|
Just for fun. . .
|
TENTATIVE
SCHEDULE AND COURSE NOTES
Companion Site (Textbook) click here -
Expectations for Students -
Handouts -
Large Print -
Quick Overview
To search this
page, use "Control F" and enter keyword.
A copy of the course webpage will be
provided free to students by week 2 of the course. Please bring that handout to
class each class. See this page for clarifications and updates:
http://onlineacademics.org/CA301/
Expectations
for students,
http://onlineacademics.org/Guidelines.html

This page is my gift to you!
-Dr. Joan E. Aitken,
Professor, Communication Arts, Park University, 229 Copley,
8700 NW River Park Drive, Parkville, MO 64152,
816-584-6785
|
Click week's number:
1
___ Assignments
M -
W -
2
___
Assignments
M -
W -
3
___
Assignments - M -
W -
4 ___
Assignments
- M -
W -
5
___
Assignments -
M -
W -
6
___
Assignments -
M -
W -
7
___
Assignments -
M -
W -
8
___
Assignments -
M -
W -
9
___
Assignments -
M -
Th -
10
___
Assignments -
M -
W -
11
___
Assignments -
M
- W -
12
___
Assignments
- M -
W -
13
___
Assignments
- M -
W -
14
___
Assignments
- M -
W -
15
___
16
___

Core
Assessment Portfolio_____
Core Assessment Rubric
Action Research Project_____
Assignment Weight
- Course
Description -
Learning
Outcomes_____
Presentations_____
Tentative Schedule_____Tentative Syllabus_____
Textbook & Course
Materials_____
Weekly Assignments_____

APA Style Information -
Course Expectations &
Guidelines for Students -
Grading -
Late
Policy - Library
Database Tutorial -
Naming
Files -
Revisions
-
Submitting Assignments
Assignment Submission and Gradebook in eCollege (eCompanion)
-
Copies of handouts for downloading -
Student companion site:
click here. Where you can access each chapter's "Tutorial
Quiz" and "Try It Out" learning activities.
|
Quick
Overview
Tentative Schedule |
Wood Chapter Reading |
B & W Cases
Written reflection on cases due the day you lead the
class. |
Quiz and Try It Out Assignment Due Tuesday of Each Week!
If you plan to miss class, submit by 5 PM Tuesday. |
|
1
Jan. 13-15 |
Skim webpage & course materials
Chapter 1 |
Read Case 1 and use collaborative
teamwork answer online. Write in a word processor! Then cut
and paste into the online box. MAKE A COPY and put into your electronic portfolio. |
Chapter 1
quiz and one Try It Out assignment.
MAKE COPIES AND Add quiz results and the Try-It-Out to portfolio. |
|
2
Jan. 20-22
|
Read chapter 11 |
Read Case 2 & 10 and use
collaborative teamwork answer to your electronic portfolio. |
Chapter 11
quiz
and one Try It Out assignment. Add quiz results and the Try-It-Out
to portfolio. |
|
3
Jan. 27-29 |
Read chapter
2 |
|
Chapter 2
quiz and one Try It Out assignment. Add quiz results and
the Try-It-Out to portfolio. |
|
4
Feb. 3-5
|
Read chapter
3 |
Read Case 3 and use collaborative
teamwork answer to your electronic portfolio. |
Chapter 3 quiz and one Try It Out assignment. Add quiz results and the Try-It-Out to portfolio. |
|
5
Feb. 10-12 |
Read chapter
4 |
Read Case 4 and use collaborative
teamwork answer to your electronic portfolio. |
Chapter 4 quiz and one Try It Out assignment. Add quiz results and the Try-It-Out to portfolio. |
|
6
Feb. 17-19 |
Read chapter
5 |
Read Case 5 & 8 and use
collaborative teamwork answer to your electronic portfolio. |
Chapter 5 quiz and one Try It Out assignment. Add quiz results and the Try-It-Out to portfolio. |
|
7
Feb. 24-26 |
Read chapter
6 |
Read Case 6 and use collaborative
teamwork answer to your electronic portfolio. |
Chapter 6 quiz and one Try It Out.
Add quiz results and the Try-It-Out to portfolio. |
|
8
Mar. 2-4 |
Read chapter
7 |
Read Case 11 & 12 and use
collaborative teamwork answer to your electronic portfolio. |
Chapter 7 quiz and one Try It Out assignment. Add quiz results and the Try-It-Out to portfolio. |
|
Spring
Recess no class.
|
|
|
|
|
9
Mar. 17-19 |
Read chapter
8 |
Read 7 Case and use collaborative
teamwork answer to your electronic portfolio. |
Chapter 8 quiz and one Try It Out assignment. Add quiz results and the Try-It-Out to portfolio. |
|
10
Mar. 24-26 |
Read chapter
9 |
Read Case 13 and use collaborative
teamwork answer to your electronic portfolio. |
Chapter 9 quiz and one Try It Out assignment. Add quiz results and the Try-It-Out to portfolio.
Use class time to finalize poster presentations. |
|
11
Mar. 31-Apr 2 |
Read chapter
11 |
Read Case 15 and use collaborative
teamwork answer to your electronic portfolio. |
Attend March 30-April
4 Poster Presentation at Research &
Creative Arts Symposium
Action Research Project Due
Tuesday!
(10-Page Research Paper)
|
|
12
April 7-9 |
Read chapter
10 |
Read Case 14 and use collaborative
teamwork answer to your electronic portfolio. |
|
|
13
April 14-16 |
Read chapter
12 |
Read Case 17 |
Portfolio Due
Tuesday!
Revised Action Research Project Due
Chapter 10 quiz (extra credit). Add quiz results
and the Try-It-Out to portfolio.
|
|
14
April 21-23 |
Read chapter
13 |
Read Case 18 |
Chapter 10 quiz. Add quiz results
and the Try-It-Out to portfolio. |
|
15
April 28-30 |
Read chapter
14 |
Additional cases. |
No revisions accepted after
Monday of this week.
|
|
16
May 5-7 |
n/a |
|
Final Exam must
be completed by the regularly scheduled exam time.
Minimum score of 80% required for any grade! |

