Jodi Hallsten Lyczak: / 417 Fell / 8-7741

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

COM 111: Introduction to Communication Theory, 3 hrs.
Spring 2016 – CVA 151 at 4pm MW

Course Description:

We spend our days communicating. We talk, we write, we text, we email, maybe we use ESP. We communicate privately and publicly, with people of different cultures and backgrounds. Why do we communicate? What is happening “behind the scenes” that explains this process of communication? You will have the opportunity to find answers to those questions.

So What? (What’s In It For Me?)

Result from Course / Benefit to You
Understand the process of theory development and basic theory evaluation / You will understand how we come to arrive at the knowledge we have about communication – the knowledge that drives our entire major!
Understand the main paradigms under which communication theorists operate and perform research / You will understand why we study various ideas about communication, and how we go about studying these things. This will help you understand all of those things about communication that we learn in class (e.g. how the media effect us, why we feel nervous when someone acts oddly around us, why our company tells us they’re ‘employee focused’ when clearly they are not, how we can predict people’s behavior, etc.). This will also help you succeed in COM 297.
Understand and recognize communication theories in the areas of Interpersonal Communication, Mass Communication, Organizational Communication, Leadership, and Public Relations and demonstrate an ability to apply them to everyday situations and messages / Suddenly communication situations you have experienced in life will make perfect sense! You will ultimately understand others better, you will notice things that you couldn’t see before when you go to work, interact with your friends, or even consume the media. You’ll understand the media better, be able to persuade people to do or think something, and understand better why people from different cultures (or even your own!) communicate the way they do.
You will also become prepared to engage in the content presented in the rest of the classes in our major.

Steps for Success:

Read. Introduction to Communication Theories. (McGraw Hill custom pub)
By attending class and taking good notes. Communication is not just about talking, but also about listening and remembering. If you’re like me, you have trouble remembering. Good note taking is essential to success so you remember everything we go over, because if you don’t remember then you can’t use the skills we learn!

By participating in class discussions – both when you’re called on and when you’re not! It’s a communication class, so I encourage communication. I know talking in class can be hard, and that sometimes life gets in the way of preparation, so you may not be fully prepared each day. That’s OK. I will help you to engage in the classroom discussion, to ask your questions, to share your perspectives. I want you to feel comfortable and safe communicating. It takes practice.

The Boring Stuff:

If you’re interested in getting a good grade, then show up to class, engage in the discussions, talk to me to clarify anything, and study like crazy for the five exams. 90% of your course grade is based on exams. 10% is based on discussions.Here is the grading scale:

Grades will be distributed as follows:

A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%

D = 60-69%
F = 59% and below

(Note – the computer DOES round up at .5 or higher, so if you earn 69.5, the computer will give you 70. However, 69.4 never, ever rounds up higher.)

Participation is a requirement for this course, and since this is a lecture hall, will be conducted online on the Packback Answers platform. In order to receive a “C” (75%) you must ask 1 question and answer 2 questions relevant to the subject matterper week.To earn a “B” or an “A” requires more participation; levels of higher participation will be determined by the class. That is, I will distribute grades “normally” thereafter. The deadline for all participation is Sunday at midnight CST, however those who frequently wait until Sunday to participate will find a reduction in points (a “procrastination penalty,” if you will).

Note: Packback is NOT Reggienet. It is an external Internet source.

All students should navigate to GetAnswers.Packbackbooks.com and search for themselves by their school email address to check the status of their registration.

If you registered for the course before 1/10/2016, you will be able to continue directly to checkout. If you are not yet in the system, you will be directed to complete the "New Additions to Class" form.

If you have problems, please email them at . Note that they take up to 48 hours to respond; if you email them at the last minute about something, assume that you won’t hear back before a deadline. This is to say: don’t put Packback off until the last minute.

How to win:

You can succeed in this class. You have the opportunity to learn about communicating. This is a very important skill that can set you apart from others in the workplace. If you want to get ahead in your career you can take the first step in this class. Please communicate with me (about confusions, problems or anything else) in a professional manner, and please engage and try your hardest in this class. You should feel safe sharing your opinions in class. You should be excited about reading, discussing, studying, and applying what we will cover in class.

How to contact your professor:

Office Hours: 417 Fell: 12:00-1:30 M/W, and 6:45-7:55 M.
Note: No office hours on finals week.

