Interpersonal Communication Syllabus for 2017-2018
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Instructor Information

Course Information

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Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Student Service Center office 112. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

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If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

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Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

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Course

SPCH-1318-027 Interpersonal Communication

Prerequisites

Course Description

Application of communication theory to interpersonal relationship development, maintenance and termination in relationship contexts including friendships, romantic partners, families and relationships with co-workers and supervisors.

Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact your advisor, the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Messages, Joseph A. DeVito, 4th Edition, including the online component called "REVEL." You will use REVEL in this course for readings and activities.

The Revel component is essential for success in this course. You will be graded on the readings and quizzes you complete on-line.

Student Registration Instructions:

1. Access your Blackboard course by clicking on the Course Title under "AC Connect Classes."
2. Click on the menu link titled "REVEL Text and Activities."
3. Open REVEL
(If you already have a Pearson account, enter your username and password. Otherwise, create a new account. Note: If you are also registering for a Pearson MyLab (like MyMathLab or MyVirtualChild) this term, you must register for the MyLab first, in order to use the same username and password for REVEL.)
4. When your accounts are linked, select one of the following options:
    • Redeem an access code purchased from the bookstore
    • Buy access using a credit card or PayPal
    • If available, get temporary access

You should have access to your REVEL content after successfully completing these steps.

To go back to Blackboard, look for the Blackboard tab or window in your browser. That’s it.
Throughout the semester, please access your REVEL content through Blackboard.

To upgrade temporary access to full access:
To upgrade your access before your temporary access expires, select the link in your confirmation email.

Once your temporary access expires, when you open REVEL from Blackboard, you’re prompted to upgrade your access. Redeem a pre-purchased access code, or buy access using a credit card or PayPal.

Need Help?
Visit Pearson Support at https://support.pearson.com/getsupport
Or call REVEL's dedicated support line for students: (855) 875-1801

Supplies

Student Performance

Course Description:

Application of communication theory to interpersonal relationship development, maintenance and termination in relationship contexts including friendships, romantic partners, families and relationships with co-workers and supervisors.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Exhibit understanding of interpersonal theories and principles.

2. Demonstrate ability to analyze and critique verbal and nonverbal interactions in mediated and face-to-face contexts.

3. Identify perceptual processes as they relate to self and others.

4. Demonstrate critical thinking ability by effectively researching, evaluating, and applying communication theories in oral and/or written assignments.

5. Demonstrate understanding of the relevance of cross-cultural, co-cultural, gender and age influences on human communication.

6. Demonstrate ability to identify, evaluate, and apply conflict styles and conflict management techniques in dyads and/or groups.

7. Identify types of and barriers to effective listening.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (located in the Student Services Center 119; phone number 371 5436) as soon as possible.

 

Every student is required to comply with the policies published in the “Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.”

 

Grading Criteria

Course Requirements:

Chapter Quizzes & Activities = 25%
Assignments (You will have one paper, and a choice between a paper or a multi-media presentation.) = 20%
Journal Entries = 10%
Discussions "Coffee Talks" = 20%
Service Learning Assignment = 15%
Final Exam = 10%
TOTAL: 100%

Papers/Assignments:

Two 2-3 page papers will be assigned during the semester. However, you will have a choice between an essay or a presentation for the second assignment. These are each worth 10% of your final grade. Assignments must be submitted to the Assignment Drop Box by 11:30 PM on the due date.

Journal Entries:

There will be periodic journaling assignments during the semester. These are meant to be private, and will only be seen by your instructor. This assignment is designed to allow you to go deeper into the IPC topics, and reflect on how they work in your life.

These journal entries must be written using formal language (no slang or text language).  You can write as much as you want, but no less than 100 words (3 paragraphs).

"Coffee Talk" Discussions:

We will have numerous on-line discussions during the semester.  Your participation in these discussions is crucial to your success in the class. Everyone must contribute in order to ensure a lively discussion.

• Your postings to the Discussion Forums and your replies to your classmates' postings will make up a significant portion of your grade in this class. Points are earned based on the quality of your responses and your compliance with the required number of discussion postings (at least one) and substantive replies (at least two.) In order to receive credit, for your discussion postings, you must respond to the discussion assignments with quality comments that demonstrate you have completed the online and textbook readings and have given significant thought to the questions. Prompts for each posting (in other words, the question or questions you are supposed to answer or the topic you are supposed to discuss) are located within the respective Chapter for that week's discussion. You must read the chapter to find out what to post.


• Postings should be approximately one to three paragraphs long. (Each paragraph should be about 4-5 sentences or approximately 150-250 words.) Proofread and spell check your work.


• You must post by or before the specified deadline for each initial posting and reply within the specified time in order to receive credit for your comments.

Stay on Topic, Construct a quality response and use proper "netiquette". More information about "netiquette" is available through Blackboard.

Failing to cite sources within emails or discussions is a form of plagiarism, which is grounds for receiving a 0 on the assignment. Students who violate Discussion Forum rules will be asked to leave the discussion through a private email, and they will receive a zero for the discussion assignment.

Chapter Quizzes Activities:

Each week we will study a new Interpersonal Communication topic. All of the readings are located in Revel. You will find this linked to the course content.