Week
one.
LEARNING
OUTCOME:
Review basic interpersonal communication principles.
-
Review tentative syllabus
-
Lecture chapter 1
in Wood.
-
Work together to
complete final exam for Interpersonal Communication.
Please read assigned chapters IN ADVANCE and COME TO CLASS
PREPARED TO Define communication and
interpersonal communication and differentiate them from other
related terms.
Part One: THINKING ABOUT
COMMUNICATION
THEORY.
Opening.
__ Read tentative syllabus and schedule, exam course materials, and
obtain and skim textbooks.
__
Review key
principles from Interpersonal Communication 1
__ Download
portfolio file to begin keeping assignments together for the core
assessment project.
__
Read Wood
chapter 1. Communication as a Field of Study.
EXPLORE:
Explore the student companion site:
click here.
__ Meet the textbook authors: Dr.
Braithwaite
click
here and Dr. Wood
click
here
__ Review course webpage:
http://onlineacademics.org/CA301/
__ See course gradebook:
http://parkonline.org/
__ QUIZ: Go to the student companion site
click here.
After reading the chapter, select the appropriate chapter and link,
then complete Wood's chapter "Tutorial Quiz." When you
achieve 90% or higher, submit to
joan.aitken@park.edu You
must include your email address. I'll return the email to you
so you will be able to copy and submit the assignment as part of
your course portfolio.
__ TRY IT OUT: In the same student companion site, complete
one of the Wood's chapter "Try It Out" activities and submit to
joan.aitken@park.edu Do
not wait until the last minute because you may need to do
something before you write. 100 words is a typical length
for this assignment. You must include your email address.
I'll return the email to you so you will be able to copy and submit the assignment as part of your course portfolio.
__ ePortfolio. Put your last and
first names in the file name. Then put the Try It Out and Quiz
in your ePortfolio.
The textbook companion
site will send your assignment to me via email when you use the
"submit" process. When I return it to you via email. You
highlight the question and your answers on the Try It Out or the
quiz information using Control A, then copy your information using
Control C, then go to the appropriate place in your ePortfolio and
paste using Control V. Continue to add to your ePortfolio
throughout the course.
__ CASE 1: Check out the companion site for the Braithwaite
and Wood
case study book:
Case study site, click here.
__ Read case 1 in Braithwaite and Wood.

