COM 134: Interpersonal Communication

Section: PRE 133 (20755) Yavapai College Summer 2012

June 4, 2012 July 28, 2012 Instructor: Stacey L. Hilton, M.S. Email: stacey.hilton@yc.edu Phone: (928) 717-7775 Office Location: Bld. 3, Room 107E - Prescott Campus Office Hours: Hours will vary. Please stop by or call for appointment Portal Login: http://www.yc.edu > Click Blackboard icon

Course Description
COM 134. Interpersonal Communication (3). Build healthy personal and professional relationships. Includes listening, coping with criticism, resolving conflicts, managing emotions, nonverbal communication, and developing empathy for gender and cultural differences. Prerequisite: Reading Proficiency. Three lecture. Required: Interplay: The Process of Interpersonal Communication, Ronald Adler, Lawrence B. Rosenfeld, Russell F. Proctor II, Published by Oxford University Press. Copyright 2012. Twelfth Edition (ISBN 9780199827428)

Course Purpose
To enable students to understand the fundamentals of effective communication in the initiation, maintenance, and evolution of personal and professional relationships. To provide students with a framework for identifying and evaluating dysfunctional communication patterns, as well as identifying the elements of communication competence at the interpersonal level. To give students a method and a vocabulary for examining their own relationships and for identifying strategies to achieve more satisfying relationships.

Course Content
1. Perception of self and others 2. Self-awareness and self-acceptance 3. Irrational thinking and debilitative emotions 4. Responding to others: listening and feedback 5. Concrete versus abstract language 6. Communicating without words: nonverbal communication 7. Building positive relationships 8. Self-disclosure in relationships 9. Overcoming barriers and resolving conflicts 10. Assertiveness and aggression 11. Gender and cultural issues in a complex, diverse society

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Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the learner will be able to: 1. Use listening skills and oral presentations as modes of discovery, reflection, understanding and sustained disciplined reasoning. (4,9) 2. Generate organized, logical communication appropriate to the needs of a specific communication environment. (1,3,4,7,8,10) 3. Use precise writing, speaking and listening for a variety of audiences and purposes.(5, 9, 10) 4. Identify both the conscious and unconscious use of written, verbal and nonverbal communication. (2,5,6,7) 5. Identify and interpret discourse in specific communication environments. (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, 11) 6. Express awareness of multiple meanings and perspectives of communication.(1,11) 7. Differentiate between the use of concrete and abstract language. (5) 8. Identify skills for building positive relationships. (7,8) 9. Implement strategies for recognizing and managing the cause of conflict in relationships. (9,10) 10. Differentiate between stereotypes and legitimate differences in communication styles, based on gender and cultural background (11)

Assessment Measures
The following measures of assessment will be used throughout COM 134 this semester. 1. Discussions 2. Self-Assessment Critique 3. Weekly Assignments 4. Quizzes 5. Written journal, minimum of 1,500 word entries 6. Relationship Analysis from Movie

Grading Criteria
Chapter Quizzes (12 @ 10 points each) 120 points Weekly Concept Assignments (8 @ 20 points) 160 points Concept assignments will be assigned to enhance chapter learning. Weekly Discussion Board (8 @ 10 points) 80 points Written Journal (12 @ 10 points) 120 points A journal entry will need to be written on each topic covered throughout the semester. Journals will be checked during specific points throughout the semester. Movie Analysis 120 points You will be required to analyze the movie The Story of Us based on key concepts you have analyzed throughout the course of the semester. Communication Theorist Project 200 points Students will research a communication theorist of his/her choice. Proof of Research Paper 50 points Write, Cite, Evaluate Assignment 50 points Research Paper 100 points COM 134: Interpersonal Communication Page 2 of 6

Grading Scale 720-800 points 640-719 points 560-639 points 470-549 points Below 469 points A B C D F

Note: For any research required for this course, please use the MLA format for citing your sources. An excellent on-line guide for this format, offered by Purdue University, can be found at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html

Instructor Procedures
I will do my best to respond to emails within 24-48 hours of normal business hours. I will also do my best to correct and grade assignments within 48-72 hours after the scheduled due date. If you have questions regarding a discussion or assignment, please contact me prior to the due date so your question is answered in a timely manner. Online Attendance If you do not participate in two consecutive discussions and/or you do not respond to my personal emails, I will assume you no longer desire to be a part of the class and you will be dropped. However, while the instructor may or may not drop a student, it is ultimately your responsibility to drop the class. This is very important in an online class when I dont have the opportunities to evaluate your attendance like I would in a face-to-face class. Late Work Each weekly folder will open on Friday at noon prior to the start of the week. All readings, assignments and discussions are due by 10:00 pm on Sunday evening of each week. This will give you almost 10 days to complete the weeks assignments. You will need to submit your work prior to the due date. If I receive your work after the scheduled due date, I will deduct points accordingly regarding the number of points for each assignment. If unknown circumstances occur that will prevent you from submitting your work by the due date, please call or email me immediately. It is recommended that you attempt to send in assignments prior to the due dates in case any technical problems arise. Netiquette Some of the content you will be dealing with may be controversial or may require difference of opinion. All students should respect other peoples opinions and think about the comments they respond to in the discussion board. I will not tolerate any explicit comments regarding ethnicity, gender, sexual related content or cuss words. Appropriate action will be taken if students violate other students rights.

