Syllabus


Course Description: This three-credit course is a prerequisite for the Communication and New Media Baccalaureate degree. Emphases include developing interpersonal skills in initiating, developing and maintaining relationships as well as identifying and controlling deterioration in relationships. Special emphasis is on defining the self, identifying perceptual influences and barriers, developing active listening skills, and relational amelioration.


Course Goal: Increase your skill level to interpersonally communicate.


Outcomes: Through regular attendance and active participation you will be able to:
  • Understand the axioms of interpersonal communication and the principles of the self,
  • Evaluate the interplay between verbal and non-verbal communication,
  • Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the perceptual process of communication,
  • Apply active listening and its principles in your communication,
  • Explain the nature of trust and be able to define and build that trust,
  • Distinguish between the risks and advantages involved in increasing self disclosure,
  • Identify dysfunctional conflict styles and apply strategies for resolving conflict,
  • Develop a greater sensitivity and skill in intercultural communication and relationships,
  • Converse with more assertiveness and a higher confidence level,
  • Explain the importance and function of shared meaning,
  • Identify relationship stages and relate them to your own experiences,
  • Maintain relationships and identify symptoms of trouble within,
  • Identify personal barriers to thinking and communication,
  • Execute original base-line research in the interpersonal discipline.
This course is a core requirement for the Communication Baccalaureate. The theory and skills indicated above are a foundation for advanced skills and critical thinking within this degree. This syllabus is designed to meet the course goal through application of the above outcomes.

You have a number of resources to help you achieve these, not the least of which are your peers in this program. This is a collaborative discipline, one that functions through the cooperation and camaraderie of everyone involved.


Item Pool
These activities are designed to get you discovering different aspects of real-world television news production, develop a working knowledge of specific production protocols, and qualify to use production equipment in this program.

Items
1.  Put Into Practice - 100 points
Increasing interpersonal competency involves commitment and practice. There are concepts and ideas we'll discuss in class that you can try immediately, all of which involve a change in your established communicative behaviors. I expect change and I'm asking that you write about how you went about it. Develop a blog for this class with posts that reflect your attempts in change, in recognizing your authentic self, in evaluating your perceptual process, in dissolving your barriers to thinking and communication, and in improving assertiveness in conflict resolution. Post about your shifts as they become assigned in class, putting into practice the concepts that will improve your communication.

2. The Personal Contract - 100 points
This is a document you will draft indicating the agreements you’ve made to help you reach interpersonal competency and personal freedom. Discover your self-concept; how you see yourself, how you think others might perceive you, and how others might actually perceive you. This requires you to take a personal inventory of your strengths, virtues, weaknesses, vices, values, beliefs, opinions and attitudes (items found in your open and hidden panes of the JoHari Window). You will also need to talk with people close to you and ask how they perceive you based on your inventory (Items that you. You’ll find out things about yourself; things you already know, things you never wanted to know, and things you’re glad you discovered.

3. Charting Relational Stages - 200 Points
This critical thought paper targets and encourages your ability to analyze communication theory, specifically for this class as they relate to your relationships. Chart a current or past relationship that you have been involved in. If you’re currently involved, invite your significant other to participate to see if your perception of the relationship progress is the same as his or hers.

4. Assessments - Three at 200 points each
All assessments are designed to give me an idea of how you’re doing in understanding and applying the objectives of this course, and how I’m doing in teaching them. Your first assessment is a synthesis instrument to see how you're integrating the principles taught in the first third of the class. The second assessment is application, assessing your ability to apply verbal and non-verbal theory and concepts to a dyadic artifact. The third assessment is your final and is a combination of multiple choice, true/false and fill-in-the-blank. You will be accountable for and assessed on principles discussed in class and in the all the books referenced for this class.


Policies and Resources
Qualification
As a core class for the Bachelor of Communication degree, you need to achieve a C+ or higher as the grade outcome of this class for it to count towards your degree requirements.

Missing Class
Class attendance goes without question. Two absences and your evaluation drops one whole grade. Four absences results in administrative withdrawal or if after the withdraw deadline, failing the course. There is no such thing as an excused absence. You show up or you don’t.

Plagiarism and Cheating
Plagiarism is the use of another source’s words, ideas or statistics without their permission and/or proper citation. Anyone who plagiarizes material in my class will receive a grade of zero on that assignment. Anyone found cheating on term assessments will fail the test, though I also reserve the right to assign you an “F” for the course and/or refer you to our chair for further sanctions. If you submit a falsified electronic document that I cannot open, you will fail the assignment. Please keep in mind that one can be expelled from the college for academic dishonesty.

Also see Academic dishonesty / Academic integrity policy.

Electronic Devices
Ringing or vibrating cell phones will not be tolerated in class. Silence them while you’re here. First interruption infraction and you owe me a fully stamped Cafe Rio card. Second infraction and you're buying everyone lunch at Cafe Rio.

Technology is encouraged for use in class discussion and research. Facebook and email on your own time. If I find you engaged in something other than what's relevant to discussion, you owe me a full Cafe Rio card.

Submission of Assignments
All work for this class will be submitted via email as a Google document. This ensures I can open your document and verify contents regardless of platform. No other format will be accepted. Format your submissions in the subject line with the course number, assignment, and your name. If I were submitting my personal contract for COMM 2110, my subject line would read:
COMM2110, Contract, Young.


Assignments are due the date indicated on the course schedule on this web site. I don't accept late work nor do I accept technical excuses like a crashed computer or an email glitch. Papers are due by the beginning of class. Work containing typographical and grammatical errors will be returned without evaluation. Proof your work. DSC provides a free service for students desiring additional assistance with their writing assignments. The Writing Center is located in the Browning Building. Call Barbara Turnbow at 652-7743 for information.

Email Communication
Important class and college information will be sent to your D-mail account. All DSC students are automatically assigned a D-mail email account. Click and select D-mail for complete instructions. You will be held accountable for information sent to your D-mail, so please check it often.

Hostility
I reserve the right to remove any student from this class and/or program based on documentable breech of citizenship such as sexual harassment, hostile environment, discrimination based on race, religion, gender and/or sexuality, as well as plagiarism, misrepresentation, and/or malicious gossip.

Withdrawal and Drop Deadlines
Please consult the semester schedule for withdrawal and reimbursement deadlines. You will be charged a $10 fee for dropping this class.

Late Work and Missing Tests
Should you miss an assessment due to medical reasons, you must provide documentation that states you were otherwise occupied at the time or in the general vicinity of class time. All excused absences must be presented right after the absence, and will be verified. I will determine what is excused. Any missed exams will only be made up with appropriate excused documentation.

Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with a medical, psychological or a learning difference and requesting reasonable academic accommodations due to this disability, you must provide an official request of accommodation to your professor(s) from the Disability Resource Center within the first two weeks of the beginning of classes. Students are to contact the center on the main campus to follow through with, and receive assistance in the documentation process to determine the appropriate accommodations related to their disability.

You may call (435) 652-7516 for an appointment and further information regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 per Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The office is located in the Student Services Center, Room #201 of the Edith Whitehead Building.
Library and Literacy Contacts
Dianne Hirning is the librarian over Communication resources. She is your resource and guide for research within this discipline. You can reach her at hirning@dixie.edu and by phone at 652-7720.

Resources:


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