Perspectives on Human Communication
COMM 1210
Fall 2011
M/W 12:30 – 1:45
Professor Kendra Gale
Buckingham S121
kendra.gale@colorado.edu
Office Hours: M 3-5, Th 5:30 – 7
and by appointment
The Course
Communication and its media have created new worlds for us, and we only partly understand what
we’re doing in them. These worlds condition the way we feel, think, and relate to others—as
communicative environments have done for as long as life has existed. We need to try to understand
those environments better, our places in them, and our ways of producing and reproducing
communication at this time in history. Our lives depend on it.
This course provides an introduction to communication as a way of thinking about and living in the
world. It also introduces communication as a discipline and interlocking fields of study. We will read
from both classic and contemporary writings to make sense of communication as a discrete event,
ongoing social process, and cultivated art that can be directed toward all kinds of human purposes.
The course explores different ideas and perspectives on communication from influential ancient
views, to classic twentieth-century authors, and contemporary understandings. The first two thirds
of the course will focus on the way that communication can create individual and social realities
including questions of self, others, and community in the contemporary world. The last section of the
course introduces sub-fields within communication study.
Goals for Students
Learning goals for this course include:
1) consideration of the world from communicative points of view; identify key components of
particular communicative processes and events; and develop more reflective and articulate ways of
interpreting, evaluating, responding to, and creating communication in your own lives.
2) enhancing your ability to read scholarly literature, explain key ideas and terms, apply them to
real-world examples, and differentiate approaches and perspectives to the study of communication.
Texts
Trenholm, Sarah (2008). Thinking Through Communication: An introduction to the study of human
communication.
Selection of supplementary articles from classical and contemporary scholars as well and
contemporary popular press.
Reading responses and quizzes
Exams
Assignments and Exams
20%
Group projects
45% Participation
20%
15%
Each item is explained briefly below.
Readings
We will be using the Trenholm book as our organizing text for the course. This text provides a broad
overview of basic concepts and ways of approaching communication. The supplementary readings
are designed to deepen your understanding of communication theory and concepts introduced in
Trenholm, to provide practice reading closely and critically and to provide current examples of
communication theory in practice. You should complete all readings before class on the day that they
are listed. Bring a hard copy of the supplementary reading to class with you. We will be working
from these texts in class. Supplementary readings are posted on the course CULearn site.
To help you identify key ideas, I will provide reading response “homework” on a regular basis. This
will take two forms: 1) a set of questions or activities (RR on the schedule) that you need to prepare
and submit before class begins; or 2) questions to guide your approach to a reading as preparation
for an in-class quiz on the reading (RQ on the schedule).
See the handout on Reading Responses for more detail.
Exams
You will complete 4 exams during the semester, three in class and a take home final exam. The first
exam is considered a “practice” exam and will count for only 5% of the grade for the semester. In
class exams are a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions. The final exam is an
open book, take home exam that requires you to synthesize material from the semester. I will
provide a study guide for the in-class exams.
Make up exams are allowed only if:
- you are required to attend an officially sanctioned athletic event as a participant and you have
notified me in advance.
- you have a religious observance and you have notified me in advance.
- you have a documented legal obligation and you have notified me in advance.
- you experience a serious illness or family emergency and you can provide documentation from an
appropriate professional.
Group Projects
Discussion leader. As part of a small group, you will have the opportunity to present one of the
readings to the class and lead discussion on that reading. You will be evaluated for overall content as
well as through peer evaluations of individual contributions.
Interview observations. You will work in teams to draw conclusions from a series of interviews with
a resident of the Golden West Retirement Living Center.
See hand out for more details.
Participation
Participation has two components: attendance and engagement.
• Engagement
Be prepared. Give yourself enough time to do a thorough job on the readings and Reading
Responses. They count for 20% of your final grade, and they prepare you for exams and class
discussion. Do all of them, do them carefully, and bring the original readings to class with you for
discussion. Learning is an active process. It is marked by physical and cognitive engagement.
- Complete your Reading Responses and other assignments on time.
- Listen carefully in class.
- Arrive with an open attitude toward learning.
- Stay involved by taking notes, both of what is said, and of things that cross your mind during
lecture and discussion.
- Be an active participant in discussions. Engage in discussions with energy and enthusiasm.
- Bring in examples from daily life.
- Give respectful attention to the instructor and/or other students when they are speaking ask
questions. The only bad question is an unasked question.
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- Provide examples to support or challenge the issues talked about in class;
- Make comments, raise objections, or provide observations about topics in the course,
particularly those which tie in the classroom material to the world outside the classroom
I will provide you an informal assessment of your participation relatively early in the course so you
have a clear understanding of expectations.
• Attendance
If you’re not present, you lose the benefit of learning through examples, problem solving, live
thinking, and other ‘active learning’ and we lose the benefit of your presence. Each of you provides a
unique perspective no one else can contribute. You will lose 15 points (of a possible 150 points) for
each absence after two.
Course Policies
Read these policies carefully. We are both accountable for following these guidelines.
