Pasadena City College, SPRING 2016.
SPCH 10: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
SPCH 10 (32331). Wednesday 7:00—10:10 pm, Room V 208
Instructor: Mariusz Ozminkowski, Ph.D. (626) 799-5834
Email: mxozminkowski@pasadena.edu
Website: www.ozminkowski.com/interpersonal.html
Office hours in Building CA 312 (or our classroom if available):
Wednesdays between 6 and 7PM on the following days: 01/20, 03/30
Thursdays between 5:15 and 6:15PM on the following days: 01/28, 02/4, 02/25, 03/17, 4/7, 4/21
The Course Catalog Description: Principles and practices in communication and communication theories.
Intrapersonal, interpersonal and small group communication. Non-verbal communication, perceptioninformation processing, attitude change and semantics.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will be able to appraise the role of the self in communication.
2. Students will be able to recognize, compare and contrast interpersonal communication concepts.
3. Students will be able to employ problem solving and conflict management skills.
4. Students will be able to demonstrate active listening.
Student Performance Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to....
1. Demonstrate, through class discussion, knowledge of how he or she interacts with his or her
environment.
2. Compare the theories of interpersonal communication to other modes of public speaking.
3. Employ communication concepts in one-on-one and small group communication.
4. Demonstrate problem solving and conflict resolution through role playing.
5. Demonstrate increased perception of verbal and nonverbal messages that are common in the work
world by reporting outside experiences.
6. Analyze ability of fellow students as sender and receiver of verbal and nonverbal messages in written
critiques.
7. Demonstrate more critical listening ability through small group discussion.
8. Evaluate the intervening variables (semantics, attitudes, etc.) that cause communication breakdowns to
occur.
9. Demonstrate methods to ameliorate communication breakdowns through role playing.
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
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ASSIGNMENTS. During the semester you will complete the following assignments:
PERSONAL INTRODUCTION (10 points).
I would like you to begin this course with a brief introduction. There are many ways to approach
this assignment. One suggestion is to introduce yourself by referring to the day or month or year of your
birth. True, there may not be a direct connection between you and that day/year, but with some imagination you
can “find” that connection. To prepare for this speech, you should read through a newspaper from the day you
were born or a magazine such as Time or Newsweek from the week you were born. You should then select an
item - article, photograph, editorial, etc. - from that newspaper/ magazine that relates to your life in some
meaningful way. Use that item as a point of departure for explaining your personality, background, beliefs, or
aspirations.
Another approach 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.
Still another one, based on the same principle as the previous two, 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. Once there, we cannot help but
observe ourselves as we are observed by others…”
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.
It should help you see that an academic field is an arena of wonder, inquiry, and controversy rather than simply a
new body of information. It should also bring your attention to practical applications of the course.
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. Do not tell how you would have written
the book, but tell instead how the author wrote it. 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.
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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
instance of interpersonal relationship conflict, 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 conflicts in interpersonal
relationships (in a workplace, school, marriage, family, romantic relationship, etc.). For your project you will need
to select one of them. The situation (the conflict) does not have to be an actual situation that you have
experienced or observed, but it should describe or hypothesize about something that possibly anyone could
experience or encounter at one point or another in person’s life. Use your own experience, observations, film,
literature, drama, etc. Still, avoid simplistic situations that could be interesting and funny, but are nothing more
than “comedy of misunderstandings.” You could also find a general problem that could be illustrated by several
sources (experiences of all members of the group, several different novels or plays, or combination of these
sources). Further, to understand the conflict, you should be able to learn more about it not only by observing
the situation, conducting an interview, etc., but also by reading about it in variety of sources (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. Detailed description of the situation/conflict (approximately 1-2 pages);
2. Description and explanation of any necessary background and related issues (the length of this section
will depend on the case you have chosen);
3. Identification of the causes of the conflict (the factors contributing to the conflict). In other words, why
people involved in this particular situation behave the way they do? Or, to put it differently: what makes
them do what they do? (2-3 pages)
4. Critical assessment of the causes of the conflict / factors contributing to either the success or failure of
the relationship. Which of the factors is/are the most important. In this section you could also comment
on possible solutions to the problem you are describing. How the problem could have been prevented
and what can be done now when the problem have already occurred? (approximately 2-4 pages);
5. 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 (library research).
C. Project Summary (handout). ½ page, single-spaced project summary or abstract to be distributed in class
on the day of the presentation.
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.
Group work organization
Each group will assign a secretary who will be responsible for keeping a record of each group meeting and
turning in a brief report after each meeting (a couple of paragraphs) to be emailed to me.
The report will include the following: Attendance, Action taken, Assignments made, Assignments completed
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.
GRADING: 91-100% = A; 81-90% = B; 71-80% = C; 61-70% = D; 60% and below = F.
ATTENDANCE / PARTICIPATION. This is a skills-based course and your attendance and participation is of
utmost importance. Therefore, it is expected that you will attend each class and remain for the entire class
period (especially during speeches and debates). Absences do not excuse you from assignments due on the
dates of an absence. Please, remember: You are responsible for meeting all the deadlines for withdrawing from
the course (without a record or with “W”).
NOTE: To avoid disruption of lectures, discussions, or exams, cell phones must be turned off (or put in
‘silent mode’) before you enter the classroom, and may not be used there at any time while class or an exam is
going on.
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Late Assignments All assignments should be submitted in class, at the beginning of class, on their scheduled
due dates. Assignments that are submitted one class meeting late will be docked one letter grade. Assignments
that are submitted two class meetings late will be accepted for half-credit.
Writing Style. All written assignments should be typed, double-spaced and carefully proofread for
grammatical, typographical, and spelling errors. You will be graded on the quality of your writing as well as on
the content or substance of your ideas. A complete reference must be provided whenever you refer to the ideas,
words, statistics, or other information from a published source. You may use any Manual of Style as long as you
are consistent. The typical methods are APA, MLA, or Chicago.
COURSE OUTLINE:
week
Lecture/Discussion Topics. Reading Assignments.
1
W 1/13
Introduction to the Course. Interpersonal Process (chapter 1).
2
W 1/20
Universals of Interpersonal Communication cont. Personal Introductions
3
W 1/27
Culture (chapter 2).
4
W 2/3
The Self and Perception (3, 4).
5
W 2/10
Language and Nonverbal Messages (5, 6)
6
W 2/17
Listening (7),
7
W/24
Emotions (8)
8
W 3/2
Review for the Midterm Examination. Chapters 1-8.
W 3/9
SPRING BREAK
9
W 3/16
Midterm Examination is Today. Chapters 1-8.
Preparation for the term paper.
Dynamics of Interpersonal Relationships (9).
10
W 3/23
Communication Climate (10).
11
W 3/30
Friendship, Love, Family (12)
12
W 4/6
Conflict (11)
13
W 4/13
Power in Interpersonal Relationships
14
W 4/20
Term paper presentations.
15
W 4/27
Review for the Final.
16
W 5/4
FINAL EXAMINATION Chapters 9-12.
Term paper is due today.
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