Professor: Dr. Deborah Petersen-Perlman
Office: 407 ABAH
Phone: 726-7528 (you may leave a voice mail message at any time of the day or
night)
email: dpeters1
Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:30-2:30/Thursdays 1:30-3:30 p.m., and by appointment.
Class Meetings: MWF 1:00-1:50, 445 ABAH
Class alias: comm1222-7-s2008
Text: McCornack, Steven. Reflect & Relate: An Introduction to Interpersonal Communication. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007.
Objectives: This course will introduce theories of interpersonal communication and will engage students in the development and enhancement of interpersonal communication skills.
By assisting students in the analysis and development of human communication skills, this course fulfills category 3 of the Liberal Education/Minnesota Transfer Curriculum requirements: Communication, Computer Science, and Foreign Languages.
Assignments: You will have three Unit Tests corresponding
with each of the units in the text.
These unit tests are each worth 15% of your final grade
and cover blocks of chapters. The Part I Test is over chapters 1-4 and is scheduled
for February 22; the Part II Test is over chapters 5-9
and is scheduled for April 11; and Part III Test is over
chapters10-12 and is scheduled for May 12 (12:00-1:55 p.m.).
The test format will be a combination of true/false, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank,
short answer and essay questions.
We will have frequent In-Class Exercises which are also
worth 10% of your grade. These are non-graded exercises,
but you must be present to participate and receive credit for them. In other
words, if you are here and actively participate you will earn a 20% A–or
80 points out of 400 for the class.
Finally, I will ask you to write three Papers worth 15% each of your final grade. The specific topics will be distributed in class. Your goal in these papers is to apply the ideas from the text as they relate to your own experiences.
Course Expectations: I expect you to do the readings before you come to class. I want you to ask questions about your reading and your observations of interpersonal communication. I hope you will pay attention to the exercise of interpersonal communication in your daily life. It is my fondest wish that you will share your observations with the rest of the class. I expect you to be an active participant in class exercises and discussions.
I expect you to move beyond the accumulation of facts to a more sophisticated level of synthesis and integration of ideas.
If you are inclined, I encourage you to consider leading the class for part
of one period. If you choose to do this, please let me know well enough in advance
and I'll work with you on structuring your part of the class period.
I expect you to do your work on time. Start assignments the day they are given.
The earlier you get started the more able I will be to help you, and the better
your work will be. I am happy to read typed rough drafts if they are submitted
to me at least four class periods prior to the assigned due date (one week ).
I really cannot give extensions or incompletes, but if life gets the best of
you, come talk to me about it (see my note below).
I expect you to do your own work. You are expected and encouraged to get ideas and information from articles and books that you read, and from discussions and exposure to movies and the electronic media, but that work must be used responsibly. If you use ideas obtained from another source (whether it is print, electronic, film, or another person), you must give clear credit in your submission (regardless of whether it is a tape, an outline, or a paper) in the form of an endnote, a parenthetical reference, or a footnote. If you use the words of one of these sources--whether a phrase, a sentence, a paragraph or more--those works must be appropriately punctuated and attributed to their source, so as to distinguish them from your own. This is also true of paraphrasing another's words. Failure to do so is plagiarism. It is unethical to submit the same paper for more than one course--don't do it!
The University Bulletin outlines the policy on scholastic misconduct. Cheating on assignments, examinations, plagiarizing or any other "act which violates the rights of another student in academic work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work will result in a failing grade" for the class. I expect you to do your own assigned work.
I expect you to assume professionalism in the completion of your assignments. That means that everything you submit for a grade must be typed/word processed and proofread. Think of this as a writing class. Apply the same standards to your written work for this class that you would use in the completion of an assignment for your college writing course. That means you must avoid typographical, spelling and grammatical errors. If I have to mark more than five errors per page your grade will be negatively affected.
The more you participate in this learning experience the more you will get out of it. Passivity breeds boredom and contempt - avoid it at all costs.
Policies:
Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might
affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to inform the instructor
at the start of the summer session term. Adaptation of methods, materials, or
testing may be made as required to provide for equitable participation.
Back-up all work by way of computer disks and paper copy.
Submit a complete bibliography with your final reports.
ALL work submitted for a letter grade must be TYPED (or word processed with a laser-quality printer), PROOFREAD, and appropriately CITED (use endnotes or internal parenthetical citations). Make sure your name appears on all work.
If, for ANY reason, you do not attend class during the assigned periods for any of the exams, and if your excuse has been approved, you will be given an alternative 100% essay examination.