Wood
Preface and
Chapter 1 Lecture
|
Preface and Introduction |

|
Theories
are interesting and relevant to everyday life.
We'll
consider a limited number of theories, which are relevant to interpersonal
communication and relationships.
We learn
the history of an intellectual discipline to appreciate its identity.
Theories
that have charted the communication field's evolution and led to its current status as an intellectually vibrant, socially relevant area of study and
practice.
You may
develop an appreciation of the PROCESS of theorizing as an intellectual
activity.
You
should gain insight into the concerns and goals that motivate scholars to
develop theories.
|
Values of Studying Communication Theories |

|
Enhance
your insight into the issues, principles, and problems that characterize the
discipline today.
Enlarge
your understanding of experiences in your
personal life and lives of those
around you.
|
Agree or Disagree?
Theories and theorists vary widely not only
in what they study but also in the fundamental assumptions they make
about human nature, knowledge, communication, and the goals of the
theory.
What is your theory of interpersonal communication?
Debate: Set up argument(s) in favor and argument(s) against and
be prepared to argue either side. |
 |
|
Chapter one: Communication as a Field of Study |

|
In 1970,
Frank Dance, a communication theorist, counted over 100 definitions of
communication proposed by experts in the field.
|
What do you think?
We
actively construct meaning.
Debate
Prepare to argue either side of the definition or theory. What are
three argument(s) in favor or support of this idea and three argument(s))
against or in disagreement of this idea. Give one example or
anecdote from your personal experience, for each side of the argument. |
 |
Communication is a systemic process in which individuals interact with and
through symbols to create and interpret meanings.
-
Communication is a process, which means it is ongoing and always in motion.
-
Systemic means that communication involves a group of interrelated parts
that affect one another.
-
Symbols are abstract, arbitrary, and ambiguous representations of other
things.
-
Meaning is the heart of communication because we create it.

Communication with others not only affects our sense of identity but also
directly influences our physical well-being. People who lack close friends
have greater levels of anxiety and depression than people who are close to
others.
|
 |
Apply Research Findings
Can you think of an example or story from
your personal experience that supports scholarly research findings?
Heart disease
is more common among people who lack strong interpersonal relationships.
People in
disturbed relationships tend to have low self-esteem and more
headaches, alcoholism, cancer, and sleep disorders.
Arthritis
patients who have good relationships with friends and loved ones have
less severe symptoms and live longer.
There is a
link between good relationships and physical and mental health.
Social
isolation and lack of intimates are correlated with increased problems
in physical and psychological well-being |
Importance of Communication:
-
Relationships
-
Professional Impact
-
Culture and Society
|
Relationships |

|
Communication critically affects our relationships. We build connections
with others by revealing our private identities, remembering shared history
planning a future, and working out problems and tensions.
Communication is essential for healthy and enduring relationships.
Good
communication in intimate relationships involves listening skillfully,
expressing your own ideas clearly, and responding with empathy and
understanding.
Good
relationships are about more than the big moments, but the mundane, small talk,
routine talk that weaves lives together is essential.
For
couples involved in long-distance romances, the biggest problems are missing the
nonverbal communication that occurs in face-to-face interaction and not being
able to share small talk.
|
Professional Impact |

|
Communication skills affect professional success.
No
company is prepared to teach employees how to deal with people and communicate
effectively.
|
Cultural Impact |
 |
Communication skills are essential for a healthy society.
|
Breadth of the Communication Field
All areas can affect interpersonal
communication! |

