COMM 1500
Fall 2012
Professor : Dr. Adria Goldman
Office Hours: MWF, Noon to 1 p.m. & TR, 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Office: Academic Building – 103M
Office Phone : 678-359-5154
Email: agoldman@gdn.edu
AIM Screenname: ProfAGOffice
Class Meeting Time/Place : (Circle your section)
SECTION A
MWF, 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
Room: Academic Building –
110
SECTION B
MWF, 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Room: Academic Building –
203
SECTION C
MWF, 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Room: Academic Building
– 112
Required Text and Materials
West, R. & Turner, L. H. (2011). IPC . Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
ISBN-10: 0495914541 | ISBN-13: 978-0495914549
One notebook/binder to serve as “Communication Journal”
Course Description (from Academic Catalog)
An introduction to communication as it occurs in a two-person context, emphasizing how individuals use verbal and nonverbal communication to improve social and personal relationships.
Course Objectives
Students who successfully complete this class will be able to improve upon their communication behaviors within interpersonal relationships, including their abilities to:
Communicate ethically about self to others, in a variety of different interpersonal relationships
Communicate effectively, both verbally and nonverbally
Serve as an effective and ethical listener
-
Clearly communicate emotions to others
-
Effectively communicate during (and to prevent) conflicts
-
Communicate effectively and ethically through technology
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Explanation of Final Grade
Attendance and Participation: 15%
Points for participation include active participation in course discussions, attendance, pop quizzes and any impromptu in-class activities. Tardiness also affects your participation grade. For further information about attendance and participation, please see “classroom policies” further along in the syllabus.
Communication Journal: 20%
For each chapter, students will be given some type of informal assignment to help understand and apply the material learned. Students will be responsible for keeping a
Communication Journal and adding in each assignment. Assignments for the
Communication Journal can be typed or handwritten and will be announced throughout the semester. Students will be required to discuss assignments written in their Communication Journals.
Midterm Exam: 15%
A short midterm exam will be used to test students on chapters 1-6 of the textbook.
The exam will include multiple choice and/or short answer questions. Students will participate in a midterm exam review the class before the exam, but are urged not to depend solely on this review session.
Reaction Papers (3): 25%
Students will write three short reaction papers on a topic that will provided closer to the due dates. These reaction papers may not exceed one page.
Final Exam/Group Movie Analysis: 25%
The group movie analysis serves as the final project/exam for the course. Students will select a group and a movie (must be approved by instructor) and conduct an analysis of the images based on course material. The analysis must reflect critical thinking and an ability to apply the information learned throughout the entire course. More information about the final project will be announced after the Midterm.
Calculating Your Final Grade
No type of online grade book is used for this course. Thus, students are encouraged to keep all graded assignments and keep track of their own grades. In the event that a student would like to estimate where they stand in the course, they should use those grades and adjust them to the percentages noted above.
Grade Scale
Letter grades for the course are based on a standard 100-point grading scale, with 90-
100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, below 60 = F.
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Policies and Expectations
Attendance and Participation : Much of the value you will receive from your classroom experience will come from your interactions with fellow students.
Therefore, attendance is a key factor in your success in this class and will be factored into your participation grade. Imagine that you start the semester with a 100 for
Participation and Attendance. The way in which this grade changes will depend on your attendance and classroom behavior. For every unexcused absence, you lose 2 points from your participation grade. Excused absences should be discussed with me prior to that course period so that we can make arrangements for assignment submission. Your active involvement in discussions and class activities will also be a welcomed contribution to this class. There are several assignments that require oral presentations—these oral presentations affect your participation grade. Tardiness and partial attendance are not accepted. For every day you are late, I deduct 1 point from your participation grade. Sleeping in class will also count as an unexcused absence and will be deducted from the participation grade.
Communication: Students must make sure to check their email daily for any class updates. Email is the best way to contact the instructor as well. Emails sent after 8 p.m. are NOT guaranteed to be answered on that same day. Not receiving a response after 8 p.m. is not an excuse to not complete an assignment or attend class.
Reading Assignments : Students are expected to read ALL assigned readings. The bulk of the reading should be completed by the Monday class of each week. Course lectures will NOT be a regurgitation of material from the textbook. Instead it will be an open discussion of key concepts, a chance to ask questions about unclear material, and an opportunity to apply the material you have read about. If it is clear that students are not reading course material, the instructor reserves the right to assign unannounced, in class reading quizzes—which would be factored into your attendance and participation grade.
