Spring 2016
PSYC B2: Interpersonal & Group Process Skills
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what
it takes to sit down and listen. – Winston Churchill
Professor:
Office Phone:
Email:
Office Hrs:
Website:
In emergency:
Lora Larkin
395-4380/ LA215A
llarkin@bakersfieldcollege.edu
MW 10:30–11:00am/ TR 9:00-11:00am or by appt
http://www2.bakersfieldcollege.edu/llarkin
Call BC security at 395-4554 (also for an escort to your vehicle)
Course/CRN & Day/Time:
PSYC B2 #31933 (MW 11:10-12:35pm) in LA109
W
elcome to Interpersonal and Group Process Skills! I am honored that you have
bestowed upon me your highest compliment by entrusting me with your learning
experience for this course (plus, I was probably the only teacher available ). I am confident
that this will be a positive adventure for us all, though I am certainly no stranger to the
apprehension you may be experiencing in anticipation of interacting with others in this class. As
with any new experience, you are probably filled with many questions and uncertainty about this
course. I have attempted to anticipate and answer some of your questions in this syllabus, but
do not hesitate to ask if you have further questions or concerns. Now about this class…
S
tudent Learning Outcomes
What you should be able to do by the end of the course…
 Demonstrate an understanding of issues necessary for preparation to work in
interpersonal and group settings, including social perceptions, and verbal and
nonverbal behaviors across cultures.
 Differentiate and appropriately apply interpersonal and group process skills for
communication, decision making, and conflict management.
 Identify and summarize various ethical issues in helping relationships as applied to a
diversity of individuals and groups.
T
ext/Materials
Required Text:
Materials:
Verderber, K.S. & Verderber, R.F. (2013). Inter-Act: Interpersonal
Communication Concepts, Skills, and Contexts (13th edition).
NY: Oxford University Press. [978-0199-8368-88]
Scantron- Datalink 100 (x4 for exams)
G
eneral BC Information
How will you succeed at BC this semester? What determines success is not circumstance,
but habit. Habits of Mind, It’s POSSIBLE at BC has many free tools intended to help you
accomplish your goals in school. Only you can overcome the challenges you face this semester
and in life. Start out successfully with these steps:
 Visit the Habits of Mind website: www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/habits-of-mind
 Download the app for Habits of Mind at BC for power in your palm
 Ask for help, do the work, and refuse to quit
Success takes energy, planning, and strategies for both the expected challenges in school as
well as the unexpected twists life can take. Now is the time to develop new habits.
Regular class attendance is expected of all students enrolled in the college. It is
especially important to attend the first sessions of each class for it is during those classes that I
will distribute important course requirements and explain what it expected. Students enrolled in
classes that are full may be dropped if you do not attend the first class sessions. If you are on a
course waitlist you should also attend the first class meeting to avoid being dropped.
Absence in no way relieves you of responsibility of work missed. If you are aware in advance of
an absence, make arrangements to make up the work to be missed. Otherwise, late
coursework is only accepted for half credit. Excessive absences (the equivalent of two
weeks of class recorded from the first day of instruction) will result in your being dropped from
the course though you are responsible for officially withdrawing from any class or classes in
which you no longer wish to be enrolled. Non-attendance does not release you from this
responsibility.
Tutoring: BC students get free peer one-on-one tutoring in the BC Tutoring Center in
most subjects. You get one 50-minute session per subject per week with a tutor who has
successfully completed the class and is trained to be a tutor. Drop-in tutoring is also available in
math and English all day long. Schedule an appointment with the Tutoring Center at 395-4430
or online at http://bcacademicdevelopmentdepartment.weebly.com/tutoring-center.html.
Library Research Workshops are available to you in learning essential, collegelevel research skills. Seven different research topics are addressed in separate workshops.
Students who attend and evaluate these free workshops rank their usefulness midway between
ESSENTIAL and QUITE USEFUL. The workshops begin in the third week of the regular school
semester and last 10 weeks. Attending workshops earlier in the semester is recommended. Not
only can you use newly learned skills to improve your research, but will not risk being turned
away from a full classroom.
Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability and believe you may need
additional accommodations in this class, you are encouraged to contact Disabled Student
Programs & Services located at Student Services Building, 1st Floor, Counseling Center (3954334) as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely
fashion.
Academic Integrity: Plagiarism occurs when you use the exact written or spoken
words, a summary of written or spoken words, and/or the ideas that someone else has
produced without giving the original author credit. When you use another author’s material you
must give that person credit by indicating the source of the material in your text. Buying a paper
or having someone write your paper is also considered plagiarism. A plagiarized paper will
receive no (0%) credit.
