your conceptualizations based
on the reading, observations, lectures, etc.
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Course Requirements
Readings/Preparation: Listed on the following pages are the reading assignments for the lecture
portion of the class. You will be responsible for all readings assigned from the text.
Attendance/Class Participation/Skills Practice: For many of you this may be your first exposure
to Interpersonal Communication. As a result, you will need to regularly attend this class in an
effort to understand the complexities of our relationships with others.
Therefore, regular attendance, completion of assigned readings, and active participation in class
discussion and activities are essential. Students should be prepared to respond to assigned
readings and lecture's stimuli with questions, examples, and clarification.
In addition, individuals cannot improve their communication skills unless they practice new
skills and receive feedback on their performance. Therefore, all students must participate in skill
practice sessions in class and demonstrate an attempt to master the skills being presented. There
is not one "correct" way to communicate in any given situation, thus these exercises will not be
assigned letter grades. Instead, you will be assigned points for actively and genuinely
participating in each exercise (total of 40 points). These exercises, however, are not on a fixed
schedule. (Note: Consequently, if you miss class on days we do an in class assignment,
points will be deducted from your final grade.)
Exams: There will be three (3) exams during the term. Each will cover information from the
lectures, the assigned readings, class discussion, and in-class exercises. Each exam will be
worth 50 points (150 points total for exams). The exams will not be cumulative. No make-up
exams will be given unless you have a physician’s verified medical excuse.
Who I am Presentation
The purpose of this 2-3 minute presentation is to allow you to understand how “who we are” is
represented by what we surround ourselves with. In other words, this presentation will serve as
one example of how we use communication to define who we are, and how we sculpt our selfimages. This “brief” presentation should explain to us, “who you are” based on one object that
you feel best represents you. The presentation is worth 10 points.
Communication Journals
For skills learned in class to transfer to non-classroom interactions, it is also important to analyze
one’s past communication and practice new skills discussed in class and in everyday interactions
with others (e.g., outside the classroom) and reflect on the outcome that result from these new
skills. Therefore, you will keep an “interpersonal communication journal.” The purpose of this
journal is to keep a “log” of your communication analyses and practices throughout the semester.
The journal is worth 25 points. Journals will be assigned 5 points for each completed entry (5
total entries). Journals will be collected on exam days (aside from the day of the final in which
journals will be due a week prior to finals week). Grading of the journal will focus on the
analysis of one’s current/past communication and/or the use of the new skills discussed in class.
Late journals will not be accepted. Please DO NOT emails me your journal assignments. (25
points).
Self-Improvement Paper: One self-improvement paper is required. The paper must be typed,
double-spaced, and approximately four to five pages in length. Your task will be to explain an
interpersonal communication behavior that you would like to change and provide a logical plan
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for altering the behavior. Criteria for this paper will be provided at a later date. Late papers
will not be accepted. (50 pts.)
Group Oral Presentation: As a group member, you will be required to choose from 4
interpersonally-based group options and deliver one group (panel-like) presentation based on the
option chosen. Your report should be approximately 30 minutes long, supplemented with at least
3 references and a typed group outline. The full detail of the project will be discussed more
thoroughly in class--- to be assigned at a later date. (50 points: 40 for the presentation; 10
group peer evaluation)
SPECIAL NOTES/POLICIES:
 If you have a physical challenge or condition that could impair your participation and/or your
performance in this course, it is your responsibility to notify me immediately.
 No incompletes will be given in this course. Plan on finishing or drop the course early.
When the hours of absence exceed one more than twice the number of class hours per week, you
are considered to be excessively absent and are subject to exclusion from class without
notification. In other words, if you miss three class periods, I can drop you from the class
without notifying you. However, it is the responsibility of the student to officially withdraw
from the class.

Disagreements on grades should be resolved on the date the grade is assigned.
 No extra credit work is allowed.

You must meet all assigned due dates. No late assignments will be accepted without a
legitimate excuse (i.e., a legitimate excuse being a doctor’s note, work note, etc). All due
dates are posted on the attached course outline.
 If a student is making a presentation, do NOT enter or exit the class until the student is
finished. In addition, please turn cell phones and pagers off before entering classroom.
However, if it is necessary that you keep your pager on, please make sure it is set so that it will
not interrupt class discussion, activities, or presentations.

Be sure to read the College's description of plagiarism and policy statement in your course
catalog; plagiarism is literal thievery of another's work or ideas. Be extremely careful not to
"borrow" from the works of others without appropriate citations. Always use quotations and
page numbers to give credit to the ideas and writings of others.
 Please feel free to contact me via phone or email with any concerns you may
have throughout the semseter!!
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Grading: Grading will be determined as follows:
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Who am I Presentation
Self-Improvement Paper
Group Presentation
Class Participation/Skills practice
Journals
Points
50
50
50
10
50
50
40
25
Total Points = 350
Speech Communication 10
Grade Tracking Sheet
Assignment
Points Possible
1. Who I am
10
2. Exams (1,2,3)
50
Exam #1_____
50
Exam #2_____
50
Exam #3_____
50
75 (50 presentation; 25
peer evaluation)
40
_____
Presentation _____
Group Peer _____
_____
25
_____
3. Self-Improvement Paper
4. Group Presentation
5. Class Participation
Skills Practice
6. Journals
Points Earned
_____
To calculate scores at any point in the semester do the following: divide your total by the points
possible up to that point. For example, if you receive 40 points for your paper; 35 points on your
first exam, and 45 on your group speech, then your total points would be 120 and the points
possible are 150; 120 \150 = 80%. Now, you may calculate your score at any point in the
semester.
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TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE
WEEK
Week 1: 2/23 –
Week 2: 3/2 –
Week 3: 3/9
Week 4: 3/16
Week 5: 3/23
Week 6: 3/30 Week 7: 4/6
Week 8: 4/13
Week 9: 4/20
Week 10: 4/27
TOPICS/ACTIVITIES/ASSIGNMENTS
Syllabus/Beliefs about Communication/Assign
presentations
Who am I Presentations due
Communication and the Self
Communication and the Self cont.
Perception and Communication
The World of Words
Gender Communication
World Beyond Words; assign group projects
READINGS
Chapter 1
Exam #1; Journals #1 due
Communication Climate
Communication Climate cont.; assign paper
Communicating Emotions
Midterm Week
Managing Conflict
SPRING BREAK: No Class
Chapter 6
Chapter 8
Week 12: 5/11
Exam # 2; Journals #2 due
Communication and Culture
Friendships
Group Meetings
Family Communication
Week 13: 5/18
Romantic Relationships/Paper due
Week 14: 5/25
Romantic Relationships cont.
Group Meetings
Group Presentations and Debriefing
Week 11: 5/4
Week 15: 6/1
Week 16: 6/8
Week 17: 6/15
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 7
Chapter 9
Notes
Chapter 10
Chapter 12
Chapter 11
Group Presentations and Debriefing; Exam
Review
Finals Week: Exam #3 - 6pm C 111
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