Catalog Course Description
This course is an introduction to the field of communication with emphasis on the history of communication study, theories important to all areas of communication, the contexts in which communication occurs, and the issues that must be faced by students of communication. The course serves as an introduction to the strands of communication: rhetoric, interpersonal, small group, organizational, mass communication, and intercultural.
Course Objectives
1. Define the fundamental characteristics of communication.
2. Describe the characteristics of various communication contexts.
3. Identify issues currently being considered by communication scholars.
4. Describe academic and career options in the field of communication.
5. Critically analyze communication in public and private settings.
Required Texts
Wood, J. (2004). Communication mosaics: An introduction to the field of communication (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.
Course Assignments
1. Attendance/participation: Given that attendance and participation are critical for your academic success, you will earn points for full class period attendance this semester. Full class period attendance means that you arrive on time, and you stay for the entire period.
2. Journal: During the semester, you will keep a typed Journal of your thoughts and experiences about the course material. Each week, I will pose several questions for you to answer in your Journal (answer only one question), related to next week’s Chapter reading. I will collect the Journals several times during the semester, to evaluate your progress and award points.
3. Journal Entry Presentation: Once during the semester, you will give a short (2-4 minutes) presentation about your response to a question in your Journal. At the minimum, you should talk about your response in some detail and relate your experience/thoughts to the appropriate Chapter in your textbook.
4. Quizzes: There will be 11 quizzes (your lowest quiz will be dropped). These quizzes mostly consist of recall information, designed to check your reading of the text and prepare you for the more difficult exams.
5. Exams: There will be one midterm and one final exam of true/false, multiple choice, and short answer questions.
6. Term paper: You will write a 1500-2000 word (about 5-7 pages) paper analyzing a film according to course concepts. You will support your analysis of the types, levels, functions and models of communication present in the film with journal articles and textbook concepts.
Grading