TEXTBOOKS:
Dainton, M., & Zelley, E. D. (2005). Applying communication theory for professional life: A practical introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Sumser, J. (2001). A guide to empirical research in communication: Rules for looking. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

CLASS FORMAT: Class meetings will contain a mix of lecture, discussion, activities, and presentations.  You should come to class prepared to thoughtfully discuss and analyze the assigned readings and concepts presented in the lectures.

Do not hesitate to contact me if you find yourself struggling, and ask questions in, or after, class!  E-mail is often the fastest way to reach me outside of class.

WEB-BASED MATERIALS: It's always a good idea to regularly check my web page for class updates.  You will find links to study guides, instructions for completing assignments, and other helpful information, on this page.  You ARE responsible for assignments and materials posted there.  No changes will be posted that require you to perform additional readings or assignments within 24 hours of the class meeting.

ATTENDANCE, ACTIVITIES, AND PARTICIPATION: Throughout the course, you will earn a small percentage of points toward your final grade for your participation in class activities. Some of these activities will require preparation outside of class, but many of them will simply require your active engagement in class. Therefore, your attendance and participation in class is important. In-class activities cannot normally be made up-if you must miss class for a school-sponsored event, it is your responsibility to inform me beforehand, in writing, and to follow-up after you return in order to make-up any missed assignments.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS: Three major written papers are planned for the semester: (1) an abstract of a research journal article that tests or applies a communication theory; (2) a review and synthesis of articles on a related topic; and (3) a proposal for an original research project. Paper #3 will also be presented in class.  For these three papers, you will need to e-mail me a copy of your FINAL work (as well as submit a hard copy).  As a protection to you, when you e-mail me your assignments, you should also CC: all submitted work to yourself so you have acopy for your records (and you can see what you sent to me).

Because each paper is designed to aid in the completion of the next paper, ideally all three papers will be written on the same communication topic, which we will discuss in class (Paper #2 and Paper #3 must be written on the same topic).  All papers must conform to APA-style standards (see the COM 201 web page for links to helpful sites).

Additionally, a few small supplementary written assignments will also be completed.  These assignments have been planned to help you progress smoothly toward the accomplishment of the papers above, and will hopefully result in better papers (and paper grades).  More details about each written assignment will be discussed in class.

For each of the three papers there will be in-class "workshop days" during which we will discuss and/or work on the papers in class. For each workshop* listed, papers are due for grading on that day (due dates are listed below), and therefore should be completed prior to coming to class.  However, if you participate in the workshops for a particular paper you will get additional time to revise!  Please note that a rough draft of your paper must be (1) brought to class on the workshop day, and (2) turned in with your final draft of the paper.  Failure to bring this rough draft may negatively impact your grade.

Except under rare circumstances, no work will be accepted after the time and date it is due without an instructor-approved excuse received before the due date.  Late work is subject to point deductions for every day an assignment is late.  Also, ALL graded assignments must be completed to pass this course!

IMPORTANT: Keep copies of all work you turn in.  This is a protection to you and will allow you to keep working on the next phase of the assignment while I am grading the current work.  DO NOT WAIT until you get your previous paper back to start working on the next paper!

EXAMINATIONS: There will be four exams in this class covering material from the textbooks as well as from lectures and class activities.  Each exam is worth 15% of your grade.  An optional final exam will also be offered, which can be used to substitute for one of the other exams (the top four exam grades will be used to calculate your final exam score for the class).  You are responsible for all material in the textbooks, whether or not it is covered in class.  Exams may contain a mix of multiple choice, matching, true-false, and short answer questions.  Exams must be taken during the scheduled time period.  Only an instructor-approved excuse (e.g., school-sponsored events), received prior to the examination period, will be considered a valid reason for missing exams.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING:  As you might expect, plagiarism and cheating in any form will NOT be tolerated.  Work that is found to be plagiarized may result in a failing grade for that assignment or for the entire class, and will be turned over to the academic responsibility board for further action.  Details about what constitutes plagiarism are found in the Concordia College handbook, "Academic Integrity at Concordia College." You are responsible for following the guidelines contained in the handbook even if they are not specifically discussed in class. If you have any question as to what constitutes plagiarism/cheating, ask me (or any of your instructors).  Tests and papers submitted should contain the following statement from the Handbook on Academic Integrity:

"I affirm that I have adhered to the college's expectations for integrity in the completion of this [examination, paper, or assignment]."

