MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO Department of Speech Communication Mankato, MN 56001

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1 MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO Department of Speech Communication Mankato, MN COURSE SYLLABUS SPEE 101: Interpersonal Communication Course ID: Section: 03 Instructor: Rachel Anderson Droogsma, Ph.D. Semester: Spring rachel.droogsma@mnsu.edu Course Time: TH 9-10:15 Office: Armstrong Hall 201Q Classroom: AH 311 Office Hours: Mon 12-3; Tues 10:15-12, 2:45-3; Wed 11-12, 1-3 Office Telephone: Course Description This course blends theory and practice to help students build effective interpersonal relationships through improved communication. Course Goals Upon completion of this course, you should: Understand the interpersonal communication process and its role in the development of relationships. Be aware of the factors that influence the transmission and interpretation of information. Know how to apply principles of interpersonal communication theory to various social, cultural, and relationship contexts. Be able to identify your own strengths and weaknesses as an interpersonal communicator. Possess the skills to communicate effectively using written, verbal, and non-verbal communication in a variety of interpersonal communication settings. Required Text McCornack, S. (2007). Reflect & relate: An introduction to interpersonal communication. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin s. Additional readings available on our Desire2Learn course website Course Assignments Syllabus Quiz (20 points) Your first assignment of the semester is to complete a syllabus quiz. You will find this quiz posted on our D2L website. It is an open syllabus quiz. The quiz asks you several questions about the syllabus that you must answer by reading the syllabus. This is an important activity because the syllabus is essentially a contract between you and me about what is expected of you (and me) in this course. Read it carefully, complete the syllabus quiz until you have answered all questions correctly, and then turn in the syllabus quiz to me with your signature, which states that you have read and understood the syllabus. You must turn in the quiz no later than our class period on Thursday, January 24, for credit. If you have any questions at all about anything contained in the syllabus, please ask. Note: If for some reason you don t turn in the quiz and signed statement, you will have failed in your responsibility to read and understand the syllabus.

2 2 Interpersonal Communicator Profile (1 st : 50, 2 nd : 75, 3 rd : 250 = 375 points total) Your primary project in this course is a paper in which you will describe yourself as an interpersonal communicator. In this paper, you will need to take course concepts you read about in your text/assigned readings or heard about in class and apply them to you and your communication style. As a result, you will need to cite our text and/or class discussions as you define course concepts, and then apply them to yourself (more details about this paper will be presented as each section s due date draws nearer). The paper has three different sections, and you will turn it in in stages at three different times in the semester. 1) The first time you turn in the paper, you will turn in a draft of section 1 only. Section 1, which you should entitle Section 1: About Me, will describe your identity and self concept who you are and how your identity impacts your communication with others based on the concepts you ve learned in our class. This section will be about 3-4, 12 point Times New Roman, double-spaced pages long. Turning in this first section on time will earn you 50 points. The instructor will assess the writing, thinking, and application of concepts you display in your draft. As this is a writing intensive course, you will receive section 1 back thoroughly proofread with comments on how to improve your writing. I will also indicate approximately what grade your writing would earn you if it were a final draft (generally A, B, C, D, or F) so you know how far you will need to go with your revision to earn the grade you would like to earn. You will revise section 1 according to the feedback you are gien and will turn it in again along with section 2. 2) The second time you turn in the paper, you will turn in your revised section 1 (still about 3-4 pages long) as well as a draft version of section 2 (about 4-5 pages long) for a total of 7-9 double-spaced pages. For turning in both sections together on time, you will earn 75 points. Section 2, which you should entitle, Section 2: Me as a Communicator, will focus on your communication style your weaknesses and strengths as an interpersonal communicator based on the concepts you have learned about in our class. As before, your paper will be assessed and provided with feedback and proofreading on section 1 (again) and section 2 (for the first time) so that you can revise both sections one final time before turning in the final version of the paper. You ll also be given a general idea of the grade your paper would have earned as a final draft (A, B, C, D, or F). 3) The final time you turn in your paper, you will turn in a revised/final version of section 1, a revised/final version of section 2, with section 3 added to the paper. Section 3, which you should entitle, Section 3: My Communication Goals, will describe at least three specific goals you have for yourself to improve your communication in specific communication contexts. This section will draw on everything else you wrote about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses as a communicator, and will allow you to use course concepts to identify skills you d like to employ in your future interactions. For example, you might describe goals you have for future romantic relationships in terms of communication. You will need to be very specific about your goals and how these goals will make you a better communicator in specific communication contexts. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you fail to turn in one or both of the drafts of your paper for proofreading, you will receive a 0 for this entire assignment (0/375). Since this is a writing intensive course, you are required to turn in work for proofreading and then to resubmit it. Therefore, failing to turn in the drafts, whether or not you turn in the final document later, will result in a failing grade for this assignment. Also take note of the late assignment policy as this will also, of course, apply to drafts.

