Course Syllabus

Download a PDF copy of the syllabus. 

Download a PDF copy of the schedule. 

COMM 1010—INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION

Instructor: Kristi Stevens         Phone: 435-283-7618
Office: LPB 208                      Email: kristi.stevens@snow.edu
Office Hours: TBA or by appointment           Credit hours: 3
       

Course Text: Communication in Everyday Life, (Fourth Ed.), Duck, & McMahan 

Course Description:

COMM 1010 combines communication concepts and skills with dual goals of helping you to understand basic communication principles and improve oral communication skills. This introductory course investigates communication theories and how to use these theories in practical application. Emphasis is placed on individual improvement in communication settings including intrapersonal, interpersonal, computer mediated, small group, public speaking and mass media. This course examines how human communication affects individual perceptions, cultural traditions and human philosophy. 

Course Outcomes:

- Communicate more effectively in interpersonal interactions
- Explore communication theory and ethics
- Deal effectively with conflict and utilize conflict strategies that are productive
- Develop or increase skills in oral presentations
- Listen actively and employ critical thinking skills to create meaningful dialogue
- Decipher verbal and nonverbal cues through which relational messages are often sent
- Explore a variety of philosophical and theoretical questions about human thought and
   experience.
- Gain a greater understanding of how knowledge is created through the study of language     
   systems, literature and/or philosophy.
- Gain a greater understanding of cultural tradition within a historical context, make
   connections with the present and consider the future.
- Write effectively within the Humanities discipline to analyze and form critical judgements.

Content: 

The following topics will be covered in class:

- Characteristics of competent communication
- Intercultural components of communication
- Perception and self concept development
- Presentation skills including: delivery, research, organization, assessment,
  visual aids, audience analysis and communication apprehension
- Intercultural components of communication
- Functions of nonverbal communication
- Importance of effective listening
- Relational Dynamics including communication in close relationships
- Gender Issues
- Engaging in effective conflict resolution
- Research project writing, referencing and study analysis

Instructor Policies:

Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty:
Plagiarism is considered: (1) Presenting as one’s own work as the ideas, representations or words of another person without customary and proper acknowledgement; (2) Submitting as assignment purporting to be the student’s original work, which had been wholly or partly created by another person. PLAGIARISM, CHEATING or ACADEMIC DISHONESTY IN ANY FORM WILL RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE COURSE. Ignorance of what constitutes dishonesty is no excuse. Any incidents of this act will be reported to the Dean of Fine Arts immediately.

Respect the online classroom environment:
-Be tolerant of other students ideas and experience
-Avoid Academic Dishonesty in all forms (See Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty)
-All written work must be handed in on the day the assignment is due to receive credit.
-Other late assignments will be accepted until the next scheduled class period for half credit. (We will follow a Monday, Wednesday, Friday class schedule for assignments.)
-No assignments will be accepted after the next scheduled class date.
-All written work must be typed, proofread and well organized in order to receive credit.

Time Policy: 

You have a 30 second grace period on each presentation. After that, 5 points will be deducted from the score for each 30 second interval (over or under) that is surpassed. For example, if 95% presentation runs 15 seconds overtime, the score will be reduced to a 90% etc. 

 

NO PRESENTATIONS WILL BE GIVEN AFTER THE DESIGNATED PRESENTATION DAYS. 

NO EXAMS WILL BE ADMINISTERED AFTER THE DESIGNATED TEST DAYS. 

 

American with Disabilities Act:

Snow College is committed to policies of equal opportunity in employment and educational programs, and to allow all persons access to college programs regardless of sex, age, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, or veteran disability in compliance with Title VII or the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Vocational Amendments of 1976, and other federal and state constitutional and statutory provisions.

Students with medical, psychological, learning and other disabilities desiring accommodations or services under ADA must contact the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC). The ARC determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of these accommodations and services for the college. For assistance, please contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator: Address: Snow College, 241 Greenwood Student Center, 150 East College Avenue, Ephraim, UT 84627. Phone: (435)283-7321 Fax: (435)283-7314 Email: paula.robison@snow.edu. 

Family Educational Rights and Privacy (FERPA):

It is a federal violation for a faculty member to discuss your academic record with anyone except an appropriate college official. If your parents or any other person wishes to discuss your academic performance, you must provide me with written permission.

Grading and Evaluation:

Grades are determined on a point/percentage basis. 1305 points are possible in the course. 

No Extra Credit will be provided so prepare your assignments accordingly.

