CMST 101 ● Introduction to Interpersonal Communication

Department of Speech Communication

Spring 2018
CRN 44459 – TTh 10:15AM – 11:40AM, Room G-106

 

Instructor:  Ken Carrell, M.A.
Office hours: By appointment only
E-Mail: Carrell_Kenneth@sac.edu

 

Required Texts

Adler, R. B. & Proctor II, R. F. (2015). Looking Out, Looking In (15^th ed.). Boston: Cengage. ISBN: # 978-1-305-07651-8

This syllabus contains everything you need to know about your rights and responsibilities in this course. Please take the time to read it carefully.

Download a PDF of this syllabus here: Spring 2018 - CMST 101 - Syllabus

 

Course Description & Objectives

Catalog Description: Introduction to communication theory, listening, perception, language usage, non-verbal communication, and conflict management.

Course Overview: This course is designed to help students to function more effectively in interpersonal relationships. We will be studying interpersonal communication theories and research as well as engaging in analysis of different interpersonal communication settings and interactions.

Course Outcomes: CMST 101 will provide you with both a theoretical understanding of and practical experience with interpersonal communication. As a result of taking this class, you will be able to:

1. Understand the role interpersonal communication plays in relation to self-concept, perception, and emotional processes.
2. Identify the elements of the model of communication.
3. Analyze your own relationships using theories of interpersonal communication.
4. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of skills necessary for competent interpersonal communication
5. Understand the role of verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and listening in the communication process.

 

Web-Enhanced Course

This is a web-enhanced course. This means that I will be using Canvas to give you access to your assignment scores, offer online access of this syllabus, & distribute materials needed for this course. Note: all assignments prompts and handouts will be made available on Canvas. In order to access this site, you will need:

• A computer with an Internet connection: The computers on the first floor of the library are available to all registered students. Please be aware that there is a fee for printing.
• A web browser: Firefox, Chrome, and Safari are recommended; avoid Internet Explorer, as it can be prone to unpredictable behavior.
• An email address: For successful electronic communication with Santa Ana College, be sure @sac.edu is a trusted site in your email program.
• A username and password: See the Canvas login page for information on how to log on.

Things to Do to Use Your Canvas Course Site Effectively

1. Log in to the course site at https://rsccd.instructure.com/
2. Check your email in the Canvas preferences. If your current email is not listed, please update both in Canvas and in Webadvisor.
3. Take a few minutes to explore the course site and make sure you can find where to download important course documents. There are tutorials for how to navigate the site that should be visible when you log in.
4. Read and follow the guidelines in your course syllabus.

How to Enter Your Canvas Course Site

• Go to: https://rsccd.instructure.com/
• Username: Student ID#
• Password: Webadvisor password

 

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation are MANDATORY and you should note that attendance and grades are highly correlated in any class. If you miss class, you will not be allowed to turn in assignments that were due IN CLASS for full credit or make up any in-class assignments, exams, or speeches unless it’s a documented excused absence or other arrangements were made in advance with my permission. Except in the very rare case of last minute emergencies (e.g.: you were hit by a car as you were walking to class and were taken to the emergency room), you should let me know about any absences and make arrangements for making up any missed work in advance.

Important notes:

• Missing more than 10% of total class meetings will result in a full letter grade deduction from your overall grade and missing more than 20% will result in you being dropped from the course. No exceptions. These absences may be consecutive or nonconsecutive.
• 3 tardies will equal 1 absence for courses that meet twice per week. 1.5 tardies will equal 1 absence for courses that meet once per week (2 tardies will count as 1 absence; 3 tardies will count as 2 absences).
• If an assignment is due online, you are still expected to turn in the assignment on time, even if you miss class that day. If an assignment is due in hard copy form, get it to a classmate to submit for you ahead of time.

Make-up exams will not be administered for unexcused absences. If you do not attend class the day of the exam and it’s for an unexcused reason, you will receive a 0 on the exam. Don’t plan vacations on exam days.

If possible, you should notify me in advance in person or via e-mail if you are going to miss class and the reason for your absence. It is your responsibility to provide written documentation from a third party of your emergency or excused absence. Excused absences include traveling related to playing an away game on a Cerritos College sports team or traveling related to the forensics team, approved field trips for other courses, illness resulting in a hospital or clinic visit, and any other reason I deem valid. Malfunctioning vehicles are NOT an excusable reason.

