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COMS 101
Fundamentals of Human Communication
School of Communication Studies
Call # 40072 (Section: A04) Summer 2008
Room: RTEC 303 Dates & Times: MTWR, 10:10a.m.-12:00p.m.
Instructor: Kevin R. Meyer Phone: (740) 707-4617
Office: Lasher Hall 037 E-Mail:
Office Hours: MTWR 12:00 – 12:30 p.m.,or by appointment
Required Textbook:
The textbook is required and necessary for successful completion of the course. You may purchase the textbook from local bookstores.
Pearson, J. C., Nelson, P. E., Titsworth, S., & Harter, L. (2008). Human communication
(3rd ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill.
Course Description and Objectives:
The purpose of this class is to teach you theories and skills related to human communication in a variety of contexts including interpersonal, small group, organizational, intercultural, and mediated interactions. This course is intended as a broad survey of the discipline and consequently places equal emphases on theory and application. After completing this course, you should have accomplished the following objectives:
- Define and explain basic terms, principles and theories that serve as a basis for engaging in and analyzing communication interactions.
- Describe fundamental communication concepts including perspectives on communication, the importance of perception in the communication process, the characteristics of verbal and nonverbal communication, and skills needed for effective listening.
- Demonstrate knowledge of theories related to interpersonal, small group, intercultural, organizational, mediated, and public communication situations.
- Write a critical analysis of a communication interaction that uses theories or concepts discussed in the class to critique communication behaviors.
- Display competent communication behaviors during classroom activities involving small group and public communication.
Professionalism:
Be on time for class. Turn cell phones on silent and do not send text messages. Professionalism includes listening to others’ opinions (although not necessarily agreeing with those opinions), actively listening to those who are speaking during lectures and discussion, and working together in a spirit of cooperation and teamwork. Learning is maximized by reading class materials, note-taking, active listening, and cognitive engagement.
Attendance Policy:
Regular attendance and active engagement are required. Considering the amount of money you invested to enroll in this course it would be in your best interest to attend each class period. You are paying either $1,132 or $2,312to take this class, depending on whether you are a resident or non-resident of Ohio. Excused absences are only granted for legitimate reasons as per university policy, such as university sponsored travel (it is your responsibility to provide documentation beforehand) or dire personal emergencies (that I am notified about beforehand, have approved, and are properly documented). Meetings for other classes, appointments with advisors, work-related excuses, catching rides home, not feeling well, and many other personal reasons for missing class are not considered “excused” absences. Please note that university policy does provide any personal days. However, I recognize that there might be days when students need to be absent even though the university does not consider it a legitimate absence. Thus, I allow students 2 personal days for absences due to whatever reason she/he might have. It would be wise to save these days for unexpected emergencies or unplanned events. Missing more than 2 personal days will result in the student’s total grade being lowered 5% for each additional absence. Although this deduction is significant, recall that it could be charged for any absence that is not excused; thus, my personal day policy is actually generous in that it permits a wider range of absences without penalty than the university policy. Entering late or leaving class early will be counted as partial absences and measured by 30 minute increments (i.e, missing any part of a 30 minute increment counts as one-fourth of an absence). Any student missing 5 or more class periods for any reason should withdraw and re-take the class, as he/she will not be awarded a passing grade.
Late Work and Incomplete Grade Policy:
Quizzes,examinations, papers, and presentations are expected at the beginning of class on the due date. Quizzes, examinations, and presentations will NOT be accepted late and cannot be made up if the absence is not excused. When a student misses class, his or her points for that day will be forfeited. Exceptions will rarely be made, if at all, and only in special cases I have been notified about and have approved beforehand. Papers will be accepted late, but an automatic 10% of the points possible will be deducted; with an additional 20% deducted for each 24 hours the assignment is late. In the case of documented university sponsored travel, written assignments, examinations, and presentations should be completed prior to the absence. I do not give incomplete or “PR” grades.
Academic Misconduct Policy:
Students are expected to be honest in all academic work. All work is to be appropriately cited in both oral and written form when it is borrowed, directly or indirectly, from another source. Unauthorized and unacknowledged collaboration and/or the presentation of someone else’s work warrants plagiarism. Documented cases of academic misconduct (including cheating on an exam, falsifying evidence, or plagiarizing a written assignment) will result in a failing grade for the course and a referral to the judiciaries office. Please refer to the Student Handbook for a discussion of the penalties for plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic misconduct. Such information may be found at:
Special Needs Accommodation:
I will be happy to accommodate any special needs you may have throughout the class. Please contact me if there are things I can do to make your learning experience more productive. If you have need for accommodation I also encourage you to contact the Office of Disability Services at (740) 593-2620. Although I try to accommodate students whenever possible, I require written documentation from the Office of Disability Services for ongoing accommodations.
Comprehensive Final Exam:
The final exam is comprehensive(it covers textbook chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, & CMC, as well as PowerPoint slides and in-class notes/activities). The final examis closed book/closed notes. I do not allow students to take the exam early.
Course Assignments and Grades:
The following assignments will be completed by each student. All exams, papers, and presentations must be completed to receive a passing grade in the course. You can determine your course grade at any particular point in time by dividing the number of points you have earned by the number of points possible. No extra-credit is available in this course.