_______________________________________________
Your Name
 

EVALUATION: Your final course grade will be based on:
 

Examination #1	15%	Sept 19 (Fri)  Sept 24 (Mon)
Examination #2	15	Oct 15 (Mon)
Examination #3	15	Nov 5 (Mon)
Examination #4	15	Nov 28 (Wed)
(Optional Final Examination	15	Dec 12 (WED, 9-10:30am)
Paper #1: Abstract	5	Sept 28 (w/o workshop); Oct 1 (w/ workshop) Oct 1 (w/o workshop); Oct 3 (w/ workshop)
Paper #2: Synthesis	10	Nov 9 (w/o workshop); Nov 12 (w/ workshop)
Paper #3:  Proposal  Poster  Presentation	10	Nov 30 (w/o workshop); Dec 10 (w/ workshop)  Dec 3 (first day of presentations)  Dec 3-7; be ready for presentation on Dec 3
Small Writing Assignments	5	as assigned in class
Activities and Participation	10	as assigned in class
TOTAL	100%

 

Standard grading cut-offs will be used for all exams and for the final grade, as follows:
 

	100-93%     A	92-90       A-
89-87       B+	86-83          B	82-80       B-
79-77       C+	76-73          C	72-70       C-
69-67       D+	66-63          D	62-60       D-
	59-              F

Week	DATE	MON	WED	FRI
1	8/31			Intro
2	9/3-9/7	Studying Communication  (D&Z Ch1)	Defining Communication  (D&Z Ch1)	Modeling Communication
3	9/10-9/14	Theorizing about Communication  (Sumser Ch1)	Identifying Social Scientific Research Articles	Doing Background Research  (Library Workshop)
4	9/17-9/21	Communication Variables (Sumser Ch2; D&Z Ch10)	Review for Exam #1	Exam #1
5	9/24-9/28	Reading Communication Research  (Sumser Chs 3-4)	Mastering APA-Style	Abstract Workshop **  (Sumser Ch 5, sidebar "tips")
6	10/1-10/5	Intrapersonal Communication (D&Z Ch2)	METH: Surveys (Sumser Ch7)	Interpersonal Communication (D&Z Ch3)
7	10/8-10/12	Interpersonal Communication (cont.) (D&Z Ch3)	METH: Experiments (Sumser Ch7)	Review for Exam #2
8	10/15-10/19	Exam #2	Cultural Communication (D&Z Ch4)	Nonverbal Communication
9	10/22-10/26	[FALL RECESS - no class]	Synthesis Paper Meetings	Writing a Literature Review  (Sumser Ch 5, pp. 69-81)
10	10/29-11/2	Group Communication (D&Z Ch7)	Organizational Communication METH: Ethnography (Sumser Ch9; D&Z Ch8)	Review for Exam #3
11	11/5-11/9	Exam #3	Mass Media Communication METH: Content Analysis (Sumser Ch9; D&Z Ch9)	Synthesis Paper Workshop 2 **  (Sumser Ch 5, pp. 82-93)
12	11/12-11/16	Persuasive Communication (D&Z Ch5)	Developing Research Questions and Hypotheses	Proposal Paper Peer Workshop
13	11/19-11/23	Ethical Communication Research	Rhetoric and the History of Communication	[THANKSGIVING RECESS - no class]
14	11/26-11/30	Review for Exam #4	Exam #4	Proposal Paper Workshop**
15	12/3-12/7	Poster Session	Poster Session	Poster Session
16	12/10-12/12	Review for Final Exam	OPTIONAL FINAL EXAM (9-10:30am)

* Occasionally it becomes necessary to make changes to the schedule. If such occasions occur this semester, the changes will be announced in class.
** Papers due on the day of the workshop; revised papers due next class period if you attend this workshop with a completed rough draft.

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This page is maintained by Aileen Buslig, buslig@cord.edu
Updated 9/16/07