3 3 Exam (200 points) There will be one exam in this course, around midterm (see the daily schedule). The exam will cover information read about and/or talked about up until that point in the semester. This includes information from the text or other readings whether or not it was discussed in class, information from lectures and class discussions, information from class activities, information from group presentations, and information from online discussions. The exam will be discussed in more detail as it approaches; you will be provided with a study guide and will have the opportunity to ask questions about the exam at the review session the class period before the exam. Group Presentation & Outline (150 points) You will participate in one group presentation this semester. You will be assigned a group letter early in the semester, which will tell you who your group members are and when you re presenting. Your group will choose a movie or t.v. show, choose a scene or set of related scenes from the movie or t.v. show that your group believes are particularly significant to the plot or outcome. You will describe and apply concepts from the textbook and/or class lecture that help explain why the communication in those scenes was particularly effective or ineffective, as well as how the communication in those scenes affected the storyline or outcome. Your group will follow an outline, which you must turn in prior to giving the presentation in class (typed, doublespaced, with each section of the presentation labeled and which group member is presenting it listed). You are encouraged to use clips of the chosen show/movie to help the class understand your analysis. The presentation should be around 30 minutes long, with no more than 10 minutes of that time devoted to clips of your chosen t.v./movie. Each group member must be active in the presentation. More information about this presentation will be posted on D2L. Individual Reflection on Group Work (75 points) After your group presentation is over, you will write an individual paper (doublespaced, 2-3 pages long) that will analyze one communication event that you participated in with your group that went particularly well or not so well. Using what you ve learned about interpersonal communication, you will describe that event and then analyze it to understand what went wrong or what went well and why. This paper will include an introduction (with course concepts defined and cited), a description of the communication event (be detailed), and an analysis of the event using your chosen concepts (which you defined in the intro). The concepts should help give insight/depth into what happened; it shouldn t be a simple observation of what happened. More details later. (Note: This paper is anonymous, so you don t have to worry about your other group members knowing what you wrote about!) Dear SPEE 101 Letter (25 points) Our semester will end with an activity called Dear SPEE 101. Prior to this class period, each person will need to write a Dear Abby type of letter that describes a relationship issue (real or fictional, your choice). You won t put your name on the letter you write, but you ll drop it anonymously into a box and sign your name when you turn it in. During the last two class sessions, we ll draw some of these letters from the box an analyze them using the wealth of information about interpersonal communication we ve learned during the semester. This should be fun! More details about the letter will follow later.

4 4 Participation (150 points) Participation is vital to your success and growth in this class. As such, your active participation is required. All reading assignments are due on the date listed on the syllabus. It is imperative that you finish your reading assignments before coming to class and be ready to engage in dialogue about what you ve read. While we will discuss/learn about portions of the reading in class, we won t be able to cover it all. You are responsible for reading and understanding all of the materials whether or not we discuss them in class. I also expect students to discuss and apply the concepts from the reading and to demonstrate their ability to do so in class discussion. If you re nervous about engaging in class discussion, take some notes while you read on thoughts or questions that arise as you read; these often are good places to start discussion. Another place where you can participate in class discussion is our online D2L course. From time to time, I will post discussion questions there related to what we re reading or talking about in class. Your participation in these discussions is optional but will help contribute to your overall participation grade for the course. Another option to boost your presentation (particularly if you re a little shy about class participation) is to come and talk to me about what you re learning in class during my office hours somewhat regularly. That way, I ll be able to talk to you one-on-one and make sure you re staying up to speed even if I don t get that from your talking in class. Finally, students must also actively participate in class activities, which are intended to strengthen communication and analytical skills. Homework Throughout the semester, you will be assigned homework. This work will be used to prepare you for your exams, major projects, and to initiate class discussion. You may choose whether or not to complete the homework assignments as many will not be graded. However, completing homework assignments will help to better prepare you for your other coursework (exams, projects, etc.) and will prepare you for class discussions. Being prepared will also help to bolster your participation points. Grading Breakdown Points Assignments % total grade 25 Syllabus Quiz Interpersonal Communicator Profile 1 (Draft Section 1 only) 5 75 Interpersonal Communicator Profile 2 (Revised Section 1, Draft 7.5 Section 2 only) 250 Final Interpersonal Communicator Profile (Final Section 1, 25 Revised/Final Section 2, Final Section 3) 200 Exam Group Presentation & Outline Individual Reflection on Group Work Participation (in class, online, attendance) Dear Speech 101 Letter 2.5 =1,000 points =100% Grading Scale A B 80-89