 

Late Work & Incomplete Grade Policy

Unless otherwise announced, all assignments are due online before the beginning of class on the day that they are due. If you have problems submitting online, you must e-mail the assignment to me BEFORE the time it is due if you want to receive credit for the assignment. The assignment will still need to be submitted through the proper medium, however this lets me know that you actually experienced an issue and are not attempting to extend your time. You will not be allowed to make up in-class assignments (including speeches and exams) unless you have a documented, excused absence. Late assignments will not be accepted without extenuating circumstances. Assignments submitted with incorrect files will receive a 0. Make ABSOLUTELY sure you’re submitting the correct file before hitting submit.

I stress HEAVILY the importance of planning ahead and getting assignments submitted WELL before the deadline. Assignments submitted 2 minutes after the deadline are considered late. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Incomplete grades will not be given in this class except in rare, extenuating circumstances.

 

Academic Integrity

Academia, as an institution, in its quest for truth and knowledge, embraces honesty and integrity. These fundamental values must not be compromised. The trust and respect among professors, students and the society need to be vigilantly protected. Cheating and plagiarism can be neither justified nor condoned, as this would destroy the ideals and purposes of higher education. Students enter the college to gain the knowledge and tools necessary for participation in society. Academic integrity is one foundation for a society based on trust and honesty. Therefore, the college takes seriously its responsibility for academic honesty. Academic dishonesty is defined as the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for work by the use of any dishonest, deceptive or fraudulent means.

Students are expected to abide by the college’s Academic Honesty/Dishonesty Policy, which can be found in the college catalog. Students who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action. If you are caught committing purposeful academic dishonesty, you will receive a zero on the assignment on which you are cheating AT A MINIMUM and will be punished to the FULLEST extent the college will allow. My threshold for cheating is absolute zero.

All typed assignments, unless otherwise stated, will be submitted on Canvas.

 

Sexual Harassment Policy

It is the policy of our institution to provide an educational, employment and business environment free of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct or communications constituting sexual harassment, as defined and otherwise prohibited by State and Federal law.

Our college district forbids any form of sexual harassment. Prompt disciplinary action will be taken against any student or employee engaging in sexual harassment.

The Non-Discrimination Statement of our institution is found in the current academic year course catalog. This course will fully utilize this policy as stated in the catalog.

 

Student Support Services

A guide to Student Support Services is available in the current semester Schedule of Classes.

 

Statement on Special Needs Accommodation

Any student with a verified disability may arrange an appointment for an alternative administration of placement tests by contacting the Disabled Students Program & Services at (714) 564-6295 or by visiting the DSPS center in VL-203. Any student with any type of verified disability will be given reasonable accommodation to participate effectively in the course. You are asked to speak to me as soon as possible in the semester so I can make these arrangements accordingly.

 

Email Communication

I will be using e-mail as the official means to communicate to you directly. You are expected to access your e-mail account on a regular basis so that official college and department messages are delivered and received in a timely manner and you do not miss important messages. You will be held responsible for all emails sent to you. “I didn’t get that email” is not a valid excuse. If you’re not regularly receiving emails from the college, check with Admissions that they have the correct email on file. I check my email regularly Monday through Friday, but on Saturdays and Sundays, I do not.

I can not discuss grades via email. There are legal reasons why not (a federal law called FERPA, if you’re really curious). If you need to discuss your grades with me directly, before or after class would be the most appropriate times.

I have policies on acceptable manners for emailing me. Your email should not include the following:

• Questions that can be answered by reading through this document.
• Excessive spelling/grammar errors.
• Unprofessional language, including swearing.
• Emojis (yes, seriously)
• Shorthand like: “lol” “plz” “wtf” etc.

All emails should include your name and the class in which you are enrolled in the subject line. All of my email from all of the schools at which I teach get sent to the same inbox on my phone so I might not know immediately what class you’re in when I read it if you don’t include this information.

Note: Please do not message me on Canvas. Always email me directly through my email portal.

