~ S T U D E N T H O U R S ~
Contact me through the Messages area within Blackboard. These types of messages are best for situations where you're having difficulty understanding how to submit something or have a quick question about an assignment. From these messages, I have easy access to your grades within the course (and I don't need to seek clarification on what course you're enrolled in).
More in-depth questions about your class performance, and/or grades should be discussed during a student/faculty appointment.
Please schedule an appointment with me here. My 2025 Spring I Office Hours are Tuesday & Thursday, 10:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
All meetings can be held via Microsoft Teams or in person in Parcells Hall, Suite 204, Office P. If I have someone in my office, please let our departmental administrative assistant, Shauna Jefferson (Parcells Hall, Suite 204, Office F), know you're here to see me for an appointment and then have a seat in our lobby area. Please do not assume that you may interrupt other conversations. We practice what we teach.
With all of that out of the way, know I love getting appointments from you. When I do, I know I can focus directly on you and you alone. Otherwise, it's a first-come, first-served world and I may miss out on an opportunity to understand what it is you need. Appointments come first!
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.
Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.
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.
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
The Tutoring for Success policy applies to any student whose grade or performance in the course falls below a departmentally determined minimum threshold. In either of those cases, the instructor will direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. Under this policy, the instructor will follow specific departmental guidelines governing the use, duration, and grade component of the tutoring need.
Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016
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.
The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students. If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .
SPCH-1318-006 Interpersonal Communication
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
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:
Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me
You can also contact 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.
(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)
On Campus Course
Textbook: Interpersonal Messages by Joseph A. Devito, 4th 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 online (20% of total grade). Pearson does have an app (Android, Apple) you can download to your phone where you can complete your reading and homework online and upload your homework when you reach a wi-fi network.
Our class will use an etext produced by Pearson. I refer to the etext as Revel. If needed, Pearson provides two free weeks of access to the etext.
You MUST have the etext. Codes may be purchased directly from Pearson through the class link or from the AC Bookstore.
Each week you will have homework taken from the etext. The reading, the homework, and weekly test materials will all come from the etext.
Here are the features I think you'll like about the etext: Highlighting, note-taking, a glossary, as well as, videos, interactives, and assessments. Additionally, you can study each chapter before taking the weekly test by using the built-in flashcards, matching, and practice vocabulary quizzes. The mobile app allows students to use the Revel app on any device to complete their work. The app also lets you set assignment notifications.
My favorite thing about it is a students' ability to listen to the etext as an audiobook. Here's a video about that feature.
Here is a link to the Revel: Student Guide as provided by Pearson. Additionally, here's a how-to video for getting signed up.
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)
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.
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.
|
Learning Objective |
THECB Skill |
Assessment(s) |
|
Exhibit understanding of interpersonal theories and principles. |
Communication (written)/Critical Thinking |
Assessed through in-class discussions 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 activities, and papers. |
|
Identify perceptual processes as they relate to self and others. |
Communication (written)/Critical Thinking |
Assessed through paper and projects. |
|
Demonstrate critical thinking ability by effectively researching, evaluating, and applying communication theories in oral and/or written assignments. |
Communication (written/verbal) |
Assessed through paper, in-class discussions and poster presentation. |
|
Demonstrate understanding of the relevance of cross-cultural, co-cultural, gender and age influences on human communication. |
Communication (verbal) |
Assessed through in-class discussions and group activity. |
|
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 poster presentation and class discussions. |
In this class, we believe in the power of words, and the ability of all people to come to some sort of understanding based on shared experiences. If you need a minute to think, acknowledge it. Take it! You don't have to have the answer in .025 seconds. If you don't understand what we're discussing, ask questions. However, DO plan on reading the textbook before you come to class. DO think about the questions posed in the textbook. DO challenge the ideas we discuss in class. DO make your own opinion.
As a college student, you will have questions or need help moving through college. Each faculty member has specific times each week set aside to help students. These are called "office hours" but to some students, this term is meaningless. So, in my classes, I'm changing the term to Student Hours. I will use Zoom for these meetings.