Grading Breakdown:

A   (94-100%) B   (83-86%) C   (73-76%) D  (63-66%)
A-  (90-93%) B-  (80-82%) C-  (70-72%) D- (60-62%)
B+ (87-89%) C+ (77-79%) D+ (67-69%) F   (0-59%)

 

 

Prepared Assignments:

Response Papers:

Throughout the semester you will be asked to write (4) two-three page response papers analyzing different aspects of communication concepts we discuss in class. Some will take the form of social experiments and others will challenge you to assess your own communication and personality styles. You will be required to turn in 4 papers by the scheduled due dates. Individual assignments and requirements are available on Canvas.

 

Lab Attendance:
Please attend the speech lab three times during the semester. You may attend for any of your presentations. The lab is located in the Lucy Philips Building room 204 or you can attend over video conferencing. Have a lab tutor assist you in preparing your speeches before your presentation date. The lab tutor will submit a worksheet, with your FIRST and LAST name and the name of your lab tutor, to the instructor after you attend. See assignments in canvas for the scheduling address.

 

Group ePortfolio Presentation: 

During the first month of the semester you will be assigned to a group on Canvas. As a Group you will select one published media artifact such as a song, television show, video game, film, ad campaign, podcast, speech, etc. and analyze the significance. 

As a group you will then select two or three rhetorical perspectives. These are theories such as feminism, body image, patriotism, commercialism, perfectionism, (you guessed it, you can use a lot of isms), as well as theories you've read about in your text including Semiotics, Burkes Pentad, Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Goffman's Presentation of Self, etc. Please view the video posted in the assignment description on Canvas for a more detailed explanation (explanation of the analysis and how to use theories begins at 13:00) 

Your group analysis will take the form of an ePortfolio. 

As a group you will create an ePortfolio to introduce your media and your selected rhetorical perspectives. An ePortfolio is essentially a blog that your group will use to introduce your media selection, explain the significance, provide a thorough summary of the media selection and then analyze the media using multiple theoretical perspectives. You may use the blogging platform of your choice such as WIX, Wordpress, etc. The blog must be published and visible to all members of the class.

Your blog should be themed around your media selection and should include posts with links to videos, images, discussions, memes, and any other original and found content in your ePortfolio to illustrate the impact your media selection has on cultural and societal perspectives. All members of the group need to participate in creation and collaboration of the ePortfolio by providing links, articles and perspectives and ePortfolio creation and design. The goal of your blog entries will be to answer the following questions: 

What role does media and literature play in defining truth? How do we discern reality from entertainment? Each generation leaves a creative legacy, the sum of its ideas and achievements in that specific media era. What legacy has your chosen media left for generations? Now consider cultural assumptions including moral, ethical, political, and religious views. Has your chosen media influenced these views?

Please try to think critically about the nature of your artifact and how it influences and impacts individuals, culture and society as a whole. Please examine ways in which this media artifact influences your life and in turn, how your life potentially influences communication. 

Your group will need to have at least 5 posts that introduce your media, perspectives and analysis by the scheduled due dates. 

The link to your group ePortfolio will be submitted twice, once at midterm for instructor review and discussion and once as the final class project. A link to the ePortfolio will also be provided to the class in the form of an in class discussion. 

The ePortfolio is worth 200 points,100 points for the rough draft and 100 points for the final submission. These portions will be graded by the instructor. Each member of the group will receive the same grade for the presentation based on organization, content, research, delivery, creativity and unity.

 

Peer evaluation:
Preliminary group work will be graded by group members in the form of a confidential peer evaluation. This enables the group to determine how evenly work was distributed among members. You will grade individual members on a 40 point scale. For all members you will distribute points as you choose. Please be fair in grading. If one member did more work than another, grade accordingly.

 

Informative Speech Presentation:

For this presentation you will create an informative speech on the topic of your choice. Your speech can demonstrate and/or explain a process, inform the audience about a person, place or event or discuss a significant moment in history. A critical factor in this speech is whether or not the information is identified and presented systematically by the speaker and delivered in an interesting and informative manner. Your presentation should remain well organized and easy to follow and should be clear and easy for the listener to understand. 

Do not waste time with the obvious in this speech, with topics like “How to tie your shoe” or “How to write a speech”. Be alert as to what your audience already knows about your subject and discuss an aspect of you topic that is not common knowledge. Be imaginative and creative in developing your speech and feel free to show us your personality!

Professional dress and proper video presentation techniques are required. You should be sitting facing the camera in full frame in full light. Please make sure your background is professional and not distracting (no bed frames, shower curtains or sofas please) You will be allowed to use 3x5 note cards and available technology if you wish to create a slide presentation. 

Please review the rubric for further information. 

Time Limit: 4-5 minutes    Bibliography: required  Outline:  required
Notes: three (3) 3x5 note cards
Presentation Aid: optional