|
Western
traditions back to Aristotle who viewed communication as a practical art.
Intrapersonal communication
Our area of emphasis: Interpersonal communication.
-
Small
group and teams
-
Public communication
-
Performance, including stories (narratives).
-
Media
and new technologies. Media reinforce cultural stereotypes about race
and ethnicity. Media can distort reality.
-
Organizational communication, including the personal relationships among
coworkers, organizational culture (identity and codes of thought and action
that are shared by members of an organization).
-
Intercultural communication. Less obvious are cultural differences
between people who speak the "same" language. Within the US there are
distinct communication cultures based on race, gender, affectional
preferences, and ethnicity.
|
The Heart of Communication Research
-
Symbolic Activities
-
Meaning
|
 |
Careers in Communication
-
Research
-
Public Relations
-
Advertising
-
Education
-
Human
Relations
-
Management
|
Review chapter 1 |
Explain in your own words or give a personal example! |
|
communication |
A systemic process in which
individuals interact with and through symbols to create and
interpret meanings. |
|
fantasy theme |
An idea that spins out in a
group and captures its social and task foci. |
|
intercultural communication
|
The branch of communication
field that studies communication among people from different cultures, including distinct cultures within a single
country. |
|
interpersonal communication
|
Communication between people.
Interpersonal communication exists on a continuum ranging
from impersonal (between social roles) to highly personal.
|
|
intrapersonal communication
|
Communication with oneself,
including self-talk, planning, and reflections. |
|
meaning |
The significance conferred on
experiences and phenomena; meaning is constructed, not intrinsic to communication. In general systems theory,
communication has two levels of meaning: the content level,
which concerns the information in a message; and the
relationship level, which concerns what the message implies
about the power, liking, and responsiveness between the
communicators. |
|
monitoring |
Observing and managing our own
thoughts, feelings, and actions. Monitoring is possible
because humans are symbol users. |
|
organizational culture |
Understandings about identity
and codes of thought and action that are shared by members
of an organization. |
|
process |
The quality of being ongoing, in
flux, ever changing. Communication is a process. |
|
symbol |
An arbitrary, ambiguous, and
abstract representation of other phenomena. Symbols are the
basis of language, much nonverbal behavior, and human
thought. |
|
systemic |
Related to systems, which are
organized and interacting wholes in which all parts
interrelate. Communication is systemic.
|
Case 1 Thought and
Reflection
-
What are the reasons
Madeline and Martin give for their married-name
preferences?
-
Considering both Madeline’s
and Martin’s perspectives, what are the possible
decisions this couple might make?
-
In what ways do married-name
choices suggest different types or styles of marriage
relationships? Identify the characteristics of marriage
for Martin and for Madeline.
-
To what degree can cultural
issues affect married-name choices?
-
In this relationship what role does self-disclosure play in defining power and
control in the process of decision making?
|
Based on a case study, discuss or write a summary
of each of the following concepts:
-
Mental process in communication
-
Perception,
-
Interpersonal communication content
-
Amount of interpersonal communication
-
Interpersonal and task behaviors
-
Norms
-
Conflict
Responsibilities in a Small Group*
-
Be committed to the group’s goals
-
Fulfill individual assignments
-
Avoid interpersonal conflicts
-
Encourage full participation
-
Keep the discussion on track
*Lucas, S. E.
(2004). The art of public speaking. (8th ed.) Boston, MA:
McGraw-Hill. |

"No one wants advice, only collaboration."
John Steinbeck (1902 - 1968) |
|
COME PREPARED FOR OUR NEXT CLASS MEETING!
Learning theory suggests that students learn more if they review what they have just learned and if they preview and prepare for what they
plan to learn.
1. Take several minutes to talk with your partner or group about what you have learned today.
2. Also, look ahead to what you need to do to prepare for the next class meeting. What do you already know about the next course
topic? Discuss your experiences related to this topic. What assignment do you need to prepare for the next class meeting (e.g.,
reading, writing, speech)?
If there is no specific assignment, what do you need to do to
mentally prepare before class so you are an active learner?
"The sad truth is that excellence makes
people nervous."
Shana Alexander |
 |