Institution Policies
Online students still need to adhere to the following institutional policies. Attendance Students are expected to attend and participate in all class meetings, laboratories, and field trips. A student who expects to be absent due to another school-sponsored activity or compelling personal reason must make prior arrangements with the instructor. All course work must be made up as directed by the instructor. A student who does not adhere to instructor and College attendance requirements may be dropped from the course as defined in the Yavapai College General Catalog.

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Course Withdrawal After the drop/add period closes, students may withdraw until the deadline for student-initiated withdrawals. Withdrawals result in a "W" on the permanent transcript. Last day to drop with a 100% refund: Sunday, June 3, 2012 Last day to drop with a 50% refund: Tuesday, June 5, 2012 Last day for Student-Initiated Withdrawals: Tuesday, July 3, 2012 Last day for Instructor-Initiated Withdrawals: Thursday, July 19, 2012

Academic Integrity Honesty in academic work is a central element of the learning environment. The presentation of another individuals work as ones own or the act of seeking unfair academic advantage through cheating, plagiarism or other dishonest means are violations of the Colleges Code of Conduct. Failure to abide by the terms and conditions of the Code of Conduct will result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the College. Definitions of plagiarism, cheating, and violation of copyright and penalties for violation are available in the Yavapai College General Catalog. Student Code of Conduct Respect for the rights of others and for the College and its property are fundamental expectations for every student. The Student Code of Conduct outlines behavioral expectations, and explains the process for responding to allegations of student misconduct. Disability Support Services Yavapai College is committed to providing educational support services to students with documented disabilities. Academic support services or accommodations for mobility impaired students must be arranged through the ADA Coordinator Prescott Campus: 928.776.2079 or Verde Valley Campus: 928.634.6563 Cell Phone and Pager Policy Yavapai College is committed to providing a quality learning environment. All cell phones and pagers must be placed in a non-audible mode while in classrooms, computer labs, the library, the learning center, and testing areas. Cell phones and pagers must be used outside these facilities.

Student Support Services

Library Services Library services are available at the Prescott Campus and the Verde Valley Campus libraries. Both libraries are members of a countywide library network, which provides access to a wide-range of information and resources at libraries throughout Yavapai County. Possession of a College library card entitles students to access materials housed at member libraries. Instructors may place required course materials on reserve in the library or make assignments that require the use of library resources. Learning Resource Center A Learning Resource Center is available at the Prescott and Verde Valley Campuses. These centers provide a variety of learning support for students including tutoring, adaptive computer and equipment for students with disabilities, computer-assisted instruction, adult basic education, and English as a Second Language classes. You can also check additional resources such as tutoring, registration, and financial aid by going to Yavapai Colleges website at http://www.yc.edu

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Tutoring You may be eligible to receive individual tutoring through the SSS TRIO program from trained and certified tutors. SSS also offers group tutoring in math as well as a HESI study group. The benefits of tutoring include grade improvement, learning new study skills, and time management. Online Resources and Services The Teaching and eLearning Support Department has many resources available to assist students in the online environment. Please go to their main Student Support website at: http://www.yc.edu/onlinelearning

Blackboard How Tos

How To Save Your Assignments in Rich Text Format (rtf) I will be using Microsoft Word as my primary word processing program. If you do not have Microsoft Word on your computer, you will need to save your files in Rich Text Format. This will allow me to open your files regardless of the word processing program you will be using for this course. In order to save your file in Rich Text Format, please follow these steps:
1. 2.

3.

When you are finished typing or editing your document in WordPerfect, Works, etc., click on the File menu and select the Save As option. Once the correct location has been chosen (Desktop, My Documents, etc.), select Rich Text Format or rtf option under the Save File as Type menu. The location and name for this option might be different on your particular machine and software. Your document will be formatted in Rich Text Format with an .rtf file extension after the name.

If you are using a MAC, you must remember to type .rtf after the file name.

How To Submit Assignments There will be due dates and directions posted for each assignment you will need to submit. In order to submit an assignment, follow these instructions.
1. For each assignment, you should click on the title of the assignment. 2. In the Assignment Materials area, add any Comments for the instructor. 3. To attach your file, click the Browse button and locate your saved assignment file. Your saved file should be in Rich Text Format (rtf). 4. Click Open to attach. 5. If you want, you can Add Another File by clicking on the button. 6. Click Submit to send the assignment to your instructor.

How To Utilize the Discussion Boards Discussion boards allow students to respond to questions posted by their instructors. It also allows students to post comments for other students. To access the discussion board, click the Discussion Board link on the left side navigation bar. 1. Click on the title of the discussion board (Ex. Week 1: Class Introductions) 2. Click the Create Thread button. 3. Enter a subject and your message. If you wish to attach a document to your message, click the Browse button to search for it. 4. Click the Submit button. If you want to reply to another students comment, click on the subject of their message and then click the Reply or Quote button. (Quote just means, reply with history) Please dont click on the students name as it will try to send them an email.

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How To Check Your Grades You can check your course grades by clicking on the View Grades link on the left side navigation bar of your COM 134 course.

Course Calendar
Please see additional handout for the course calendar.

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