Student hours are time set-aside for students in my classes to seek help on course materials, answer questions about campus life, or help transition into your next phase of coursework. I set aside five hours weekly to answer student questions. This time is for students. Do not feel that this time is a quiet time for me to be alone and prepare for classes. The phrase "office hours" just means I'm in my "office," waiting for you to come in. (And it's the same for each faculty member you encounter!)
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".
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. If you receive accommodations, please send me a PDF copy of your form as soon as possible. I cannot make accommodations for you until I have received the form.
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.
At no point may students record or video any type of in-class activities without written permission from the instructor of record. Students who fail to comply with this will be reported to the Vice President of Enrollment Management.
At no point may students coerce or blackmail another student into providing homework, assignment, or test questions. Students who experience this type of behavior are asked to contact the instructor immediately.
Readings
You should be prepared to have each chapter read prior to coming to class. Each week we will study new Interpersonal Communication chapters in the textbook. All of the readings are located in Revel. You will find this linked to the course content. Each morning before class, I will check to see who has completed the readings and the quizzes to see who needs help understanding the materials. I will use this data to make sure everyone's understanding of the concepts. 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.
Paper One/Love Lyrics/Service Learning Poster Presentation
Each student is required to do Paper One - Who Do We Think I Am?, Love Lyrics (done in PowerPoint or Google Slides) & Service Learning Poster Presentation.
These three assignments are worth 15% of your total grade. In addition, they are one half of the process to be exempt from the final exam. Students who earn higher than a 90.0 or better on all three assignments will have one half of their exemption completed. Please view the attendance policy for another half. All of the directions for the assignments can be found under the "Major Assignment Directions" link on the left-hand side of the course (in Blackboard). They are just under the weekly content folders.
This assignment requires you to conduct a brief exercise and write a short (2 page) paper about your self-concept and self-awareness and how these factors impact your interpersonal communication skills. The paper should be typed and double-spaced using 12-point font. Please proofread your paper, run spell-check if you are using a computer and ask a friend to check it over for spelling and grammatical errors.
VIDEO: How To Paper 1: The Way We See Me
If you struggle with your writing skills, please reach out to the Writers' Corner. This free service offers both in-person and online (via email) tutoring. Students' may also take advantage of SmarThinking (also free) online tutoring. Students who fail to submit the three worksheets into the dropbox will receive a 10 point deduction and lose credit (10 points/paragraph) for each of the paragraphs referencing the worksheet (Paragraphs 2, 4, 5, 6). The highest the student can make on the assignment is 50.
VIDEO: How to complete the Love Lyrics Project
In this assignment, you will compile a list of love songs (Title of the song, artist and songwriter). This will require you to analyze the lyrics to songs and relate the meaning of the song to the Love Types discussed in class as well as the Relationship Stages. Complete the project in PowerPoint or Google Slide. Don’t pay for a new program; there are plenty of free online.
For example: “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” performed by the Righteous Brothers, written by Phil Spector, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil – Dissolution
Have fun, and good luck! Prepare to spend some time on this project. It is fun, yet time-consuming.
Service-Learning Poster Presentation
VIDEO: How to create a poster presentation
The final project will require you to contact a non-profit organization or charity and serve as a volunteer for at least 3 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 create a poster presentation (a simple poster board with typed headings/findings) summarizing what you learned in the following areas:
The poster presentation 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 (which you’ll get from using at least three examples of topics and/or theories discussed during the semester from our online reading, online discussions or from the text). You must cite your sources parenthetically as well as in the works cited section of the poster.
The poster text and headers must be typed in New Times Roman or Arial. The presentation will be professionally done and we’ll work on it in class. This is not the time to pull out all of your scrapbooking paper and highlighters and go crazy. We will have class time to work on this, but it will be limited, and your time with your organization and research must be done in advance. The poster presentation sessions will be held on a date to be determined by instructor during the last week of class.
Students will type and upload their own copy of the "Service Learning Worksheet" to complete the final portion of the grade.
Students' are highly encouraged to contact and utilize the Amarillo College Writers' Corner for this assignment.
“Coffee Talk” Discussions:
We will have numerous 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 and to ensure participation in the class. Your comments during the discussions and your replies to your classmates' thoughts will make up a portion of your grade in this class. Points are earned based on the quality of your responses. In order to receive credit, for your comments, you must participate in the discussions 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 a concept, etc.) goes a long way to support your ideas. You must read the chapter to find out where the conversation is trending.
