Fall 2015
COMM 3210: Human Communication Theory
Recitation Outline
Brianna Wiens
Brianna.Wiens@Colorado.EDU
Office: Hellems 65
Office Hours: MW 10am-11am; F 11am-12pm (or by appointment)
Lecture: MW 9:00-9:50, ATLS 100
Recitation: Section 115, 9am-9:50am, HLMS 77
Section 112, 10am-10:50am, HLMS 77
Section 116, 12pm-12:50pm, HLMS 77
Recitation Policies
Contact:
Please contact me via my Colorado.EDU email address or feel free to visit during office
hours. Students should expect to receive email responses from me within 24 hours of the time
that the email is sent Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. If you do not receive a reply
from me within that time frame please:
A. Visit me during office hours
or
B. Follow up with me via a separate email to ensure that I have received your first email.
Please note that I will only respond to emails sent from a Colorado.EDU email address, as per
our policy.
Conduct:
In this class we will rely heavily upon each other in order to learn and complete assignments.
Respect for yourselves, each other, and the instructor is expected.
Discrimination and Harassment:
The University of Colorado at Boulder policy on Discrimination and Harassment
(http://www.colorado.edu/policies/discrimination.html, the University of Colorado
policy on Sexual Harassment and the University of Colorado policy on Amorous
Relationships applies to all students, staff and faculty. Any student, staff or faculty
member who believes s/he has been the subject of discrimination or harassment based
upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, 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 and the campus resources available to assist individuals regarding
discrimination or harassment can be obtained at http://www.colorado.edu/odh
Classroom Learning Environment Policy:
Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning
environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioural standards may be subject
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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 honour 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 can make appropriate changes to my
records.
See policies at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html
Disability:
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 may be addressed.
Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities.
(303.492.8671, Willard 322, www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices). If you wish to
be accommodated for a temporary medical condition or injury, consult the
guidelines at http://disabilityservices.colorado.edu/quick-links/temporary-injuries
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. If you
foresee a conflict on the course outline, you must contact your TA, in writing, during
the first two weeks of the semester; from there, we will attempt to work out a
mutually-agreeable solution.
Academic Misconduct and 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; 303-725-2273). 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/
Deadlines:
Deadlines are firm. Late work is not accepted unless you contact both Professor Kuhn and I
BEFORE the due date with a legitimate reason.
Grades:
In general, assignments will be returned within two recitation sessions from the deadline.
Grades will be updated in D2L as assignments are graded. If you wish to discuss a grade with
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me, please wait 24 hours after receiving your assignment back to make an appointment with
me, and no later than seven business days following the return of an assignment.
Interdependence:
An important concept in this class and a key characteristic of a group is interdependence; that
is, relationships in which members of a group are mutually dependent on each other. If you
miss a lecture or recitation class, please ask a classmate first before contacting me.
Online Resources:
Desire2Learn, D2L, is our official course record (http://learn.colorado.edu). Students are
responsible for checking this site for updates, course materials, grades, and feedback. We will
send out important updates using our Colorado.EDU email accounts and/or the D2L “News”
feature. I will only send email to your Colorado.EDU email address; this is the email account
that you should check for updates.
Participation:
As noted in the lecture syllabus, everything in this recitation class is designed to inform and
support your learning experience. As part of your 100 participation points, there are four tasks
to complete during the term:
(a) Engagement in Classroom Discussions: At the end of the semester, Iwill make
an assessment of your participation in the course—in both the lecture and the
recitation. This is meant to recognize that each of us has a responsibility to
construct a positive learning environment—and that each of us knows many
things that others should hear. Those who think that they’re the only ones with
something to say (i.e., those who seek to dominate discussion), however, will
likely not find that sort of behavior rewarded. We will strive to recognize
different styles of classroom learning and interacting, acknowledging that
speaking is a primary—but not the only way—to participate and engage in this
collective learning process.
(b) Recitation Assignments: At three points during the semester, you will turn in
an assignment that will be the basis of that week’s recitation conversation
(these will be posted on the D2L site). Each will be worth 10 points, and the
points will be part of your overall participation grade.
(c) Discussion Questions for Recitation: During each week’s recitation, you may
submit questions for your recitation section. These questions may cover topics
addressed in lecture, the text(s), or encountered in everyday life—but must
relate to course material in important ways. We plan to begin recitation
sessions by addressing those questions. Over the course of the term, I expect
you to submit two discussion questions for five weeks of your choice.
(d) Attendance. It’s tough to participate if you’re not in class. We’ll be taking
attendance each recitation session and will be allocating a percentage of the
100 participation points to this.
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In addition to these tasks, being a consistent and engaged member of the class, participating in
class discussions and activities, and having consistent class attendance are also important
parts of your participation grade.
Readings:
Students are expected to complete any readings assigned for that week prior to class. All
readings are outlined on the course schedule of the lecture syllabus.
Technology:
Technology will be used as part of the learning process in this course; you may use a laptop or
tablet during class IF this is helpful to your learning. However, using technology in ways that
are distracting to you and your fellow classmates is prohibited. Cell phones should be on
silent and put away (I can still see them when they’re in your lap). Keep in mind that, as per
our lecture syllabus, you will find that those who allow themselves to be distracted by
smartphones, laptops, calendars, etc. in class will receive low participation grades.
Participation grades are not appealable.
Please refer to the lecture syllabus for our course outline.
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