COMM 120: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication
Introduction
Welcome to COMM 120, Introduction to Interpersonal Communication. This course will focus on the
communication that occurs in our interpersonal interactions. The course will cover both verbal and
non‐verbal communication and will include elements of intercultural communication throughout. We
will seek to understand interpersonal communication from a variety of perspectives. You will be
exposed to various topics and contexts related to interpersonal communication and will study this
material through readings, discussions, and activities.
It is my hope that this class will provide insights and information that will help you more effectively
analyze your interpersonal skills and relationships, and improve your communication in those
relationships.
Course Objectives
COMM 120 is designed to help you develop both your skills in and understanding of interpersonal
communication. Through this course you will:
gain a better understanding of basic communication processes and elements
practice and improve your interpersonal communication skills through class activities and
discussion
become more aware of your own interpersonal communication behaviors and their effects on
your interpersonal relationships.
Required Textbook
See course description for an up‐to‐date list of materials.
Assignments and Exams
The assignments in this class are broken up into three categories:
discussion forum participation
papers
exams.
Discussion Forum
Most weeks of the semester, you will be required to post on the discussion forum. You will read a
chapter, review the lesson notes, and then respond to one or two questions. By midnight on the
second day of each lesson, you will answer the discussion question(s) provided in an original post. By
6 pm on the last day of each lesson you will respond to at least one other student’s original post.
There are twelve lessons during which you will be expected to make these posts.
Original posts should be approximately one paragraph and should be carefully written and edited.
They should reflect reading and comprehension of that week’s reading, and they should answer all
parts of the question. Responses should address the content of the original post and should also
reflect an understanding and engagement with the course material. Making a connection to another
concept, sharing a similar example in a way that extends the original poster’s idea, or offering advice
that is based in course content are all acceptable replies. Simply saying that you like or do not like a
post or only telling a similar story does not meet the requirement. Do your best, and feel free to ask
me if you are unsure if your posts meet the requirements. I will also be active on the discussion
forums and will pose questions and offer information to help guide your thinking.
Papers
Over the course of the semester you will create an Interpersonal Communication Journal. Whether or
not one’s job is to do interpersonal communication research, we all conduct fieldwork on a daily
basis. We create and test informal theories as we attempt to make sense of our lives and our
relationships. Over the course of this term you will keep a record of some of the fieldwork you do.
Through your reading and our discussions, you will learn about what communication researchers have
learned about interpersonal relationships. You will use this information to elevate the informal
fieldwork you do daily to a more nuanced, sophisticated level. You will write journal entries that
reflect upon the course material and your relationships.
For each section listed below, you will choose two chapters about which you will write an entry.
Possible journal prompts can be found in the Fieldwork Project Journal Prompts. Only choose one
question from the chapter about which you will write. The due dates are listed on the course
schedule.
Section 1: Chapters 1–3
Section 2: Chapters 4–7
Section 3: Chapters 8–12
Each of your journal entries should be one full, typed, single‐spaced page, not including the heading
on the paper. Shorter entries will not receive full credit. I will not share these entries with others.
Remember that your entries should reflect knowledge of and engagement with the course material
and are more than mere personal reflections. Please note, if you decide to write about chapters 11
and/or 12, you will need to work ahead since the due date for the final set of entries is before those
chapters are covered in the lessons.
Exams
You will take a midterm exam and a final exam in this class. The final will not be cumulative. The
exams will test your knowledge of the course material in a variety of formats, potentially including
but not limited to: multiple choice, short answer, essay, and true/false. You will take both of these
exams online, through this site in the Exams area. The exams will be open‐book and open‐notes;
however, it is important that you study in advance and do not rely primarily on looking up answers.
You will have a 48‐hour time frame during which you can take the exam. Once you begin the exam,
you will have 90 minutes to complete the exam. We will have an exam review on the discussion
forum before each exam.
Evaluation and Grading
Grade Assessment
Your grades will be based on how well you demonstrate what you have learned in this class as shown
by your completion of assignments and participation. The following is an explanation of grades you
can earn in this class:
A
Exceeds requirements of the assignment/course. The student critically, creatively, and
fully engages the course material in a way that demonstrates that she/he understands
and can apply the concepts. Written work is extremely well‐composed and concise.
B
Meets and, at times, exceeds the requirements of the assignment/course. In general, the
student demonstrates a clear understanding of the course concepts. Written work is fairly
well‐composed but there may be some unclear or awkward moments.