Final Exam:
The final exam will be a comprehensive 50 question exam worth 100 points. Check course calendar for due date. Students may be exempt from the final exam if they have earned a 90 or higher on the Who Do We Think I Am Love Lyrics, and the Service Learning Poster Presentation (aka Final Project).
Finding your way through a college course is a process. There are challenges in each class and there are challenges each of you has or will have, in your personal lives. Those challenges can overwhelm you. Because of these, and the amount of content we will cover in the course, I have set up the course structure to all you the best opportunity to learn and master the content. In general, I do not accept late assignments or late work; however, if after speaking with a student during an appointment about the extenuating circumstances, I may decide to alter upcoming assignment due dates to prevent personal issues from being a barrier to success.
What does this mean? Well, here’s a scenario: Maria is a single-mom of two girls. She takes classes throughout the year and hopes to graduate in the upcoming term. During our class, Maria’s youngest daughter falls from a swing and breaks her wrist. In the next few weeks, Maria’s daughter will have doctor’s appointments and possibly surgery. Those important items force Maria to make changes to her work schedule, and because of this, cause Maria to have to miss class meetings. Knowing I do not accept late work, here are the options she may have when it comes to her school work:
1. Maria can continue on the path she on now, trying to make all of the doctor’s appointments, work shifts, and class sessions.
2. Maria can drop the course and pick it back up next term. Doing this will delay her graduation by a full semester.
3. Maria can set an appointment where we can visit. She can tell me what’s happening and see how I can help her continue on her path to graduation.
If this was you, what do you think you would do? The worst-case scenario is option #2. Dropping the course, unless there’s no other way around it, is always my last choice. Option #1 – well, I don’t recommend it either, but hey – some people are stronger and more private than others. Option #3 – it’s my recommendation. Why? Well, it means that I know how I can walk along with Maria on her path.
If Maria chooses Option #3, we could visit and discuss what options were available for her success. It may mean she gives two speeches on one performance day, or it may mean she gives a speech a week later than her classmates do. Any assignments not submitted prior to our conversation will be considered missing and earn a zero. However, future assignment due dates are negotiable which may or may not have a late point deduction. I make this decision on a case-by-case basis. The standard deduction is 10 points off the final grade earned for the assignment.
If you find yourself in a situation, please visit with me as soon as possible. Whenever I can, I will work with you to find a pathway to success. I will work to be flexible with the course requirements; however, this will require the student to be flexible with their expectations as well. Please know that sometimes – especially toward the end of the term – I cannot say “yes.” Know when that happens, I have exhausted all avenues.
Do not email assignments to me if the dropbox for closed assignments. I will not grade them. If there is an error or technical issue, please check the announcements section of our AC Connect Class to see if I have made a note. If you do not see a note in our class, please check your AC email account. If after checking these two spaces, please feel free to text me to alert me. Don't assume I am aware of the issue or that it is your technology.
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. To withdraw from the course, you must request a form from me. To do this, please schedule an appointment at courtneymilleson.youcanbook.me.
The course will require you to actively attend and participate in class. Actively attending class means being on time, and vocal in the class as well as participating in the class activities. Passive learning (ie., arriving late, sitting quietly at your desk taking notes, snapping a selfie, texting, sitting and chatting with your neighbor) will not work in this course. 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.
Courses require all students to come to class prepared to participate in discussions, activities, and lectures. It's critical that our time together is spent as economically as possible. Please note, students who do not actively participate will not receive attendance credit for the day. Students who arrive late will not receive full credit for their Coffee Talk activities/exercises.
Promptness is appreciated; however, if you have a class off-campus, or life happens one day - COME IN! You are welcome and expected! Do so with respect to your classmates, but don't STOP coming to class!
A more detailed course calendar is located each week in the content folder for the week (example: "Week One Checklist" located on the left-hand side of the Blackboard course. I reserve the right to make modifications to this course calendar to benefit student learning.
Student 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. I am here to be your advocate, coach, and accountability partner. Please, let me do my job!
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. 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 4th 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.
When your accounts are linked, select an access option:
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
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