COMR 1000- Communication and Community
Voices in Action
Fall 2014
Course Overview
This course is taken by all first year COMM RAP students and is intended to achieve three primary
goals: 1) to build a strong COMM RAP community to help you thrive in your first year; 2) to provide a
common foundation for thinking about the role of communication in creating and sustaining
community and society; and 3) to
help you develop a stronger sense of who you are as a student, a member of the COMM RAP and of
the University of Colorado, Boulder. Everything we do in this course relates to at least one of these
goals.
We’ll explore what it means to participate in community, how communication practices impact daily
life and our future – both individually and collectively, and identify individual strategies for success.
Along the way you’ll have an opportunity to practice communication skills in multiple venues: team
projects, reflective writing, class discussions, etc. The year’s course theme is Voices in Action, with a
spotlight on social media and communication. The course begins with finding your individual voice
and then moves to the topic of collective voices, then onto the topic of hearing/listening to voices and
culminates with a focus on voices in social action.
There are multiple sections of this course taught by four different COMM RAP instructors. Though
there are common elements across all sections (for example, Strengths Quest, the famous
Unplugged Challenge and our Guest Lecture), the articles and assignments will vary from instructor
to instructor.
Desire to Learn (D2L) www.learn.colorado.edu
D2L is widely used on campus and is a vital communication tool in this course. It is here where I will
post readings, links, assignments, and reminders/news. You will also turn in your assignments in the
dropbox.
Course Materials
All of the readings can be found on the course D2L site (www.learn.colorado.edu). Some are PDFs of
articles. You are welcome to read these online, but for some of the longer readings I encourage you
to print out a copy and annotate it with your own notes in the margins and underlining or
highlighting. Always bring your notes on the reading to class to refer to during discussion. Some of
the readings will be online, and you can follow links on D2L to those.
Grading
Every student begins the semester with 100 points. You get to keep your points if you:
a) Come to every class, prepared and ready for discussion
b) Participate in class (thoughtfully and enthusiastically)
c) Turn in all assignments on time (your best effort is expected, of course)
70% of the class grade is attendance. So be here. Really. Each class is worth 5 points. So, if you miss a
class, you automatically lose 5 points. That’s 5% of your overall grade. If you miss more than 3
classes, you cannot pass (per COMM RAP policy). You also need to be prepared for class. If you’re
not, points will be lost, and you don’t want that.
If you know ahead of time that you will miss a class for a legitimate reason, let me know, and you
may be able to join another section of my COMR 1000 class, and keep your points. (See table above
for class times.)
30% of the class is assignments. There are six short assignments. Each is worth 5 points. Again, 5% of
the overall grade. Do your best work, turn stuff in on time, and you will get to keep all your points.
Class Policies
• We will create and maintain a respectful, open atmosphere in the class so everyone feels safe to
express experiences, feelings, perceptions and beliefs.
• Cell phones, laptops, I-pods, etc. need to be turned off and put away during 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 D2L or in my office if I don’t have an electronic version. I
don’t bring previous handouts, uncollected assignments, etc. back and forth with me each day.
You can pick these up from my office.
• 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.
• Be on time. We only have 50 minutes once a week. Late arrivals are disruptive to everyone.
Arriving more than 5 minutes late is equivalent to an absence.
Course Schedule (subject to change)
Week
1
8/25 (Mon)
8/27 (Wed)
8/29 (Fri)
Theme
Finding Your
Voice
2
9/1 (Mon)
(Labor day)
9/3 (Wed)
9/5 (Fri)
Finding Your
Voice
3
9/8 (Mon)
9/10 (Wed)
9/12 (Fri)
Finding Your
Voice
Reflecting on
On your voice
in the world
Reading/Other
Assignment
Notes
Intros
Syllabus
SQ Codes & SQ Reflection
Strengths
Complete
Strengths Quest
& Write
Reflection
**We won’t meet in class
this week. Please come to
my office during classtime
on Wednesday or Friday,
or during my office hours
for a very short
conference. **
(REQUIRED)
Strengths and
themes
Bring Your SQ
Findings &
Reflection to
Class
Discuss SQ Findings
SQ Activities
Strengths Quest
Strengths Quest
Strengths Quest
2
Assign “At My Best”
4
9/15 (Mon)
9/17 (Wed)
9/19 (Fri)
Examining
Collective Voices
Your Place in
Collective
Communities
Social Media
Facebook
Exodus
Due: “At My
Best”
Read: D. Boyd
Article (D2L)
Discuss Articles
Introduce Unplugged
Weekend
*Announce “Out of Buck”
Assignment
5
9/22 (Mon)
9/24 (Wed)
9/26 (Fri)
Examining
Collective Voices
1) Teams Create Event for
Unplugged Weekend
2) Vote on Best Event
3) Participate in Event
6
9/29 (Mon)
10/1 (Wed)
10/3 (Fri)
Buck’s Unplugged
Challenge
How Social
Media Shapes
Social
Interaction
After
Unplugged
Weekend, write
reflection
UNPLUGGED
CHALLENGE
WEEKEND
(Thursday Oct. 2nd
5:00PMSaturday, Oct. 4th
5:00PM)
Attend a
minimum of one
event
7
10/6 (Mon)
10/8 (Wed)
10/10 (Fri)
Hearing Voices
The Role of
Listening in a
true Dialogue
Read Wilmot
Article on
dialogue (D2L)
Due: Unplugged
Reflection
8
10/13 (Mon)
10/15 (Wed)
10/17 (Fri)
Hearing Voices
Discuss: Wilmot
Article on
dialogue (D2L)
“Louder Than a
Bomb”
assignment
“Louder Than a Bomb” –
Show on Thursday, Oct. 16
in Kitt Central
9
10/20 (Mon)
10/22 (Wed)
10/24 (Fri)
Hearing Voices
Civil Rights
Role of Media
Discuss “Louder
Thank a Bomb”
and reflection
10
10/27 (Mon)
10/28 (Wed)
10/31 (Fri)
Voices in Conflict
& Dialogue
11
11/3 (Mon)
11/5 (Wed)
11/7 (Fri)
Voices in Conflict
& Dialogue
Guest Speaker for
COMM RAP
TBA
Ideas related to Guest
Speaker
12
11/10 (Mon)
11/12 (Wed)
11/14 (Fri)
Voices in Conflict
& Dialogue
Social Media
Discussion of Unplugged
Intro to Dialogue
The Effect
Our Voices
Can Have
TBA
3
13
11/17 (Mon)
11/19 (Wed)
11/21 (Fri)
Voices in Conflict
& Dialogue
TBA
14
11/24 – 11/28
THANKSGIVING
BREAK
15
12/1 (Mon)
12/3 (Wed)
12/5 (Fri)
Voices in Action:
Making Things
Happen
TBA
16
12/8 (Mon)
12/10 (Wed)
12/12 (Fri)
Voices in Action:
Making Things
Happen
TBA
4
“Out of Buck”
assignment due
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
(1) On 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, and
http://www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices. If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see guidelines
at: http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices/go.cgi?select=temporary.html
(2) On Religious Observances: Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every
effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with
scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. In this class, {{insert your procedures here}} See full
details at: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html
(3) On Classroom Behavior: Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate
learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline.
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. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. 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
(4) 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 303-4925550. 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
(5) 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 shall 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 non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university
probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information on 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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