C
ourse Catalog Description
PSYC B2 (3-units) offers readings and practice skills for effective functioning in
interpersonal and group settings, including active listening, interviewing, group interaction,
decision making, and managing conflict. It also emphasizes the development of skills and
ethical considerations specific to human interaction, relating across differences of race, gender,
ethnicity, sexual orientation, and social class. Recommended: PSYC B1A and Reading/Writing
one level prior to transfer. Hours: 54 lecture. CCS: Liberal Arts and Sciences. Transferable:
CSU and private colleges.
E
valuation
Be advised that the combined writing assignments (including weekly in/out-of-class
assignments and short-answer portions of your exams) for this class will total no less than 10
pages as stipulated by the Behavioral Science Department at BC.
Exams: There will be 4 exams worth 30% of your total semester grade. Each MC/short
answer exam will include concept/application questions, not just definitions and terms from rote
memorization. WARNING: If you are more than 15 minutes late for an exam, you will not be
allowed to take the exam. No make-up exams will be given. The lowest exam score will be
dropped at the end of the semester.
Learning Activities, including in-class chapter activities, discussions, reflections and/or
role playing, is worth 40% of your total semester grade. Points are assigned at the end of each
class lecture for in-class activities. These points are not based on attendance (though you must
be in attendance to earn your points), but rather your ACTIVE involvement in the class activities.
Take-home work must be typed to be accepted.
Final Progress Outline: A final outline of your progress worth 30% of your total
semester grade will be due toward the end of the semester. A summary presentation of your
outline will be given to your classmates as well. Final outlines are self-critiques illustrating your
overall progress in the communication skills you’ve discussed in your reflection papers (more
details on requirements will follow soon).
Extra Credit: You are allowed no more than 2% of your total semester grade from extra
credit assignments. Extra credit opportunities (each worth 1%) will be announced throughout the
semester and may include providing recent newspaper/magazine articles, comic strips, etc. with
a brief typed explanation of how it relates to course content or to discuss within class; attending
the library workshops and critical academic skills workshops offered periodically throughout the
regular semester; and/or getting involved in campus activities (see BC event calendar for more
details on plays, concerts, sporting events, student government activities, and guest lectures)
and typing a half-page discussion of your experience with your ticket stub, brochure, or given
handout attached. I am certainly open to other ideas you may have to help with your success in
the course.
G
rade Scale
Final grades are based on a weighted calculation. Exams may be curved at my discretion.
You are responsible for keeping all returned, graded work and must keep all graded
assignments until after final grades have been reported to Admissions and Records in the event
that a grade is missing from the gradebook or has been miscalculated. Otherwise the final grade
will remain in effect. Grade summaries will be handed out at Midterm and towards the end of the
semester for clarification. It is also your responsibility to collect all assignments by the end of the
semester. I will be evaluating you on more than exams and assignments. I will also be
taking mental notes on your attitude and how you approach this class. If your grade
percentage is near a higher letter grade, (e.g., 78.9% is a C but near a B) you will earn the
higher grade if throughout the semester you have missed no more than two classes, completed
all assignments, and have demonstrated good classroom participation.
89.5-100
79.5-89.4
69.5-79.4
59.5-69.4
0-59.4
A
B
C
D
F
30% Exams
40% Learning Activities
30% Final Outline/Presentation
Weighted Grade Calculation: ___% (30%) +___% (40%) +___%(30%) =___%
(Hint: Use decimals rather than % to calculate your final grade)
F
inal Course Notes
The skills you are expected to practice in this class are the same skills that will be expected
of you within your careers. Arriving each day on time and turning in your completed work are
important behaviors for you to succeed in this course just as these behaviors would ensure that
you were not fired from a job, for example. I truly believe that learning is a partnership, whereby
what you get out of a class is a direct reflection of what you put into it. I strongly encourage you
to visit your text companion website at http://www.oup.com/us/verderber for important tools and
resources for navigating successfully through this material. Be sure to check your BC email
frequently throughout the semester for important updates as well.
I look forward to meeting you and getting to know each of you better throughout the
semester. I welcome the opportunity to assist you in your academic endeavors. Please feel free
to come talk with me during office hours or by appointment anytime during the semester
concerning your progress in class. I have no doubt that those of you who wish to do well
certainly will!
I
mportant Dates for this Course
Jan 16 Instruction Begins
Jan 18 MLK Jr. Day Holiday
Jan 31 Last day to drop without receiving “W” grade
Feb 12 Lincoln Day Holiday
Feb 15 Washington Day Holiday
Mar 21-25 Spring Recess
Apr 1 Last day to drop and receive “W” grade
May 9-13 Finals Week
PSYC B2: Interpersonal & Group Process Skills
Professor Lora Larkin
ATentative@ Course Schedule
Mon/Wed
Day of Class
Jan
Feb.