Office Phone: 309-438-7741

Email:

Our Outstanding GTA:

Mackenzie Mahler ()

Office: Fell 280D / 438-5995

Office Hours: 3-3:45 M/W

Our Outstanding Undergraduate TA:

Chris Saksa:

Exam Review Days: As announced in class.

Our Schedule: (which may change; you need to come to class so you know when we’ve changed the schedule – you’re responsible for knowing all changes).

Date / Topic
1.11 / Intro to Class / No
Packback This Week
1.13 / Launching your study of COM
Thinking about Communication (please bring a pencil!)
Interpersonal Communication Theories
1.18 / Martin Luther King Day – I’ll put today’s lesson online. (Social Penetration Theory / Social Exchange Theory / YES!
It’s a Packback Week! (Wk 1)
1.20 / Expectancy Violations
Relational Dialectics Theory Theory
1.25 / Face Negotiation Theory
Politeness Theory(Reggienet) / YES!
It’s a Packback Week! (Wk 2)
1.27 / Thinking about Theory and Working through Metatheory (Lecture only)
Optional Readings on ReggieNet: “Scientific/Humanistic” and “Scientific Metatheory”Research
2.1 / Critical Theory “Critical Theory - Baseball” (all readings on Reggienet) / Yes!
It’s a Packback Week! (Wk 3)
2.3 / Qualitative Research (Lecture Only) Quantitative Research (Lecture Only)
Intercultural Communication Theories
2.8 / Intercultural Theories (ReggieNet) / Yes!
It’s a Packback Week! (Wk 4)
2.10 / Communication Accommodation Theory
2.15 / Review Class / No
Packback This Week
2.17 / EXAM 1
Media and PR Theories
2.22 / Media Systems Dependency Theory (read also “Dependency Theory”) Direct/Limited Effects (Lecture Only)
Uses and Gratifications Theory (ReggieNet)
Displacement Theory (Reggienet) / Yes!
It’s a Packback Week! (Wk 5)
2.24 / Agenda Setting Theory
2.29 / Spiral of Silence Theory (ReggieNet)
Cultivation Analysis / Yes!
It’s a Packback Week! (Wk 6)
3.2 / Optional Readings on ReggieNet: “Social Learning Theory Optional Addtl Reading”
3.14 / Diffusion of Innovations (ReggieNet) / Yes!
It’s a Packback Week! (Wk 7)
3.16 / Situational Theory (ReggieNet)
3.21 / Quick lesson on PR theory
Conceptualization Model (Reggienet) / No Packback This Week
3.23 / EXAM 2
Organizational Communication and Leadership Theories
3.28 / Theories X, Y, Z (ReggieNet) / Yes!
It’s a Packback Week! (Wk 8)
3.30 / More XYZ Because I Like It! 
4.4 / Organizational Culture Theory (incl addtl reading on Reggienet) / Yes!
It’s a Packback Week! (Wk 9)
4.6 / Leadership and Leader Member Exchange Theory (ReggieNet)
Persuasion Theories
4.11 / Cognitive Dissonance Theory / Yes! It’s a Packback Week! (Wk 10)
4.13 / Social Judgment Theory
Theory of Reasoned Action
Elaboration Likelihood Model
4.18 / Exam 3 / No Packback!
We are done with
Packback!
Rhetorical Theories
4.20 / Narrative Theory
4.25 / Symbolic Convergence Theory
4.27 / Big Final Exam Review Day
Cumulative Final Exam in our normal classroom --- date and time TBA by ISU

Other Stuff:

Cheating: Simply put: don’t do it. Don’t be tempted. Don’t risk it. Cheaters will immediately fail this course and will be reported to the office of Community Rights and Responsibilities. Professors are allowed to advocate for a course of action by CRR: I automatically advocate for academic probation on a first violation; I advocate for expulsion on a second violation.

Exams:Exams must be taken on their scheduled date. No exceptions will be made to this rule, unless you somehow end up missing your head; when they reattach it, we’ll work something out for you. Pictures of your headless self will qualify as documentation for this excuse.

Special Needs: Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability should contact Disability Concerns at 350 Fell Hall, 438-5853 (voice), 438-8620 (TDD).

Classroom Rules(just bear with me – we need these to create the most productive learning environment possible)

We all treat each other with respect.
I understand how tempting your phones are when your mind wanders off during class. To help you resist the temptation, I am kindly requesting that our classroom be a “no phone” zone. Please put your phone on “mute” during class and tuck it away in your book bag. Thank you for your cooperation.

