Interpersonal Communications
CMST 102
Theory and practice of interpersonal communication; understanding self and others while working to improve
effective communication in one-on-one interactions. Formerly SPCH 102.
3 Credits
Instructor: Cooke
Required Text: Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters, 6th Edition, Wood, Julia (Wadsworth:
2010)
Intended Learning Outcomes
□ Illustrate the value of effective interpersonal skills – discover, practice and improve those skills.
□ Learn more about who we are and who we are becoming, our worldviews, our behaviors and blind
spots, and our potentialities, and to be able to continue this learning throughout our lives.
□ Become proficient at applying the conventions/vocabulary (interpersonal coursework) required for a
communication studies major.
□ Be able to demonstrate a range of effective interpersonal skills to establish positive rapport and
manage conflict with friends, colleagues, romantic relationships and familial relationships.
□ Develop and improve the ability to listen well and communicate effectively during professional
interactions and handle personal and business relationships in an honest, objective and
compassionate matter.
□ Be able to recognize when communication skills are limiting and know how and where to seek
information to continually enhance our communication effectiveness.
□ Be able to identify how to seek out, critically evaluate and appropriately use new knowledge.
□ Become better able to apply effective communication to develop fulfilling and satisfying
relationships.
Course Topics
□ Intrapersonal communication and self-awareness
□ Critical thinking and interpersonal interactions (managing emotions)
□ Understanding external influences on communication
□ Self-disclosure
□ Listening skills and responding skills
□ Perception
□ Emotions
□ Nonverbal communication
□ Verbal expression
□ Communication skill building for professional settings (example: health care)
□ Navigating communication barriers
□ Building trust
□ Relationships (friends, colleagues, romantic relationships, familial relationships)
□ Conflict management
Participation
Attendance
Assignments (daily)
Assignments (ongoing)
Special Activities
100 pts
150 pts (5 points per hour of attendance)
100 pts
150 pts
200 pts
Total
700 pts
DETAILED SCHEDULE (subject to revision – please pay attention to this schedule and to in-class
announcements regarding amendments/changes)
Friday, January 10th


Course Introduction
o Expectations, books, syllabus
o What this course is, and what it is not
o Larry Crowne, for a discussion thereof
Establishing the general framework for classroom debate – ground rules, etc…
→ Assignments, due next class session
 Chapter 1 – First Look
□ For Further Thought and Discussion: 3
□ Assess Your Learning: all
 Chapter 2 – Personal Identity
□ Everyday Applications: 1-3
□ For Further Thought and Discussion: 5
□ Assess Your Learning: all
Friday, January 17th
CHAPTER 1 – FIRST LOOK and CHAPTER 2 – PERSONAL IDENTITY
 Chapter 1 and 2 assignments from Friday, January 10th are due
→ Assignments, due next class session
 Chapter 3 – Perception
□ Everyday Applications: 2 and 4
□ For Further Thought and Discussion: 3
□ Assess Your Learning: all
→ Continuing assignments, due March 7th, 2014
□ Chapter 1 - Everyday Applications: 1 and 3 combined
□ Chapter 2 – For Further Thought and Discussion: 1
□ Chapter 2 – Engage Ideas, p 61
Friday, January 24th
CHAPTER 3 – PERCEPTION
 Chapter 3 assignments from Friday, January 17th are due
→ Assignments, due next class session
 Chapter 4 – Words
□ Interpersonal Communication Activity
□ For Further Thought and Discussion: 2
□ Assess Your Learning: all
→ Continuing assignments, due 3/7/2014
□ Chapter 1 - Everyday Applications: 1 and 3 combined
□ Chapter 2 – For Further Thought and Discussion: 1