C
Meets the basic requirements of the assignment/course. The student demonstrates a
minimum understanding of major concepts but may be unclear at times. Written work is
acceptable but has errors and awkward moments.
D
F
Fails to meet some of the basic requirements of the assignment/course. A minimum
understanding of course concepts is not evident. Written work is fairly poor.
Does not meet the basic requirements of the assignments/course. A minimum
understanding of the course concepts is not evident. Written work is very poor.
Grading Scale
I will grade your work using the following scale:
A
94‐100%
A‐
90‐93%
B+
87‐89%
C
74‐76%
C‐
70‐73%
D+
67‐69%
B
84‐86%
B‐
80‐83%
C+
77‐79%
D
64‐66%
D‐
60‐63%
F
< 60%
Grade Distribution
The points for this course will be distributed in the following manner:
Assignment
Points
Discussion Forum
300 (25 points per week)
Fieldwork Project, Section 1
120
Fieldwork Project, Section 2
120
Fieldwork Project, Section 3
120
Midterm Exam
170
Final Exam
170
Total
1,000
Late Work
It is important that you complete your work in a timely manner. All of the deadlines are listed on
the Course Schedule. If you cannot complete an assignment (a discussion forum post, a paper, or an
exam) by the date indicated, please contact me in advance so that we can make other
arrangements.
Turning in a paper late will result in a five‐point deduction for every day that it is late.
Posting late on the discussion forum is a problem because you cannot be part of the ongoing
conversation if you do not post by the due dates. If you miss the deadline for original posts but post
by the end of the lesson period, you will receive partial points. Posts after 6 pm on the last day of a
lesson will not receive any points.
Exams must be completed during the time indicated. Contact me as soon as possible if this will be a
problem for you.
Academic Policies
By enrolling as a student in this course, you agree to abide by the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill policies related to the acceptable use of online resources. Please consult the Acceptable
Use Policy on topics such as copyright, net‐etiquette, and privacy protection.
As part of this course, you may be asked to participate in online discussions or other online activities
that may include personal information about you or other students in the course. Please be
respectful of the rights and protection of other participants under the UNC‐Chapel Hill Information
Security Policies when participating in online classes.
When using online resources offered by organizations not affiliated with UNC‐Chapel Hill, such as
Google or YouTube, please note that the terms and conditions of these companies and not the
University’s Terms and Conditions apply. These third parties may offer different degrees of privacy
protection and access rights to online content. You should be well aware of this when posting
content to sites not managed by UNC‐Chapel Hill.
When links to sites outside of the unc.edu domain are inserted in class discussions, please be
mindful that clicking on sites not affiliated with UNC‐Chapel Hill may pose a risk for your computer
due to the possible presence of malware on such sites.
Honor Code
Remember that as a student of UNC‐Chapel Hill, you are bound by the University's Honor Code, which
states that "It shall be the responsibility of every student at The University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill to obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating,
or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University students or academic
personnel acting in an official capacity." An especially serious Honor Code violation is plagiarism. You
may wish to take tutorial on plagiarism that was developed by librarians at UNC, Duke, NCSU and
NCCU. If you have questions, please consult your instructor. Please note that downloading or printing
out the quizzes or exams in Sakai is prohibited; doing so is considered a violation of the Honor Code.
Course Schedule
Lesson
Lesson Title
Assignments
Introduction
Course Introduction
Lesson 1
Introduction to Interpersonal Communication
Read: Chapter 1
Lesson 2
Communication and Personal Identity
Read: Chapter 2
Lesson 3
Perception and Communication
Lesson 4
Verbal Communication
Read: Chapter 4
Fieldwork Section 1: Jun 10
Lesson 5
Nonverbal Communication
Read: Chapter 5
Lesson 6
Mindful Listening
Read: Chapter 6
Lesson 7
Emotions and Communication
Read: Chapter 7
Read: Home Page
Read: Chapter 3
Review
Midterm Exam Review
none
Lesson 8
Communication Climate
Read: Chapter 8
Fieldwork Section 2: Jul 8
Lesson 9
Conflict and Relationships
Read: Chapter 9
Lesson 10
Friendship
Read: Chapter 10
Lesson 11
Romantic Relationships
Read: Chapter 11
Fieldwork Section 3: Jul 22
Lesson 12
Families
Read: Chapter 11
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Please take the time to fill out a brief, anonymous evaluation. We want to know if this course met
your needs and expectations.
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Send comments and questions to fridaycenter@unc.edu.