5 C D F 59 and below 5 Classroom Policies Late Assignments Assignments are due as specified on the daily schedule (if it says in class, it must be in class and not by ). Late assignments are never accepted without penalty except in the case of documented emergencies (sudden serious illness with a doctor s note, family member s emergency with documentation, etc.). If you are sick the day the assignment is due, you must contact me immediately and speak to me about how to get the assignment to me before class. If you do not notify me of your illness or other emergency prior to class the day the assignment is due, late penalties will apply no matter what the reason is for the lateness of the assignment. (In other words, explaining why you didn t turn it in after the due date will be futile). My late assignment policy: if you turn in an assignment between one hour and one day late, there will be a 10% reduction. 2 days late equates to a 20% reduction. 3 days means a 30% reduction. If it is more than 3 days following the due date, you will receive a 0 for the assignment even if you turn it in, so don t bother. No late assignments will be accepted beyond the 3 day limit under any circumstances. You will receive some class updates and/or documents by , so please check your regularly in order to stay up-to-date. I am also available by to answer your questions, so please don t hesitate to drop me a line if you are unsure or confused about anything in the course. I do not accept any assignments by unless I have specified that a specific assignment be turned in by . In other words, ing me an assignment that is due in class on a given day is not acceptable; you need to turn in a hard copy in class. While I do not accept assignments through for credit, I am happy to receive and review written work by in order to provide feedback before assignments are due. Attendance & Punctuality Students are expected to attend all class sessions. Each student is held accountable for the work covered in each class meeting. Do not ask me for my lecture notes or to catch you up on what you missed in class. Please speak to a classmate to receive class notes for the day you missed instead as it is your responsibility to catch up. No absence from class is an entirely excused absence, even if the reason is a good one, as all absences mean you miss course material that cannot be made up. Each absence negatively impacts your participation grade. If your number of absences exceeds 10% of our class meetings for any reason, your grade will be dropped by one letter grade. Extra Credit My policy on extra credit is simple: the only extra credit that might be offered is extra credit opportunities that are available to the entire class. In other words, please do not ask me if you can complete extra credit to boost your grade because no individual extra credit opportunities will be available. Right now there are no extra credit opportunities planned for this course. The only way that might change is if there is some

6 event or activity I d like to encourage the class to attend to participate in. These opportunities, if they become available, will be announced in class and through . 6 Students with Disabilities The Office of Disability Services is available to assist students with disabilities. If you receive services through the Office of Disability Services and require accommodations for this class, please make an appointment to speak with me as soon as possible to discuss your approved needs. Bring your accommodation letter with you to the appointment. I will hold any information you share with me in the strictest of confidence. Academic Dishonesty Students must present original work and must always document material drawn from other sources. Students are expected to research and prepare their own work when submitting written assignments, outlines, or presenting speeches. Plagiarism is the use of directly quoted material or paraphrased material without citing the source of the material. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any incident of plagiarism will be reported to the Department Chair, may result in a failing grade for the assignment, and may result in a failing grade for the course. The most common forms of plagiarism include: copying word-for-word from a source without acknowledging the source by quotation marks and an appropriate reference for written work, and by an oral citation for presentations; paraphrasing someone else's ideas in your own words without acknowledging the source by an appropriate reference; turning in as your own work a paper or portion of a paper conceived jointly with other students but not giving credit for others' contributions. Students may not use work developed in other classes without first gaining the explicit consent from all instructors. Plagiarism consists of more than just copying someone else's words; representing someone else's ideas as your own is also plagiarism. This policy also prohibits turning in the same and/or highly similar paper, project, or assignment for more than one class unless prior approval of all instructors involved has been obtained. Plagiarism is avoided by acknowledging the source by quotation marks if a wordfor word citation and using appropriate references in all occasions. The Department of Speech Communication does not tolerate plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is one of the most serious infractions a student may commit in a Speech Communication class. Respect As mentioned previously, this class will separate people from ideas. We will feel free to disagree with each other when we disagree but will continue to show respect for one another regardless of our disagreements. Anyone who violates this policy will be notified by the instructor and asked to analyze her/his classroom behavior. If the student continually violates our class policy of respectful discussion and behavior, further actions can be taken in order to assure a free and egalitarian speaking and learning environment. All students are expected to respect the rights of others, including the right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of thought. Differences should be respected, and students should refrain from offensive, racist, and sexist language.

7 All cell phones and pagers should be turned off during class so as not to present a distraction. 7