Assignments & Exams: Assignments are due at class time on the due date. Format for all formal, written assignments are: 12 pt font, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins all around, double spaced, stapled, and must include name, date, and course title in top left corner of the page. This format does NOT apply to your Communication Journal entries, which can be handwritten. All assignments must be completed on the designated due date. Late assignments or make-up exams are not allowed for unexcused absences.
Failure to attend class on the day an assignment or exam is due will result in a zero or F grade for that assignment. In the event of an excused absence, work still must be submitted on or before the due date. For unforeseen excused absences, please see the instructor to make arrangements.
Academic Dishonesty : All students are expected to do their own work for all assignments & exams in this course. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in
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failure of an assignment OR the entire course. Please consult the Academic Handbook for a detailed explanation of the honor code.
Classroom Etiquette: Respect is very important in this class. There will be multiple discussions where people will express personal viewpoints and beliefs. While it is not necessary that you agree with everyone’s ideas, it is mandatory that you be respectful of each other and keep all comments constructive. This will also help to create an environment where we are all comfortable with speaking up. In other words, even if we all disagree with a topic, by the end of class we all walk out smiling, holding no grudges, and excited about our next stimulating discussion! Also, in order to respect the learning environment we must suppress our dependency on technology. This means, all cellular phones, MP3 players, and other electronic devices must be cut off during class. No text messaging during class! I do not mind if you bring your laptops to class to take notes ONLY. We, as a, class need EVERYONE’S attention. I also do not mind if you eat or drink during class (unless the classroom requires otherwise, such as a computer lab) but please refrain from items that are distracting and too noisy.
Students who exhibit disruptive and/or disrespectful behaviors will be asked to leave class.
Disability Statement: Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a disability. Please visit the student affairs-counseling office (second floor of
Student Center) or contact the office at 678-359-5585.
(Subject to Change with Notice)
WEEK TOPICS
1
(8/13-8/17)
2
(8/20-8/24)
3
(8/27-8/31)
Introduction to Interpersonal
Communication
NOTE: Wednesday, 8/15/12: Last day to drop course
Communication, Perception, and the
Self
READINGS/HOMEWORK
READ: Chapter 1
COMM Journal:
READ: Chapter 2
COMM Journal:
Communication, Culture, and Identity READ: Chapter 3
COMM Journal:
Reflection Paper #1 Due Friday, 8/31
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4
(9/3-9/7)
5
(9/10-9/14)
6
(9/17-9/21)
7
(9/24-9/28)
Communicating Verbally
NOTE: No Class Monday, 9/3/12 –
Labor Day Holiday
Communicating Nonverbally
Effective Listening
Tying it All Together: Reviewing and
Applying Chapters 1-6 (Class Film
Analysis 1)
10
(10/15-10/19)
Sharing Personal Information
11
(10/22-10/26)
Communicating Conflict
READ: Chapter 4
COMM Journal:
READ: Chapter 5
COMM Journal:
READ: Chapter 6
COMM Journal:
Review notes from Chapters 1-6
COMM Journal:
STUDY!!!!!
MIDTERM EXAM: Wednesday, 10/3
8 (10/1-10/5) Midterm Review and Exam;
Discussion of Final Project
NOTE: Thursday, 10/4/12: Last day
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(10/8-10/12) to drop class without WF
Communication and Emotion
NOTE: No Class Monday, 10/8/12 –
Fall Break
READ: Chapter 7
COMM Journal:
READ: Chapter 8
COMM Journal:
Reflection Paper #2 Due Friday, 10/19
READ: Chapter 9
COMM Journal:
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12
(10/29-11/2)
13
(11/5-11/9)
14
(11/12-11/16)
15
(11/19-11/23)
16
(11/26-11/30)
17 (12/3)
Communicating in Close Relationships READ: Chapter 10
COMM Journal:
Technology and Interpersonal
Communication
READ: Chapter 11
COMM Journal:
Tying it All Together: Reviewing and
Applying Chapters 7-11 (Class Film
Analysis 2)
Continue from Week 14
NOTE: No Class Wednesday,
11/21/12 and Friday, 11/23/12 –
Thanksgiving Break
Final Projects
Review notes from Chapters 7-11
COMM Journal:
Reflection Paper #3: Due Monday,
11/19
Final Projects/Course Wrap-Up
Monday: In Class Project Work Day
Wednesday: Presentations
Friday: Presentations
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