□ Chapter 2 – Engage Ideas, p 61
□ Mission Vision Value statement
□ Case Study, page 217
Friday, January 31st
CHAPTER 4 - WORDS
 Chapter 4 assignments from Friday, January24th are due
→ Assignments, due next class session
 Chapter 5 – Beyond Words
□ Everyday Applications: 1
□ Assess Your Learning: all
→ Continuing assignments
□ Chapter 1 - Everyday Applications: 1 and 3 combined
□ Chapter 2 – For Further Thought and Discussion: 1
□ Chapter 2 – Engage Ideas, p 61
□ Mission Vision Value statement
□ Case Study, page 217
Friday, February 7th
CHAPTER 5 – BEYOND WORDS
 Chapter 5 assignments from Friday, January 31st are due
→ Assignments, due next class session
 Chapter 6 – Listening
 Everyday Applications: 1
 For Further Thought and Discussion: 3
 Assess Your Learning
→ Continuing assignments
□ Chapter 1 - Everyday Applications: 1 and 3 combined
□ Chapter 2 – For Further Thought and Discussion: 1
□ Chapter 2 – Engage Ideas, p 61
□ Mission Vision Value statement
□ Case Study, page 217
Friday, February 14th
CHAPTER 6 – LISTENING
 Chapter 6 assignments from Friday, February 7th are due
→ Assignments, due next class session
 Chapter 7 – Emotions
 Everyday Applications: 1
 For Further Thought and Discussion: 4
 Assess Your Learning
→ Continuing assignments
□ Chapter 1 - Everyday Applications: 1 and 3 combined
□ Chapter 2 – For Further Thought and Discussion: 1
□ Chapter 2 – Engage Ideas, p 61
□ Mission Vision Value statement
□ Case Study, page 217
Friday, February 21st
CHAPTER 7 - EMOTIONS
 Chapter 7 assignments from Friday, February 14th are due
→ Assignments, due next class session
 Chapter 8 – Personal Relationships
□ Everyday Applications: 4
□ For Further Thought and Discussion: 1, 3, 4 and 6
□ Assess Your Learning: all
→ Continuing assignments
□ Chapter 1 - Everyday Applications: 1 and 3 combined
□ Chapter 2 – For Further Thought and Discussion: 1
□ Chapter 2 – Engage Ideas, p 61
□ Mission Vision Value statement
□ Case Study, page 217
Friday, February 28th
CHAPTER 8 – PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
 Chapter 8 assignments from Friday, February 21st are due
→ Assignments, due next class session
 Chapter 9 – Conflicts
□ Everyday Applications: 4
□ For Further Thought and Discussion: 2, 4
□ Assess Your Learning: all
→ Continuing assignments
□ Chapter 1 - Everyday Applications: 1 and 3 combined
□ Chapter 2 – For Further Thought and Discussion: 1
□ Chapter 2 – Engage Ideas, p 61
□ Mission Vision Value statement
□ Case Study, page 217
Friday, March 7th
CHAPTER 9 - CONFLICT
 Chapter 9 assignments from Friday, February 28th are due
→ Assignments, due next class session
 Chapter 10 – Friendships
□ Everyday Applications: 4
□ Assess Your Learning: all
 Chapter 11 – Committed Relationships
□ Everyday Applications: 2
□ For Further Thought and Discussion: 5
□ Assess Your Learning: all
 Chapter 12 – Families
 Everyday Applications: 1
 For Further Thought and Discussion: 1, 2, 3, 5
□ Assess Your Learning: all
→ Continuing assignments due
Friday, March 14th
CHAPTER 10 – FRIENDSHIPS
CHAPTER 11 – COMMITTED RELATIONSHIPS
CHAPTER 12 - FAMILIES
 Chapter 10-12 assignments from Friday, March 7th are due
 Instructor returns continuing assignments
Percent to Letter Grade Conversion Chart
Grade
Min. Percent
A
93.50 –
A88.50 B+
85.50 B
80.50 B77.50 C+
74.50 C
69.50 C66.50 D+
63.50 D
58.50 Anything below a D is a failing grade
100.00 +
93.49
88.49
85.49
80.49
77.49
74.49
69.49
66.49
63.49
LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE for PARTICIPATION
0-20
21-40
41-60
61-80
91-100
Student can not demonstrate
basic understanding of the
subject.
Student shows some
understanding of the topic,
but at minimum level of
competency.
Student meets assignment
expectations.
Student presents a clear,
specific understanding of the
material.
Student presents a clear,
specific understanding of the
material.