Format
Our class meetings will be a combination of lecture and discussion. The lecture portion is designed to
highlight key concepts and help you connect ideas throughout the semester. The text gives you basic
terminology; lectures will help you apply concepts. I will spend very little time repeating what is
already in the text. Because we all learn better when we actively engage with the material, most
classes will include small group discussion and activities to help you personalize the material.
Students will not be permitted to use laptops, cell phones, or other portable electronic devices in
class.
Classroom Environment:
We each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. If you fail to
adhere to such behavioral standards you may be subject to disciplinary actions. Professional courtesy
and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with
differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and
nationalities. At the beginning of the semester I am given a roster with your legal name. However, I
will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise
me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records.
See policies at: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and at:
http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code
Arrive on time. Late arrivals are disruptive to me and to your classmates. Three late arrivals equals
an absence. Extreme tardiness will count as an absence.
Announcements in class. You are responsible for knowing the information on the syllabus and for
announcements made in class, including changes to the schedule. Material distributed in class is
available on CULearn or on the door to my office if I don’t have an electronic version. I don’t bring
old handouts, uncollected assignments, etc. back and forth with me each day. You can pick these up
during office hours.
If you miss a class or arrive late, please contact another student in the class first to find out what you
missed. You are welcome to come see me if you have additional questions after reviewing the notes
and materials from class.
Communication
Because my office is in Buckingham, I am in the hall most of the day during the week. If my door is
open, you are welcome to stop in. Generally I am also available immediately after class.
I often send emails to the entire class via your CU account. You are responsible for this information.
If you are using another email account, check that it is being forwarded properly. I will try to
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respond to email within 24 hours during the week (M-F). It may take longer over holidays and
weekends.
Late Work
Papers and assignments are due at the beginning of class. Work that is received late will lose one
letter grade per day.
Attendance. Poor attendance will affect your performance in the class as well as your grade. We all
need your presence here on a regular basis. You get two misses without penalty. I suggest saving
these for unavoidable conflicts or illness. Telling me about your absence - even if you tell me in
advance, it does not mean it is an excused absence. There are no distinctions between excused and
unexcused absences. You have two misses to accommodate illness, emergencies, job interviews, etc.
It is not two misses in addition to illness or conflicts.
That said, please come talk to me about major life issues that are affecting your participation in class:
mono, a major car accident, etc. Life happens. I get that.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
I strongly support all of these policies. Please come talk to me if you are impacted by any of the
following issues in any way.
Disabilities: If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter
from Disability Services in a timely manner so that your needs be addressed. Disability Services
determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322,
or http://www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices
On Religious Observances: Please notify me within the first two weeks of the semester if you have
conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance due to religious observance. I
will make every effort to find a reasonable and fair way to accommodate you. More detail on
university policy is available at: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html
On Discrimination and Sexual Harassment: The University of Colorado at Boulder policy on
Discrimination and Harassment, the University of Colorado policy on Sexual Harassment and the
University of Colorado policy on Amorous Relationships apply to all students, staff and faculty. Any
student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been the subject of sexual harassment or
discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, creed,
religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status should contact the Office of Discrimination and
Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information
about the ODH, the above referenced policies and the campus resources available to assist
individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained at:
http://www.colorado.edu/odh
On the Honor Code: All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing
and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include:
cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening
behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct will be reported to the Honor Code Council
(honor@colorado.edu; 303-735-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic
integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and nonacademic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). At a
minimum, you will receive a 0 for any assignment that violates the honor policy. More information
about the Honor Code can be found at: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at:
http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/
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Perspectives on Human Communication
COMM 1210
Fall 2011
M/W 12:30 – 1:45
Tentative Schedule
This schedule is subject to change to accommodate current events and the ebb and flow
of our discussions. Major changes will be announced in class. The most current version
of the schedule is always available on CULearn.
Reading is to be completed before the date listed. T= Trenholm text. Others are listed by
author’s last name.
RR= Reading Response; RQ = Reading Quiz
Date Topic
SEPT
7
Historical Origins
Reading
12
Models and Perspectives
Craig
14
A Cultural Approach
Carey
Lindloff
19
Exam
21
Mass Media
T Ch 11
26
Intercultural
T Ch 12
Assignment
T Ch 1, finish Ch 2
RQ
Review T Ch 1,2,3, Brummett and
Carey
28
OCT
3
Bohannon
Spoken Language
T Ch 4
5
discourse and Discourse
Cooley;
Lakoff and Johnson;
Brooks
12
Nonverbal
T – Ch 5; Rosenblum
17
Space and Time
By group assignment
RR
10
5
Presentations
Applications
19
Interpersonal
T Ch 6
24
Identity and SelfPresentation
Comello
Harwood
26
Emotional Labor
Hochschild
31
EXAM
NOV
2
Group Communication
7
RR
Review readings and notes since
last exam
T Ch 7
Ainsworth
9
Organizational
T Ch 8
14
Public Communication
T Ch 9
RR
28
Methods
TBD
FALL BREAK
T Ch 13
RR
30
DEC
5
EXAM
Intergenerational
Perspectives
Presentations
7
Intergenerational
Perspectives
Presentations
FINAL EXAM
Take home exam due
16
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