Mar
Apr
20
25
27
1
3
8
Ch 4 Verbal Messages
Ch 4 cont.
Ch 5 Nonverbal Messages
Ch 5 cont.
Ch 6 Communication in Relationships
Exam Ch 4-6
7
9
14
16
Ch 7 Listening Effectively
Ch 7 cont.
Ch 8 Holding Effective Conversations
Ch 9 Supporting Others
Mar 21-25 Spring Recess
NO CLASS
Ch 9 cont.
Exam Ch 7-9
28
30
4
*Assignments TBD
Syllabus/Introductions
Ch 1 Interpersonal Communication
Ch 2 Social Perceptions
*1/31 LAST DAY TO DROP w/o W
Ch 2 cont.
Ch 3 Intercultural Communication
Exam Ch 1-3
10
17
22
24
29
2
6
May
Discussion
11
13
18
20
25
27
Ch 10 Disclosure and Privacy
*4/1 LAST DAY TO DROP w/ W
Ch 10 cont.
Ch 11 Interpersonal Influence
Ch 11 cont.
Ch 12 Managing Conflict
Ch 12 cont.
Exam Ch 10-12
2
4
11
Ch 13 Intimate Relationships
Ch 14 Workplace Relationships
Final Presentations @ 10am
Final Outline Due 5/4
PSYC B2
L.Larkin
Learning Style Study Strategies
These ideas are only valuable if they sound practical, real, and relevant to you.
You need to do things to understand, not just read!
Visual Study Strategies
 You want the whole picture, so you are probably holistic rather than
reductionistic in your approach
 You are often interested in the color, layout, and design of information
 To take in the information:
o Pay attention to pictures, videos, posters, slides, flow charts, and
graphs
o Underline, use different colors, highlight information
 To make a learnable package of the material for yourself:
o Replace words with symbols or initials
o Convert your lecture “notes” into picture pages (pictures, flow
charts, graphs, etc)
 To perform well:
o Draw things, use diagrams
o Write exam answers
o Recall the pictures made by your pages
o Practice turning your visuals back into words
Aural Study Strategies:
 To take in the information:
o Attendance is important
o Discuss topics with others
o Explain new ideas to other people
 To make a learnable package of the material for yourself:
o Since you prefer to listen, your notes may be poor; put your
summarized notes onto tapes and listen to them
o Read summarized notes aloud
 To perform well:
o Spend time in quiet places recalling ideas
o Speak your answers aloud
Read/Write Study Strategies:
 To take in the information:
o Use lists
o Use headings
o Write notes verbatim


To make a learnable package of the material for yourself:
o Rewrite ideas and principles into other words
o Organize diagrams, tables, and figures into statements
o Imagine your lists arranged in multiple choice questions
To perform well:
o Write paragraphs
o Write lists
o Arrange your words into hierarchies and points
Kinesthetic Study Strategies:
 To take in the information:
o Use all your senses
o Participate in laboratories and field trips
o Attend to examples and applications of principles
o Trial and error
 To make a learnable package of the material for yourself:
o Put plenty of examples in your notes
o Use pictures and photographs to illustrate ideas
o Recall experiments, etc.
 To perform well:
o Write practice answers and paragraphs
o Role-play the exam situation
Multimodal Study Strategies:
 Use more than one strategy for learning and communicating
 Review the lists above that apply to your learning preferences
PSYC B2
L. Larkin
Test Preparation Strategies
Our effort determines our outcome. And if we fail to plan than we’re really planning to
fail. So, I am asking you to set a goal, create a plan to achieve that goal, and then invest
the effort to achieve your goal (adapted from Habits of Mind Initiative).
What is your goal for this exam? Do you just want to pass? Earn an “A”? What?
What do you plan to do to achieve your goal? Write down at least three things.
[For example, I will read over all of my notes, textbook, and review the text website for
three hours from 6-9 on Wednesday. On Thursday from 1-3, I will brainstorm, create an
outline for my assignment(s), as well as create flash cards of the study guide questions
for my exam. On Friday, I will review my notes and write short answers to the study
guide questions. On Saturday, I will write the body of my assignment(s). On Sunday, I
will proofread my assignment(s) and study my flashcards].
Name at least three things you won’t do over the next few days, so you can focus
on the things you’ve planned to do to succeed. [For example, I will not party. I will
not create drama with my boyfriend/girlfriend/friends, etc.]
How will you avoid drama or deal with it quickly should it happen so you can do
the things you committed yourself to do to achieve your goal on this test? [For
example, if you face constant family demands at home that interrupt your studying,
establish a place and time to study elsewhere.]