You need to read the chapter and take the smaller self tests and quizzes as you go. There is a Chapter Quiz at the end of each chapter.

Your scores for each week's activities and quizzes will be worth different point values, but will count for 25% of your total grade.
The lowest grade will be dropped.

Final Project: Service Learning and Self Analysis:

The Final Project is worth 15% of your final course grade. This assignment will require you to contact a non-profit organization or charity and serve as a volunteer for at least three hours. During this time, you will observe some of the interpersonal communication principles, methods and theories we learned about during the semester as they apply to the "real world".

After you have completed your volunteer hours, please have the person you dealt with at the organization complete the Service Learning Contract for verification and evaluation.

Next, you will write a 4-5 page paper that consist of your reflections on your time as a volunteer and the interpersonal communication skills you observed during that time.  Include IPC skills you used yourself as well as examples of IPC skills you noticed among the other people around you. The paper must be typed in 12 pt. New Times Roman with 1 in. margins.

Please include at least three examples of topics and/or theories discussed during the semester from our online reading, online discussions or from the text. Information retrieved from the text or from online reading and on-line discussions must be cited.

This assignment is worth 15% of your final grade. Don't wait until the last minute to arrange your volunteer time.

Final Exam:

The final exam will be comprehensive and worth 100 points. Check course calendar for due date.

Late Work Policy:

This is an eight week class, so there is not much time to catch up if you fall behind. The “coffee talks’ are meant to be your class participation, so I will not accept late posts.
As for other assignments, I will take 20 points off if the assignment is turned in one day late. After that, I will grade the assignment, and average it with a zero. (half credit)

Evaluation (Grading) Scale:

A= 90-100

B= 80-89

C= 70- 79

D= 60-69

F= 59 or below

Extra Credit:

Students may write up to 4 papers during the semester to earn extra credit.  These 2-page papers are worth an additional 5 points to an assigned paper or test.

The papers may be turned in at any point in the semester but no later than the week scheduled for final projects. Make sure you allow enough time to complete class assignments before you focus on extra credit papers.

Each paper should be two pages long, typed and double spaced using 12-point font.  Please proofread your papers, run spell-check if you are using a computer and ask a friend to check it over for spelling and grammatical errors. Papers that do not meet the assignment criteria or that are not satisfactory college-level work will not qualify for extra credit.

No administrative withdrawals will be initiated by the instructor. It is each student's responsibility to drop a class or withdraw from school in the event he/she decides to quit attending class.

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (located in the Student Services Center 119; phone number 371-5436) as soon as possible.

For more information about Disability Services visit https://www.actx.edu/disability/

Every student is required to comply with the policies published in the “Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.”

Attendance

Calendar

Additional Information

Office Hours: Regular office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday  10 AM - 12 PM. I am also available at alternate times by appointment.

Technical Assistance:  If you have questions about the course material, assignments, due dates etc. please contact me.  If you need technical support contact the Student Help Center, located in the Ware Student Commons on the Washington Street campus in Room 111. Or call  (806)-371-5992.

Student Help Center - Hours of Operation:

Monday – Thursday        8am – 5pm (Ware Student Commons, Room 111)

Monday – Thursday        5pm – 9pm (Ware Student Commons, 4th Floor, Research Desk)

Friday                              8am – 5pm (Ware Student Commons, Room 111)

To Access REVEL from your Blackboard Course:

Start from your Blackboard course.
1.  Select a content area (perhaps called Content or REVEL) from the left navigation.
2.  Select Open REVEL.If you have a Pearson account, enter your username and password. Otherwise, create a new account. Note:
3.  If you are also registering for a Pearson MyLab (like MyMathLab or MyVirtualChild) this term, you must register for the MyLab first, in order to use the same username and password for REVEL.
4.  When your accounts are linked, select an access option:
(a)  Redeem an access code purchased from the bookstore
(b)  Buy access using a credit card or PayPal
(c ) If available, get temporary access
5.  Your REVEL content appears.
6.  To go back to Blackboard, look for the Blackboard tab or window in your browser.

That’s it. Throughout the semester, please access your REVEL content through Blackboard.

To upgrade temporary REVEL access to full access:

1. To upgrade your access before your temporary access expires, select the link in your confirmation email.
2. Once your temporary access expires, when you open REVEL from Blackboard, you’re prompted to upgrade your access. Redeem a pre-purchased access code, or buy access using a credit card or PayPal.

Need help?

1. If you have trouble getting access, make sure your laptop or other device is set up to work with REVEL.
2. Visit Pearson Support at https://support.pearson.com/getsupport.
3. Dedicated REVEL support line for students: (855) 875-1801

Common Reader:

The common reader for 2016-2017 is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.

For general information on the book you may visit the AC Common Reader website at: https://www.actx.edu/commonreader/pagesmith/15. More specific information about the story can be found at: https://www.actx.edu/pagesmith/349.

Incoming students may obtain copies of the book by attending Badger Boot Camp or New Student Orientation General Sessions. In addition, copies of the book are available to check out at the AC Library.

If you haven’t already read the book, it’s highly recommended that you participate in the common reader program. When applicable, references are made within the course content that relates to the common reader. Moreover, there will be class activities and  assignments based on themes, settings, characters etc. from the book.