Quizzes & ExamsPoints Possible/Your Points
First Quiz20/_____
First Examination60/_____
Second Quiz20/_____
Comprehensive Final Examination100/_____
Presentations, Papers, & Activities
Group Presentation25/_____
Individual Paper50/_____
Chapter 7 Activities5/_____
Chapter 9 Activities5/_____
Chapter 2 Activities5/_____
Chapter 4 Activities5/_____
Chapter 5 Activities5/_____
Total300/_____
The following grading scale will be used in the course:
A = 93%-100%A- = 90%-92%
B+ = 87%-89%B = 83%-86% B- = 80%-82%
C+ = 77%-79%C = 73%-76%C- = 70%-72%
D+ = 67%-69%D = 63%-66%D- = 60%-62%
F = 0%-59%
Tentative Schedule
Date / Topic / Reading DueWeek 1
Mon, July 28 / *Introduction to the Course
Tue, July 29 / *Introduction to the Course / *Read Syllabus
*Buy Textbook
Wed, July 30 / *Intercultural Communication / *Read Chapter 7
Thu, July 31 / *The Dynamics of Small Group
Communication / *Read Chapter 9
Week 2
Mon, Aug.4 / *Introduction to Human Communication / *Read Chapter 1
Tue, Aug. 5 / *Perception, Self, and Communication / *Read Chapter 2
Wed, Aug. 6 / *First Quiz (covers chapters 1, 2, 7, & 9)
*Group Work and Preparation for Presentations
Thu, Aug. 7 / *Watch movie Lost in Translation (2003)
Week 3
Mon, Aug. 11 / *Language and Meaning / *Read Chapter 3
Tue, Aug. 12 / *Nonverbal Communication / *Read Chapter 4
Wed, Aug. 13 / *Listening and Critical Thinking / *Read Chapter 5
Thu, Aug. 14 / *First Exam (covers chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7,
& 9)
Week 4
Mon, Aug. 18 / *Interpersonal Communication / *Read Chapter 6
Tue, Aug. 19 / *Workplace Communication / *Read Chapter 8
Wed, Aug. 20 / *Mediated Communication and Media Literacy / *Read CMC Chapter
Thu, Aug. 21 / *Second Quiz (covers chapters 6,8, & CMC)
*Group Work and Preparation for Presentations
Week 5
Mon, Aug. 25 / *Group Work and Preparation for Presentations
Tue, Aug. 26 / *Group Presentations
Wed, Aug. 27 / *Review for Final Exam
*Course Evaluations / *Individual Paper
Due
Thu, Aug. 28 / *Comprehensive Final Exam (covers
chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, & CMC;
as well as class notes and PowerPoints)
Group Presentation
(25 points)
1. Every person in your group must speak during the presentation. Each group member should speak for approximately the same amount of time. Please get everyone involved.
2. Your group will have a maximum of 25 minutes for your presentation. Be sure to fill as much of this time as possible without going overtime. Anything less than a 20 minute presentation will result in an automatic 10% deduction of points.
3. Your group will use the movie Lost in Translation (2003) as the general starting point or stimulus material for the topic or theme of your presentation. We will watch the movie in class. The movie will serve as the conversation starter for your group. Please feel free to branch out from there and be as creative as you want to with your presentation. This assignment is intended to be flexible enough to allow each group to develop their own creative, unique, and interesting presentation.
a. Please talk to me about what your group intends to do for a presentation after
we watch the movie. I can suggest a few ideas that might help you. I am open to whatever your group wants to do, but you need to approve it with me beforehand.
b. Your group can use a variety of presentation styles. For instance, consider the
following ideas: You may want to act out a skit to illustrate your point. Or, you may want to use visual aids like PowerPoint or a slideshow of pictures. Your group may want to debate or discuss an issue like a talk show or a news program would. You may produce a handout for the audience if you wish. You can use relevant evidence or stories from the news (be sure to cite any sources you use). Or, you may want to lead the class through an activity to demonstrate your ideas.
c. Talk about how culture and communication are depicted in the movie. Do you
agree with how culture and communication are shown in the movie? Consider the following questions: Is the movie accurate? Why or why not? How is real life similar or different? What concepts that we have read about in the textbook or discussed in class can be related to the movie?
4. I will fill out an evaluation form as I watch your group’s presentation. The evaluation form will provide you with my comments and a grade. I expect that each member of your group will receive the same grade, unless someone is not involved as much as he or she should be. The evaluation form will grade your group’s presentation based upon the delivery of your presentation (verbal and nonverbal delivery), the content of your presentation (your ideas, information, and topics covered), the organization of your presentation (the introduction, body, and conclusion of the presentation), and the ability of your presentation to stimulate the audience’s interest and maintain their attention.
Individual Paper
(50 points)
1. Your paper should be a minimum of two full typed double-spaced pages. Feel free to write more than two pages if you wish. The font should be 12 point plain Times New Roman. The margins should be set to 1.25 inches on the sides and 1.00 inches on top and bottom. Your paper and any references must adhere to APA style, 5th edition. Write well and proofread to earn above average points.
2. Your paper should have your name and a title at the top of the page. No other information should be listed. A header should indicate your full name and page number at the top right corner of each page (i.e., “Kevin Meyer 1”). A title should appear, centered, on the top line of the first page.
3. Your paper should be divided into paragraphs where appropriate. Five paragraphs are suggested; one each for the introduction, parts of the body (see #5 below), and conclusion. Finally, you need an introduction and a conclusion paragraph, probably three paragraphs in the body of the paper, but that could differ somewhat depending on the content of your particular paper.
4. Please staple your paper together before you hand it in.
5. Your paper should reflect on or discuss your experience of communicating and working with your group members throughout our five weeks together. Your paper should integrate specific terminology from the textbook where appropriate. You should address the following questions, while describing specific examples to illustrate your points:
a. What did you learn about group communication? What did you learn about group climate, conflict, roles, leadership, problem solving, and decision making?
b. What did you learn about intercultural communication? What works? What does not work?