All notes, assignments, test,
work place records and labs
required are completed on
time, are extremely well
organized and questions are
answered accurately.
High interest led the student
to reach beyond the basic
requirements. Student has
read related materials and
has used many sources of
information for reports
and/or experiments. The
student has used his/her new
knowledge when
participating in all oral
discussions, assignments and
written work. Student makes
connections between
classroom and real-world
settings.
High interest and
commitment leads the
student to an investigation
that reaches beyond
requirements. All notes,
assignments, tests, workplace
records and labs required are
completed on time, are very
well organized and questions
are answered accurately. The
student has used more
resources than required and
demonstrates new knowledge
both orally and in written
work and uses this
knowledge in his/her
assignments and oral
participation. New
knowledge is evident when
student shows connections
between classroom and reallife relationships.
Student notes, tests, labs,
work place records, class
participation, debates and
assignments are clearly
organized, carefully done,
and often go beyond teacher
expectations.
Notes, tests, assignments,
work-based learning and labs
lack neatness, organization,
detail and evidence of
understanding. Work does
not meet requirements. Parts
are missing. Participation is
weak, or student is often not
participating. Labs, tests,
class participation, and
assignments are poorly done
and fall well behind the
standard level of
achievement. Overall, the
student has failed to grasp
concepts covered.
The student demonstrates
new knowledge learned in
Assignments, notes and labs oral participation and/or
are occasionally incomplete
written tasks. The work is
and could be organized
well organized and complete.
better. Some resources have
The student understood the
been used, but it is not clear
assignments. He/she used the
what the student understood. resources required and
Some of the information
organized information in all
included by the student was
notes, assignments, tests,
not important to the topic.
work place records, debates
Student does most of what is and labs. All notes,
required, but nothing more.
assignments and labs are
Some of the work may not be complete, carefully done and
finished. Tasks are not
the student meets just above
carefully done and the
the minimum requirements
information from the
and expectations.
resources is not used.
CMST 102 – Cooke
Final project packet – Due 9/10/2012
Name______________________________________________________
Interpersonal Communication Activity
Scenario 1
It is a hot summer day and you are summoned to a field located several miles from the city center. You
survey the scene.
A frozen corpse lies in the freshly tilled field. The deceased is dressed fairly normally: jeans, boots, a light
summer jacket. There are no footprints anywhere around the body. The closest marks are tire tracks from a
tractor that is parked more than 50 yards away. A farmer, who had been working in the adjacent field all day,
said he had not seen anyone or anything unusual.
How did the person die and turn up frozen in an open field?
Interpersonal Communication Activity
Scenario 2
You were recently hired by a major corporation, a company you have been wanting to work for. It’s not
your dream job, but the possibility for advancement and the decent paycheck are wonderful. Your family is
excited about your prospects. It looks and feels as if you are in the right place and on the right track.
You are starting out in the collections department, sharing a cubicle and computer station with another
person who works 6am – 2pm. You work 2pm – 11pm, so your paths rarely cross. She’s usually gone when
you get there. You have met her several times at company meetings and lunches. She seems nice enough.
The company purports to value teamwork and cooperation above all else. When you first started your job,
your boss (also you co-worker’s boss) got you started on the computer, gave you access to files on a shared
drive, set up your own drive where you could save your files and basically got you started. You’ve found the
files on the shared drive to be a life-saver, since that was one less thing you had to figure out on your own,
and you’ve used them a lot. You have not yet taken the time to copy the ones you need over to your own
folders. You’ve been working for several weeks now, when you get this e-mail from you co-worker:
Dear_____________,
I’ve been meaning to talk to you, but never get the chance to. I’ve changed the password on my shared
drive. Some of the files were corrupted and missing, and I had a long talk with our boss and he said that
changing the password was probably the best thing to do. Hopefully I’ll get to talk to you tomorrow.
C.W.
How would you respond to this? Also, discuss the rationale behind your response.