Week
two:
Please come prepared for class by reading the
Wood chapter before class.
LEARNING
OUTCOME:
Describe the general nature of theory and its place in the study of
interpersonal communication.
__ Read Wood chapter 2. Understanding Communication Theories.
__ QUIZ: Go to the student companion site
click here.
After reading the chapter, select the appropriate chapter and link,
then complete Wood's chapter "Tutorial Quiz." When you achieve
90% or higher, submit to
joan.aitken@park.edu You
must include your email address. Enter this results email as part of
your electronic course portfolio.
__ TRY IT OUT: In the same student companion site, complete
one of the Wood's chapter "Try It Out" activities and submit to
joan.aitken@park.edu Do
not wait until the last minute because you may need to do something
before you write. 100 words is a typical length for this
assignment. You must include your email address. Include
this assignment as part of your electronic course portfolio.
__ ePortfolio. When you download, put your
last and first names in the file name. Then put the Try It Out and Quiz in
your ePortfolio. The
textbook companion site will send your assignment to me via email when you use
the "submit" process. When I return it to you via email. You highlight the question and your answers on the Try It Out or the quiz information using
Control A, then copy your information using Control C, then go to the
appropriate place in your ePortfolio and paste using Control V. Continue
to add to your ePortfolio throughout the course.
__ READ CASE(S) 2 & 10: Review the case questions below
as you read this week's case(s) for discussion (Braithwaite and Wood
book).

People act on
theories, often without realizing it in their everyday lives.
Theories are attempts
to make sense of things.
A theory offers an
account of what something is, how it operates.
Theories are human
constructions--symbolic ways we represent phenomena.
|
Goals of theories
-
Description
-
Explanation
-
Prediction, control, and understanding.
-
Reform (pursuit of positive social
change)
|

|
|
Teamwork!
Complete this learning activity
collaborating with other students in the class. Each student needs
to be actively engaged and carry his or her share of the work
responsibility. Have one
person act as the recorder, who type your answer after class, email it to the group members, who then can modify the assignment and put it in
their ePortfolios.
See p. 39, Try it Out
ASSIGNMENT: Develop a
theory of communication for your classroom.
-
Identify and describe the most important features of communication in your classroom.
-
Explain how the features interact and
what happens as they do.
-
Offer an understanding of what the
communication in your classroom means and how it is subjectively
experienced by individuals in the class.
-
Predict what will happen in the future,
and define ways you could control future events in the classroom.
-
Identify what should be the case for
communication in your class.
-
Are there any communication practices
that oppress or discriminate against certain members of the class?
-
If so, what needs to be changed to end
or reduce the disadvantage?
-
Does the communication that takes place
support the goals of learning fully?
-
If not, how should it be changed to
improve learning?
|
 |
|
Standards for evaluating theories:
-
scope
-
testable
-
simplicity
-
useful
-
heuristic
|

|
-
SCOPE Scope refers to the
range of phenomena a theory describes and explains.
-
Some theories focus on very
narrow realms of
communication, and others advance
grand perspectives.
-
How well does a theory answer
questions: The WHAT question and the HOW or WHY question?
-
A theory clarifies what it considers
ESSENTIAL in communication.
-
Laws-based explanations argument that anytime x happens, y will follow, or that x and y are usually related.
Laws-based explanations may be either
causal or correlational.
-
There are
no universal laws in
communication.
-
Rules-based explanations aim to
articulate
the patterns that describe and explain what happens in a specific type
of communication situation or relationship. Thus, RULES have a
more restricted scope than LAWS. Rules are regularities.
TESTABILITY
Can the theory be tested?
PARSIMONY
Parsimony refers to appropriate simplicity.
UTILITY
Is there practical value? Kurt Lewin said that there is nothing so
practical as a good theory.
HEURISM
Provokes new ideas, insights, thinking, and research.