Late work will not be accepted unless it has been cleared well in advance and in writing with Dr. Petersen-Perlman. No projects more than one week past due date will be accepted under any circumstances.
No incompletes will be given.
Extensive plagiarism--for example submitting someone else's work as your own--will result in the instigation of university-sanctioned plagiarism procedures. If two students turn in essentially the same assignment (or if I recognize it as belonging to a previous student), both are subject to these procedures. It is therefore your responsibility to prevent copying of your work by someone else in the same or subsequent quarters . There are also plagiarism policies which can be applied to copying someone else's answers during an examination or permitting someone else to copy your answers. The University Bulletin outlines the policy on scholastic misconduct. Cheating on assignments, examinations, plagiarizing or any other "act which violates the rights of another student in academic work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work will result in a failing grade" for the class. I expect you to do your own assigned work.
Turn off all cell phones and pagers in this class and put away all extraneous reading material (accepting cell phone calls or texting during class is extremely rude and will not be tolerated). I will confiscate any electronic devices which interfere with class. If there is a family emergency necessitating your availability, please discuss this with me in advance and arrange to have the departmental secretary notified so that she can alert us of the situation.
Ground Rules for Class Discussion:
I expect this class to be conducted in an open and respectful manner. To that end I have adopted Lynn Weber Cannon's Ground Rules for Class Discussion. These rules were published in her article "Fostering Positive Class, Race and Gender Dynamics in the Classroom," which appeared in Women's Studies Quarterly, 1990: 1 & 2, 130-132.
* We can assume that discrimination exists in many forms (e.g. sexism, racism, classism, ageism, homophobia, anti-semitism, ableism, etc.). Any critical understanding of these various -isms means that we need to recognize that we have been taught misinformation about our own group as well as about members of other groups. This is true for both dominant (e.g. white, male, upper class, heterosexual, able-bodied, etc.) and subordinate (e.g. people of color, women, poor and working class, gay/lesbian, disabled, Jew, etc.) group members.
* Based on these assumptions, then, let's agree that we cannot be blamed for the misinformation we have learned, but we should take personal responsibility for repeating misinformation after we have learned otherwise. This is not to suggest that any one person has a corner on truth or that disagreement with any one idea carries with it any kind of punitive response. People and groups, however, are not to be blamed for their subordinate positions.
* Let's assume that people are always doing the best they can. Let's actively pursue information about our groups and those of others. Let us share information about our own groups with other members of the class but never demean, devalue, or in any way put down people for their experiences.
* Essentially what this means is that we can talk about any ideas the class agrees to discuss, but that we will do so with respect for each other as human beings. We will not engage in depersonalized name-calling. We each have an obligation to actively combat the myths and stereotypes about our own groups and other groups so that we can break down the walls which prohibit group cooperation and group gain.
* Let's create a safe atmosphere for open discussion. Thus, at times, members of the class may wish to share writing or make comments that they do not want repeated outside the classroom. If so, the student will preface his/her remarks with a request and the class will agree not to repeat those remarks.
In the interest of fairness, no early exams will be permitted. Essay makeup exams will be available only to those with credible and documented medical emergencies or personal tragedies. As a rule, no late work will be accepted and no incompletes will be given, but the monster statement above applies here as well. Keep in touch and do not procrastinate. I try to be a very approachable person and I will help you as much as I am able. I see myself as a student-centered teacher, but I want you to keep up your end of the bargain as well. Let's work together for an enjoyable and enlightening summer session.
Schedule for Spring 2008
Week of:
January 22: Introductions, Syllabus,
January 28: Chapter1: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication
February 4: Chapter 2: Considering Self
February 11: Chapter 3: Perceiving Others, Paper 1 due, February 15
February 18: Chapter 4: Experiencing and Expressing Emotions
February 22: Part I Test
February 25-March 3 Chapter 5: Developing Interpersonal Competence
March 10: Chapter 6: Listening Actively, Paper 2 due, March 14
March 24: Chapter 7: Communicating Verbally
March 31: Chapter 8: Communicating Nonverbally
April 7: Chapter 9: Managing Conflict
and Power
April 11: Part II Test
April 14-April 21--Chapter 10: Relationships with Romantic Partners
April 28--Chapter 11: Relationships with Family and Friends, Paper 3 due, May
2
May 5--Chapter 12: Relationshps in the Workplace
May 12, 10:00 a.m.-11:55 a.m. Final Exam: Part III Test