CMST 102 – Cooke
Final project packet – Due 9/10/2012
Name______________________________________________________
Interpersonal Communication Activity
Chapter 1 – Values
CHAPTER 1 – Value Assessment (initial, in preparation for mission statement work)
1. We all have both gifts and shadows. It’s part of being human. Some of our traits are learned,
some are inherent (our human nature.) There’s lots of controversy around what kinds of
behaviors and traits we are simply born with and what kinds of traits and behaviors we learn
from our parents, siblings, friends and acquaintances. But any parent can tell you, and give you
endless examples of, ways that their children have mimicked their behaviors, attitudes and
actions. Think about and write down one of your positive traits that you want to (or are) passing
on to your children, through your actions, attitudes and behaviors:
a.
b. How do you do this?
2. List two of the most important and influential people in your life, and list two words to describe
each of them
a. First Person
CMST 102 – Cooke
Final project packet – Due 9/10/2012
Name______________________________________________________
i. Word 1
ii. Word 2
b. Second Person
i. Word 1
ii. Word 2
3. Describe your spirituality, not what you believe so much as what you feel in your heart to be true
about the Universe. Rather than approaching this question from a religious standpoint, i.e. Christ
is the Savior, or Mohammad is the Prophet, both of which are valid beliefs, approach it from the
standpoint of the basic religious teachings, specifically those that apply to interactions with
others and with yourself.
a.
4. List one thing for which you would be willing to risk your life
a.
5. List two qualities you look for in a life partner
CMST 102 – Cooke
Final project packet – Due 9/10/2012
Name______________________________________________________
a.
b.
6. Describe yourself in one word or short phrase
a.
7. If you could only achieve one thing by the end of your life, what would it be?
a.
b. And why? For instance, start this with the phrase “so that…”
8. List two short rules in life that you think everyone should follow
a.
b.
9. Think of the person you admire the most
CMST 102 – Cooke
Final project packet – Due 9/10/2012
Name______________________________________________________
a.
b. Why do you admire that person so much? What traits would you love to have?
CMST 102 – Cooke
Final project packet – Due 9/10/2012
Name______________________________________________________
Interpersonal Communication Activity
Chapter 4-Language
Responsible Language
The purpose of this activity is to rewrite evaluative statements into descriptive statements. Rewrite each
evaluative “you” language statement into a descriptive “I” language statement. Use all four elements of the
complete “I” statement:
Describe the other person’s behavior
Give your interpretation of the behavior
Describe your feelings
Give the consequences that the other person’s behavior has for you be careful to
Use specific, low level abstractions
Take the responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings (don’t say, “I feel you’re…”)
Avoid loaded terms like “It seems as if…”, “You wouldn’t even…”, or “you could at least”.
Also avoid absolutes like always, never, finally, etc.
Prepare your responses and be prepared to share with the class.
1) “You ruined my day.”
Behavior: __________________________________________________________________
Interpretation: _______________________________________________________________
Feeling: ___________________________________________________________________
Consequences: ______________________________________________________________
2) “You clearly can’t be trusted.”
Behavior: __________________________________________________________________
Interpretation: _______________________________________________________________
Feeling: ___________________________________________________________________
Consequences: ______________________________________________________________
3) “Stop trying to control my life.”
Behavior: __________________________________________________________________
Interpretation: _______________________________________________________________
Feeling: ___________________________________________________________________
Consequences: ______________________________________________________________
4) “You don’t ever trust me.”
Behavior: __________________________________________________________________
Interpretation: _______________________________________________________________
CMST 102 – Cooke
Final project packet – Due 9/10/2012
Name______________________________________________________
Feeling: ___________________________________________________________________
Consequences: ______________________________________________________________
5) “You’re so full of yourself.”
Behavior: __________________________________________________________________
Interpretation: _______________________________________________________________
Feeling: ___________________________________________________________________
Consequences: ______________________________________________________________
6) “You have a bad attitude.”
Behavior: __________________________________________________________________
Interpretation: _______________________________________________________________
Feeling: ___________________________________________________________________
Consequences: ______________________________________________________________
Record your own “you” language statement here:
“________________________________________________________________________.” Rewrite it using
an “I” language statement.
Behavior: __________________________________________________________________
Interpretation: _______________________________________________________________
Feeling: ___________________________________________________________________
Consequences: ______________________________________________________________