A particular theory may fare well on some of
the above criteria and poorly on others.
Theories, like foods, can be assessed in
different ways that lead us to different conclusions about their merit.
|
PERSPECTIVE FOR STUDYING POINTS OF VIEW |
-
Theorists
choose which kind of communication to
focus on. Theorists make
different choices about what they will focus on in studying a particular
kind of communication.
-
Theorists also
vary in the goals they pursue.
-
Theorists
differ in what they regard as a
good explanation.
-
Some theories
cannot work together because they reflect fundamentally
opposed views of
human beings or of knowledge (p. 47).
A theory
asks particular questions.

|
Review Chapter 2 |
Explain in your own words or give a personal example! |
|
causal |
A form of explanation that asserts that one phenomenon directly determines another. |
|
control |
The use of explanations and
predictions to govern what a phenomenon actually does. |
|
correlational |
A form of explanation that asserts that
two things go together but not that one
causes the other.
|
|
description |
One goal of theory; the use of
symbols to represent something and to identify its parts. |
|
explanation |
One goal of theorizing; an
effort to account for why and/or how something works. |
|
heurism |
A criterion for evaluating
theories; the capacity of a theory to provoke new insights,
thoughts, and understandings. |
|
laws-based explanation |
A theoretical explanation of the
form," Anytime x happens, y will invariably or
probably follow, "or "x and y always or almost always go together." |
|
parsimony |
One criterion for evaluating
theories; the appropriate simplicity of a theory. |
|
prediction |
Projecting what will happen to a
phenomenon under specified conditions or exposure to
particular stimuli. |
|
reform |
One goal of theorizing; the use
of theory to instigate change in pragmatic life. Also called
"producing positive social change." |
|
rules-based explanation
|
A form of theoretical
explanation that articulates regularities, or patterns, in
human behavior that are routinely followed in particular
types of communication situations and relationships. |
|
scope |
One criterion for evaluating
theories; the range of phenomena a theory describes and
explains.
|
|
testability |
The extent to which a theory's
claims can be appraised. Testability is one criterion
for evaluating a theory. |
|
theory |
An account of what something is,
how it works, what it produces or causes to happen, and what can change how it operates. Theories are points of
view, human constructions. |
|
understanding |
One goal of theorizing; gaining
insight into a process, situation, or phenomenon, not necessarily with the goal of predicting or controlling it. |
|
utility |
A criterion for evaluating
theories; practical merit or applied value of a theory. |
Case 2 For Further
Thought and Reflection
-
In what ways are disabled
people stigmatized by their disabilities? How do others
treat them and communicate with them?
-
What kinds of situations are
particularly problematic for persons with disabilities,
especially in regard to helping and maintaining privacy?
-
Some of the other cases in
this book identify competing dialectical tensions that exist within relationships—independence—dependence,
openness—closedness, stability—change. Which of these
dialectical tensions do we see in Steve’s and Jim’s
experiences?
-
What experiences have you
had with individuals with disabilities? Does this case
help you think about alternative ways of communicating
with disabled people? How do you think they would like
you to interact with them?
-
What impact do disability
and communication patterns, as they are affected by
disability, have on identity and self-esteem?
-
Do you think Steve’s parents
made the best decision when they elected to keep Steve
at home rather than institutionalizing him?
Case 10 Thought and
Reflection
-
It is said that communication rules help prescribe rules for behavior.
What general communication rules do you see operating
throughout this case?
-
It is said that communication rules are used to evaluate, justify,
correct, predict, and/or explain behavior. How do
communication rules in this case function to evaluate,
justify, correct, predict and explain behaviors?
-
What implicit (unstated
prescriptions for behavior) and explicit (clearly stated
prescriptions for behavior) rules did you see? Which
appear to have more importance?
-
When is it appropriate to
break rules? How were rules broken in this case?
|