Interpersonal Communication Syllabus for 2017-2018
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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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Course

SPCH-1318-022 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

Textbook: Interpersonal Messages by Joseph A. Devito, 4^th edition, including the on-line component called Revel. You will need access to the online Revel component 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.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (available for check-out on the fourth floor of the Ware Student Commons)

Supplies

Reliable access to a computer with internet access.  If you do not have a computer, you may want to visit with the AC Bookstore to see if you can rent a laptop for the semester.

Microsoft Office Suite or Google Drive (through your AC email account)

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 Objectives

After studying the material presented in this course of study, the student will be able to do the following as evaluated by the faculty in the department/program.

Evaluation of Objectives

Learning Objective	THECB Skill	Assessment(s)
Exhibit understanding of interpersonal theories and principles.	Communication (written)/Critical Thinking	Assessed through discussion questions and exam questions
Demonstrate ability to analyze and critique verbal and nonverbal interactions in mediated and face-to-face contexts.	Critical Thinking, Communication (written)	Assessed through group activity, journals, and papers.
Identify perceptual processes as they relate to self and others.	Communication (written)/Critical Thinking	Assessed through papers
Demonstrate critical thinking ability by effectively researching, evaluating, and applying communication theories in oral and/or written assignments.	Communication (written)	Assessed through papers, discussion boards.
Demonstrate understanding of the relevance of cross-cultural, co-cultural, gender and age influences on human communication.	Communication (written)	Assessed through discussion boards.
Demonstrate ability to identify, evaluate, and apply conflict styles and conflict management techniques in dyads and/or groups.	Team Work	Assessed through Group Work assignment
Identify types of and barriers to effective listening.	Communication (written/visual)/Critical Thinking	Assessed through Final Paper

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.”  A link to the Student Rights and Responsibilities is included within the course.

Grading Criteria

Assignments will be due each week by Sunday at 11:59 PM. (unless otherwise specified)

• Chapter Quizzes: 25% (weekly 20 question quizzes within Blackboard)
• Assignments: 20% (weekly Revel assignments)
• Journal Entries 10%
• Discussions “Coffee Talks” 20% (initial posting due on Wednesday, 11:59 p.m., responses due on Saturday, 11:59 p.m.)
• Papers/Service Learning Assignment 15%
• Final Exam 10%

Course Success:

Readings
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 within Blackboard.

Papers
Each student is required to do two papers: Paper One & Service Learning Assignment.

The student will also choose one of the following: Paper Two: Relationship Analysis OR Love Lyrics Project.

These three assignments are worth 15% of your total grade.

Paper One is early in the term and will require you to reach out to family/friends to ask them to grade you on a one-page worksheet.  You will complete a similar worksheet.  Once you have all three (two from family/friends, one you’ve completed yourself) you can begin writing your two-page paper.  

Relationship Analysis This assignment will require you to read the 2016-2017 Common Reader Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  Once you have read it, you will use the text to begin discussing relationships within the text between two characters of your choosing.  This is a 2-3 page paper referencing both Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and our textbook, Interpersonal Messages.  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.  Information retrieved from the text or from online reading and online discussions must be cited.  

Love Lyrics Project In this assignment you will use song lyrics to explain the six types of love and the six types of relationships.  You will complete this assignment within PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Prezi.  (More details directions located within Blackboard.)

Service Learning Project 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".  Don’t wait until the last minute to arrange your volunteer time.

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 consists 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.  Information retrieved from the text or from online reading and online discussions must be cited.  

These three assignments (Paper One, Service Learning and Relationship Analysis OR Love Lyrics Project) are worth 15% of your final grade.

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 online 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.  Citing sources (either textbook, newspaper article dealing with concept, etc.) goes a long way to support your ideas.  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 the "Start Here" assignments located within Week One.   

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.

Final Exam:

The final exam will be a comprehensive 50 question exam worth 100 points. Check course calendar for due date.

Late Work Policies

Late work is not accepted.  Specifically, presentations, written assignments, discussions, examinations, and participation grades are due by the stated due date.  Earned grades are posted within the ACConnect Class grade book within one week of the assignment due date.

Late Discussion Boards - Online

Before it comes up, let me set the stage for why I don’t allow students to submit discussion board postings after they are due.  Discussion boards replicate the “in-class” experience of discussion.  I pose a question, and the students in the class, based on their readings, pose an answer to the question.  Students, who ask to complete the discussion board after the due date essentially are asking, “Hey, can I go into the empty classroom to talk to myself about this class topic?” 

You wouldn’t ask me to do this if you were in a seated course, so it makes sense for you to understand why I say “No” to requests to submit discussion board postings after they are due.

Class Participation

The course will require you to log in at least three times each week.  If for some reason, you are unable to complete this requirement and the coursework associated, please contact me immediately.  If you are ill, please understand I require documentation of your illness from a physician.

Earning Your Grade

There is no “grade recovery” in my courses.  Students are awarded the grade earned (both on assignments and in the class).  Final grades will be assigned on the following basis:

A	B	C	D	F
90-100	80-89.9	70-79.9	60-69.9	0-59.9

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.

Attendance

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.

Calendar

Additional Information

Office Hours:

*Please do not hesitate to call or email me with questions or concerns.

If you have questions about the course content, assignments, due dates etc., contact me.

Technical Assistance:  If you have questions about the course material, assignments, due dates etc. please contact me.  If you need technical support contact the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) student help center located in the Ware Student Commons on the Washington Street campus, room 111. Or call  (806)-371-5992.

Hours of operation for CTL:

Monday – Friday       8am – 5pm (WARE Student Commons Room 111)

Monday – Thursday   5pm – 9pm (Library Research Desk on the 4^th Floor)

To Access REVEL from your Blackboard Course:

Start from your Blackboard course.

Select a content area. The link is called “Revel Text and Activities”from the left navigation menu.

Select Open REVEL.

• If you 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.

When your accounts are linked, select an access option:

• Redeem an access code purchased from the bookstore.
• Buy access using a credit card or PayPal.
• If available, get temporary access.

Your REVEL content appears.

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?

If you have trouble getting access, make sure your laptop or other device is set up to work with REVEL.

Visit Pearson Support at https://support.pearson.com/getsupport.

Dedicated REVEL support line for students: (855) 875-1801