S Y L L A B U S : COMM 1210 (PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN
COMMUNICATION) FALL, 2006
PROFESSOR. Dr. Brian L. Danieli
Brian.Daniell@colorado.edu Campus phone 303-492-7488
OFFICE HOURS: HLMS 76 WF 12:30-1:45, and MW 3:15-4:15.
COMM 1210 INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF:
Wilfredo Alvarez
W ilfredo. Alvare z@colorado. edu
Lori Britt
Lori. Britt@color ado .e du
Merrit Dukehart
Merrit.Dukehart@colorado.edu
Stephen.Konieczka Stephen.Konieczka@colorado.edu
Nora Rogers
Nora.Rogers@colorado.edu
Jennifer Stradling
Jenmfer.Stradling@colorado.edu
COMMUNICATION WITH INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF:
Please communicate with COMM 1210 instructional staff either face-toface during class or office hours, or by means of e-mail.
REQUIRED TEXT.
Wood, J. (2006). Communication mosaics: An introduction to the field of
communication. Belmont CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Additional readings (journal articles, book chapters, etc.) will be assigned
in your recitation.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To become familiar with the broad range of research and theoretical
work carried out by communication scholars.
2. To understand the impact and effects of various forms of
communication in personal, institutional, and societal contexts.
3. To provide a foundation for critical examination of communication
practices in interpersonal, institutional, and societal/cultural contexts.
4. To prepare the student for advanced coursework as a major in the
Department of Communication at the University of Colorado at
Boulder.
COURSE CONTENT AND APPROACH:
COMM 1210 is an introductory overview course designed to impart
knowledge of the theoretical frameworks and focus of the modern field of
human communication. Any such course involves theories ("the ways by
which we understand communication") and practice ("what we do with
the understanding provided by our theories). Our course consists of both
lecture and recitation sessions. Lectures will present the various theories
and analytical frameworks communication scholars have developed to
describe or analyze various communication phenomena. Recitation
sessions will provide students with the opportunity to discuss and clarify
the theories and terminology as well as applying them to specific contexts,
problems, or issues. Note that our approach to communication in this
course is primarily descriptive and predictive rather than
prescriptive; in other words, we will concern ourselves with "how
things work" rather than "how things ought to be."
COURSE TOPICS AND SCHEDULE:
COMM 1210 follows the structure of the textbook (Communication Mosaics
Wood, 2006). Read the corresponding chapter in Wood prior to each
week's lectures and recitations.
WEEK 1 (Aug 28-Sep 1); Wood, Chapter 1. Course introduction and
general concepts of communication as a discipline.
WEEK 2 (Sep 6-8); Wood, Chapter 2. Communication
contemporary perspective.
in historical and
WEEK 3 (Sep 11-15); Wood, Chapter 3. Perceiving and understanding.
WEEK 4 (Sep 18-22), Wood, Chapter 4. Verbal communication.
WEEK 5 (Sep 25-29); Wood, Chapter 5. Nonverbal communication.
WEEK 6 (Oct 2-6); Wood, Chapter 6. Listening and responding.
Exam 1, Wednesday, October 4 (covers chapters 1-6)
WEEK 7 (Oct 9-13); Wood, Chapter 7. Communication
climates.
WEEK 8 (Oct 16-20), Wood, Chapter 8. Adapting communication
cultures and communities.
WEEK 9 (Oct 23-27); Wood, Chapter 9. Communication
to
and self-concept.
WEEK 10 (Oct 30-Nov 3), Wood, Chapter 10. Communication
relationships.
WEEK 11 (Nov 6-10); Wood, Chapter 11. Communication
teams.
in personal
in groups and
WEEK 12 (Nov 13-17); Wood, Chapter 12. Communication
organizations.
in
E x a m 2, Wednesday, November 15 (covers chapters 7-12)
WEEK 13 (Nov 20-24).
FALL BREAK, NO CLASSES.
