Argosy University
COURSE SYLLABUS
PSY180
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Faculty Information
Faculty Name: Daniel Friedman
Campus:
Contact Information:
Office Hours:
Short Faculty Bio:
Course description: This course examines the theories and skills essential to interpersonal effectiveness across a variety of
relationships. Students will learn to apply these theories and skills to everyday interaction, explore how interpersonal effectiveness can
help them achieve personal and professional goals, and design a plan for further development of interpersonal effectiveness skills
during their academic program. Topics include effective communication, identity and impression formation, perception, cultural
influences on interpersonal interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, listening and feedback, relationship development, social
influence, communication technologies, conflict, group interaction, and ethical conduct.
Course Pre-requisites: None
Required Textbook:
Adler, R. B., Rosenfeld, L. B., & Proctor II, R. F. (2007). Interplay: The process of interpersonal communication. 10th Ed., Oxford
University Press. ISBN: 9780195309928
Course length: 7.5 Weeks
Contact Hours: 45 Hours
Credit Value: 3.0
Program Outcomes & Assessment Key:
Key: I=Introduced
R=Reinforced
A=Applied
1. Student has demonstrated ability to acquire, evaluate, apply and communicate information by using efficient research methods,
both traditional and electronic, I, A
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1.1. Reading for comprehension, analysis and evaluation, A
1.2. Using information to support their ideas and their purposes, A
1.3. Communicating to specific audiences, both orally and through writing, information they have gathered, A
2 Student has demonstrated ability to employ analytical skills and to solve problems by
2.2 Analyzing a problem and providing a solution or an accurate commentary, R, A
2.3 Recognizing and articulating ethical situations and developing responsible solutions, I, R
4. Student has demonstrated knowledge of diversity in human culture and behavior by
4.1 Applying interpersonal skills in problematical situations, I, A
4.2 Recognizing other viewpoints and working well in groups, I, R, A
4.3 Appreciating and accepting diversity in the classroom, I, R
Course Objectives:
1. Define and explain the tenets of interpersonal effectiveness.
2. Incorporate ethical principles into decision making when interacting with others.
3. Explain the influences on and the process of identity development.
4. Describe the influence of perception on interpersonal communications.
5. Apply effective interaction to improve relationships.
6. Apply effective nonverbal interaction strategies.
7. Apply strategies for soliciting and providing effective feedback.
8. Examine individuals’ cultural values and the influences of those values on communication interactions to inform decision making
in interactions with others.
9. Examine the effectiveness of communication strategies for providing social support.
10. Apply effective strategies for gaining compliance.
11. Explain the process of consensus building and delineate effective strategies for gaining consensus.
12. Describe the effectiveness of conflict strategies for specific interactions.
13. Select the appropriate communication approach for individual communication interactions.
14. Explain the effectiveness and appropriateness of various communication choices.
Assignment Table
Topics
1
Defining and Understanding
Interpersonal Effectiveness
 The Role of Interpersonal
Communication
 Ethical Conduct
o Defining Ethics
Readings
Assignments
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2
3
o Authentic Communication
 Interpersonal Competence
o Communication Goals
o Appropriateness and
Effectiveness
 Introduction to Cultural Competence
o Defining Culture
o Cultural Values
o Barriers to Cultural Diversity
 Conducting the 180 Self-Assessment
Understanding Yourself
 Developing Self-awareness and a
Positive Self-concept
o Identity Development and Selfconcept
o Impression Formation
o Interpreting the 180 External
and Self-Assessment
 Perception and Interpersonal
Effectiveness
o Selection, Organization and
Interpretation
o Influences on Perception
-Cultural Influences
-Individual Influences
 Perspective-taking
Interpersonal Communication that
Works
 Verbal Communication
o
How Words Work
o
Conversational Rules
o
Ethics of Language Use
 Nonverbal Communication
o Nonverbal codes
o Functions of Nonverbal
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4
5
Communication
o Interpreting Verbal and
Nonverbal Communication
 Cultural Influences on Verbal and
Nonverbal Communication
Starting and Developing Relationships
 Models of Relationship Development
 Relationship Development Skills
o Initiating Interaction
o Self-disclosure
o Affinity Seeking
 Maintaining Relationships
o Relationship Maintenance
Strategies
o Managing Relationship
Dialectics
o Ethics in Personal and
Professional Relationships
 Relational Development Across
Cultures
Responding Effectively to Others
 Listening and Feedback
o Listening Styles
o Barriers to listening
o Feedback
o Ethical Responsibilities of
Listeners
 Influencing and Being Influenced by
Others
o Compliance-gaining Strategies
o Influences on Strategy Choice
o Resisting Social Influence
 Social Influencing and Listening
Across Cultures
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6
7
8
Successfully Managing the Challenges
of Relationships
 Understanding and Regulating
Emotional Experience
o Components of Emotional
Experience
o Expressing Positive and
Negative Emotions
Effectively
o Providing Social Support
 Managing Conflict Constructively
o Conflict as a Processes
o Conflict Styles & Strategies
o Negotiation Strategies
 Cultural Variability in Emotional
Expression and Conflict Management
Interpersonal Effectiveness in Context
 Interpersonal Effectiveness in Teams
o Communication Roles in
Groups
o Decision-making and
Consensus Building
o Teambuilding
 Interpersonal Effectiveness in
Mediated Contexts
o Face-to-Face versus Mediated
Communication
o Media Richness
 Advantages & Disadvantages of
Mediated Communication
Finalizing Development Plan for
Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
(Learning Contract)
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Grading Criteria
Grading Scale
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
100 – 93
92 – 90
89 – 88
87 – 83
82 – 80
79 – 78
77 - 73
72 – 70
69 – 68
67 – 63
62 – 60
59 and below
Grading requirements
Attendance/participation 125
Weekly Assignments
150
Final paper
125
Midterm Exam
50
nd
2 Exam
50
Total Points
500
25%
30%
25%
10%
10%
100%
Library
All resources in Argosy University’s online collection are available through the Internet. The campus librarian will provide students
with links, user IDs, and passwords.
Library Resources: Argosy University’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text journals and 23,000 electronic books
and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers,
Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. Many titles are
directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at http://library.argosyu.edu. Detailed descriptions of online resources
are located at http://library.argosyu.edu/misc/onlinedblist.html.
In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials
searchable in the Online Public Access Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively,
students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference
assistance from campus librarians.
Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and
transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level
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research, search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and
practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate
feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at http://library.argosyu.edu/infolit/
Academic Policies
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University
requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be
documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please
refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format.
Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult
the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.
Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and
ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources.
You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” (www.turnitin.com), an online resource established to help
educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to
billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common
information and duplicative language.
Americans with Disabilities Act Policy
It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director
of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be
provided to the student upon request.
Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing
via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her
discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the
accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been
approved in this manner.
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The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity
Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the
academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential
to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
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