We (our glorious GTA and I) love to hear from you. When we do, we ask you to use appropriate professional format: a greeting, appropriate grammar/ spelling/punctuation, a closing statement, and be signed with your name. One of the main topics we will hear about from you will likely be regarding grades. Please do that within a week of the particular exam in question.

If you’re having problems with Packback, it is in your best interest to contact them immediately. Their customer service email is: . You MUST include me on the email – that means carbon copying me (that’s the little “CC” that appears at the top of your emails. Put my email address there: ). Understand that I have no power over what goes on with your Packback experience. The only way I can verify your problem is by your including me on the email; if you contact me with an issue and you haven’t included me on any emails, I have to assume that you’ve not taken the appropriate steps to correct the problem on your own and I am unable to respond to your request. Also – note that Packback does not staff customer service from 5pm on Friday until 9am on Monday. Any emails sent during that period won’t be answered until after 9am on Monday.

Please don’t pack your bags before I’ve finished lecturing. I can’t help but take personal offense to this. I promise I’ll never waste your time in my classroom – I need you to trust me on this and just be patient until the end. Dropping desktops and packing up early is a nasty habit easily acquired in college. I know you wouldn’t do that if you were at work and your boss was speaking, so please: don’t do it here, either.

Our classroom is a no-laptop zone at all times. Please understand and respect this rule.

Please know that it makes no sense for you to come to me after week 13 because you’re “concerned about your grade.” +/-70% of the coursework has been completed by then and I never offer extra credit. In short: it’s too late to be “concerned” after week 13 because the only advice I can offer you at that point is to attend class every day and participate in all Packback discussion opportunities through the end of the term to earn the +/-45 remaining packback points and do your very best on the final exam. Thank you for understanding this.

Please understand that I am not allowed to communicate with you via email about grades.

Please understand that there’s nothing you can do in our class to improve your grade except what is in the syllabus. Inevitably, many of you will be tempted to email me at the end of the semester when you realize you’re only 2 or 3 percentage points away from the grade you desire and beg me for some kind of extra work to make up those points. While I understand your disappointment and desperation, I cannot give you an opportunity to make up points and not offer it to everyone in the class. If I did – it would be extra credit, and I don’t give extra credit.

Learning More About Your Exam Grades:

Grades will be posted on ReggieNet. You are welcome to look over your exam during designated exam review sessions. If you have an “issue” with a question, you may write an individual rebuttal on that item (or items). You must do this within one week of beinginformed of your grade for a particular exam. Your rebuttal must betyped. Please include your name and indicate:

1)The item number and the form of the test you took;

2)The letter of the key answer or the answer given in class for thequestion;

3)The letter of the answer you put;

4)A coherent, well articulated, grammatically correct paragraph explaining why you believe your answer should be countedas correct (caution: do not just complain, rather explain!).

You may notcopy test questions into your notes for rebuttal consideration. To writea rebuttal you must see the teaching assistant or me to get theinformation you need to make your case. Rebuttals that cite pages of thetext or dates of the lectures prompting your answer will be givenpreference. Rebuttals are voluntary and compulsive students should avoidrebutting every question missed. If you recognize an answer as obviouslywrong, do not write a rebuttal for it.

How to calculate your grade in 111 Spring 2016

Exam 1 = 20 % of your final grade.

Your ~average~(put a decimal in front of it)______x 20 = ______(weighted exam grade)

(Your grade to date is the grade you got on exam 1)

Exam 2= 20 % of your final grade.

Your ~average~(put a decimal in front of it)______x 20 = ______(weighted exam grade)

(To calculate your current course grade, add up your weighted exam grades from exams 1 and 2. Then divide that number by 40.)

Exam 3

Your ~average~(put a decimal in front of it)______x 20 = ______(weighted exam grade)

(To calculate your current course grade, add up your weighted exam grades from exams 1 and 2. Then divide that number by 60.)

Exam 4

Your ~average~(put a decimal in front of it)______x 30 = ______(weighted exam grade)

(To calculate your current course grade, add up your weighted exam grades from exams 1, 2 & 3. Then divide that number by 90.)

Participation (don’t try to figure this in until the end of the semester)

Your ~average~(put a decimal in front of it)______x 10 = ______(weighted participation grade)