WEEK 14 (Nov 27-Dec 1); Wood, Chapter 13. Public communication.
WEEK 15 (Dec 4-8); Wood, Chapter 14. Mass communication.
WEEK 16 (Dec 11-15), Wood, Chapter 15. Communication technologies.
Final cumulative exam will be held Mon. Dec 18. 4:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
GENERAL EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS:
RECITATIONS BEGIN THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASS! BE SURE TO
ATTEND TO AVOID BEING DROPPED FROM THE ROLL.
Recitation attendance: In addition to your inability to cope with
assignments and exams, absences will have a negative effect on the
participation component of your final grade. Experience shows
that missing lectures and/or recitations is the best way to lower your
exam scores. Students will be allowed t w o u n e x c u s e d absences,
after which each additional un-excused recitation absence will
result in a 10% reduction in the final score for the class (in other
words, 60 points, or one full grade).
Deadlines and Make-up Exams. Papers will be turned in on the day
they are due at the beginning of class. Make-up exams will be allowed
only under extraordinary circumstances (see below).
Participation in Recitation: All students are expected to participate in
and contribute to class discussions. The quality of your course
experience depends in large part on your participation in and
contributions to recitations. You are expected to arrive at class having
done the assigned reading, with questions and observations in mind,
with curiosity, and with enthusiasm for discussion. Remember:
Attendance and participation are not the same thing.
Recitation Participation/Activities: Your participation in recitation
and completion of recitation-based activities will also contribute to your
final grade for the course. Your graduate instructor will evaluate the
degree to which you are actively engaged in discussion and activities in
the recitation sections. Completing small written or group activities in
recitations will also be a component of the participation grade.
Recitation instructors will provide a "participation syllabus" in recitation
the first week of class that provides more information on their
expectations for you and how this component of the grade will be
derived.
Format of assignments submitted for evaluation: Hand-written
submissions will not be read. E-mail submissions will not be
downloaded or accepted. All submitted assignments must be typed
double-spaced on white 8.5 by 11 inch paper. Follow the APA format
when references are used. NOTE! Your grades will suffer in the
event of problems with grammar, punctuation, and/or spelling.
Academic ethics and appropriate behavior: The University of
Colorado has an honor code
(http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/) as well as a
university policy concerning appropriate classroom behavior
(http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html.
•
Every student should be familiar with university policies concerning
classroom behavior as well as the general set of ethical guidelines
underlying all scholarly work.
•
As are all professional scholars, you are responsible for providing
citations and references for every assertion in your work that you did
not originate. The representation of the work, words, or concepts of
others as your own will result in a grade of F for the assignment as
well as a formal complaint to the University Honor Code Council.
•
All incidents of cheating will be formally r e p o r t e d to t h e
University Honor Code Council. C h e a t i n g is a serious offense;
being found guilty of cheating will r e s u l t in extremely serious
consequences for your academic career at t h e University of
Colorado.
•
S t u d e n t s will r e f r a i n from engaging in disruptive or
i n a p p r o p r i a t e behavior in lectures a n d recitations (this includes
t a l k i n g a t i n a p p r o p r i a t e times, t a l k i n g or text m e s s a g i n g on your
cell phone, sleeping, r e a d i n g t h e newspaper, etc.).
COMM 1210 EXAMS AND ASSIGNMENTS:
I. Exams. There will be three objective-format exams (multiple-choice,
true-false items). The first two exams will be limited to specific sections
of the reading, lecture and research material. The final exam will be
cumulative. NOTE: In no case will you be allowed to make up an exam
without a compelling and documented reason.
Make-up exams will be given only if
a) The student was required to attend an officially sanctioned athletic
event as a participant.
b) In cases of documented illness.
c) A documented family emergency.
d) In the case of religious observance.
e) Where student has legal obligations (e.g., court appearances).
Please note that "food poisoning" the night before an exam or the day a paper
is due is not included in the above list.