 

Drop Policy

Students choosing not to continue in the course are expected to drop themselves online using the college enrollment system. Students who do not drop themselves will be dropped after the initial drop period, which will result in a “W” on your transcript. I encourage you to speak to me before dropping the class, as oftentimes students will drop a class believing they’re not passing when they, in fact, are.

 

Food & Drink Policy

Food is prohibited during all class meetings, as it can be a source of distraction. Non-alcoholic drinks in sealed containers are permitted (your venti Starbucks frappuccino is not in a sealed container). If your drink becomes a distraction, I will ask that you put it away or throw it out.

 

Visitors Policy

No one except the enrolled students are allowed to attend class without prior permission and permission will be granted only under extenuating circumstances. You can not bring kids, parents, siblings, boyfriends, girlfriends, non-gender-specific-friends, or anyone else to class. This is to foster an environment that is conducive to learning and non-enrolled students may distract you or others from fully engaging in the course.

 

Classroom Respect

You are expected to be respectful toward myself and other members of the class and not engage in behaviors that show disrespect for or distract from others’ learning. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• All electronics are strictly prohibited during class unless I specifically request that you use them for an in-class learning activity. This includes laptops, mobile phones, iPods, and other similar devices (exceptions can be made for students that need them for notetaking or other purposes; you will need to discuss it with be prior). NOTE: I have an absolute zero tolerance policy for cell phone use. I will kick out any student caught using their phone. Period. Turn it off and put it away when you come to class.
• During other students’ presentations, you may not disrupt their presentation, talk, leave/enter the classroom, or otherwise distract the presenters or other audience members from engaging fully with the presentation. Students that engage in this type of behavior will be subject to a deduction from the assignment in which it occurs. The amount of points deducted is at my discretion. Repeated offenses will receive a 0 for that assignment.
• The time listed at the top of the first page of this syllabus is the time you’re expected to be in your seat. If you’re not in your seat at the specified time, you will be marked tardy, even if you drop your things off and leave to use the bathroom or handle other personal business. Punctuality is stressed much more heavily on speech/presentation days and students that are late beyond a point may have their speech packets considered late and will incur a deduction in their overall score as a result. To reiterate, 2 minutes late is late. Plan ahead.
• Assignments must be submitted on time. You will be informed about assignments and their due dates WELL in advance so failure to submit assignments on time will be met with little sympathy. You are welcome to procrastinate on completing and submitting your assignments until the last minute – but you may not come to me demanding a better grade or to be allowed to resubmit because “it was only 2 minutes late.” Excuses not tolerated.
• After grades are given for an assignment, they are final. Unless you can show me a mistake was made, grades given are set in stone. I will not negotiate grades because you’re unhappy with what you received.
• Students under the influence of alcohol or drugs while on campus will be summarily dismissed from class and campus police will be contacted to escort you off campus. The college has a zero tolerance policy toward substance use on campus grounds and I fully intend to follow through with said policy if it is violated.

 

Attendance Incentives

If you have 100% perfect attendance, meaning no absences (excluding excused absences) or tardies, you will get 2.5% extra credit at the end of the semester.

Also, if there is more than 96% perfect attendance by the end of the semester, the final exam will be handicapped to 105% (meaning the top score will be pushed up to 105% and all other scores will be pushed up by the same number of points as the top score). There must be 96% perfect attendance to receive this bonus (not 95.9%).

 

Exam Incentives

For each exam, you will be allowed to use two 4”x6” notecards as a cheat sheet, on which you can write whatever you would like. You may use these for the exams, but no other materials will be allowed.

 

Journal Submissions

There will be a series of journal assignments on Canvas that will be required to be submitted on the specified date at the specified time. Late journals will not be accepted. For all submitted journals, if you do not receive a score you like, you will be allowed to resubmit the journal entry ONCE. If you choose to do so, whatever you score on the second entry is the final score, even if it’s lower. If you do not submit a journal entry on time, you will not be allowed to resubmit.

 

Interpersonal Shares

During the semester, you are required to do three oral “shares” wherein you compare an outside observation/experience to a class concept. Shares will be presented in class (they will be scheduled). On the day you present, you must turn in a half-page, typed summary of your “share.” An example is available to view on Canvas. They should be formatted as follows:

1. The concept I will be addressing
2. The example from my life
3. How my example relates to the concept