II. Assignments. Three assignments will be completed. Specific guidelines for
each written assignment will be provided separately. Late papers will
not be accepted; a grade of zero will be given where papers are not
submitted on time. Students who anticipate missing class on paperdue dates are advised to turn their work in prior to the due date in
hard-copy form. E-mail submissions will not be accepted.
III. Participation. Participation points reflect the instructor's assessment of
your contribution to the recitation discussion and activities and your
performance on recitation assignments. See Attendance and Participation
(above) as well as your recitation instructor's specific syllabus.
ACCOMMODATION FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:
If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require
special accommodations, please let me know early in the semester so that
your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide
documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office in room 331,
Willard Administrative Center. We will require this documentation in order
to respond to your request.
ACCOMMODATION FOR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE:
Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make
every effort to reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, because of
religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or
required attendance. This instructor will conform to this policy. See full
details at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html
FINAL GRADES: Your final grade will be derived as follows:
Assignment #1
50 points
Exam #1
100
Assignment #2
50
Exam #2
100
Assignment # 3
50
Final exam
150
Recitation activities (readings,
Participation in discussions, etc. 100
Total possible points =
600
Grades will be differentiated on 10% increments (A=90-100% of total
points, B=80-89%, C-70-79%, D=60-69%, and F=59% or lower). Plus and
minus grades will be assigned where appropriate (e.g., below 72.5%=C-;above 77.5%=C+).
HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN COMM 1210:
Many students assume that because it is an introductory course, COMM
1210 is therefore an easy course. Proceeding on this assumption, they then
make the mistakes common to students who are unsuccessful in any
course: They miss lectures, fail to do assigned readings, keep unorganized
notes, put minimal effort into assignments, and wait until the night before
to study for exams. They are then shocked by their resulting grades. Here
are a few tips for avoiding such tragic outcomes.
1. Assume COMM 1210 is a hard course. It can be if you don't. . .
2. Attend lecture regularly. Exam questions are almost always
derived from material covered in lecture.
3. Organize your notes after every lecture. Type them out if your
handwriting is difficult for (even) you to read.
4. Study a little every night. Regular exposure increases retention.
5. Read the textbook! Assume that we will test you on concepts it
contains (and we will).
6. Study with others. If you cannot articulate a concept, you don't
understand it. Talking a thing through is the key to understanding.
7. Ask questions in recitation. Help the teaching staff help you.
That's why they are there.
Dr. D's (INFAMOUS^ PHILOSOPHY REGARDING GRADES:
F is a very bad grade. It means you failed to demonstrate sufficient
mastery of the material to pass the course.
D is also a bad grade, but you at least passed the course, although with
some work missing or significantly worse than average performance.
D's, like F's, often have unpleasant consequences (academic probation,
delayed graduation, or failure to enter the Communication program as
a major). Please know that we will not (and, ethically, cannot) be
influenced by these unfortunate but preventable effects on your
academic career.
С is a good grade. It means that you passed. You met all of the
expectations for students noted in this syllabus, and you did all of the
required work at a level of competence that was comparable to most of
the others in the class.
В is a very good grade. It means you did all of the required work and
performed in class at a level that was noticeably and demonstrably
superior to many of your classmates.
A is an extremely good grade. "A" means that your work and
performance were consistently better than that of nearly everyone else
in the class. Many people today seem to confuse the criteria for A's
with the criteria for C's. But if "A" means that you merely did what
you were asked to do, it is no different than "C," and it therefore means
nothing at all, to you or anyone else. Call us old-fashioned, call us
hard-nosed, but don't call us to wail about the A you didn't get unless
you have an extremely good case.
These assumptions also hold for individual assignments.
Please note t h a t we do not grade on a pre-determined curve. Our
assumption is simply that the performance of most students will be
similar on any given assignment or exam, and that it is therefore our job
to make careful distinctions to determine which performances are
significantly different (that is, better or worse) from the average.