Of all things, communication is the most wonderful.---John Dewey Course DescriptionCommunication is intertwined with all aspects of human activity. Without the ability to communicate, we could not form relationships, enter into society, or even understand the world around us. Communication is such a central, natural part of our daily lives that we often take it for granted, rarely questioning what we mean by the very term "communication." Yet, this most commonplace activity becomes very complex once we try to systematically understand or theorize it. The general goal of this course is to introduce students to an array of theories that have attempted to answer the question: "What is communication?" We will start from the perspective that communication is a social process; that is, it is an ongoing, dynamic means through which we build our identities, our relationships, and our understanding of the world. Our focus will be on exploring some of the central people and theories that have contributed to shaping the discipline of communication studies. As we will discover, this discipline contains many different perspectives, some of which are at odds with one another, making communication theories as multifaceted and complex as the communication they are attempting to describe. To help navigate our way through all these perspectives, we will also learn some ways to critically evaluate communication theories and their underlying assumptions. We will combine our reading of the texts with critical discussion and assignments where your own experience and perspective will play a key role in puzzling through this complex concept and everyday reality we are calling “communication.” Course ObjectivesThe objectives of this course are to
Required TextbooksTwo texts are required for this course:
You can order the required textbooks from the Higher Grounds bookstore at the Friday Center online (or by printing out the book order form and mailing or faxing it in). Refer to the online ordering site for current book prices. Note: It is your responsibility to complete the readings and to ask questions if you have any difficulties with the material. It is important that you have a firm understanding and familiarity with the material in the readings as you will be required to apply these theories in the assignments and on the exams. If you leave the readings until the last minute, you will not do well in this course. Course RequirementsGrade Distribution
Discussion Forum ParticipationAt the end of every lesson there are review questions. The discussion forum is a wonderful resource for working through the material. As with any discussion, the more you participate in the discussion forum conversations, the more you will benefit. To get credit for participating in the discussion forum, you must post as specified in each lesson’s posting guidelines. In general, you will post your response to the prompt question by the second day of the lesson, then be expected to respond to at least two of your classmates by the last day of the lesson. You will not have to post the during the lessons right before Assignments 1 and 2 are due. You will not have to post during the time you are researching Assignment 3, but you will post during the lesson it is due. Please see each lesson for directions, and be sure to look out for my e-mailed posting reminders. The review questions give you an opportunity to go over the material in advance of the exam. If you have problems answering any of the review questions, you should raise them on the discussion forum. For information on how to access the discussion forum, see Course Mechanics. AssignmentsThere will be three assignments throughout the course. The due dates are listed in the course schedule. These assignments will give you an opportunity to apply what you have learned in the course--to put your theory into practice!
Final ExamYour final exam has two parts, which you will access via Blackboard on the dates indicated in the course schedule. You may use your text and coursepack on the exam, but NO outside sources. You will need to be familiar with the Glossary of Terms to complete your exam correctly. Course PoliciesWork LoadYou should reserve about four to five hours per lesson to complete the readings and the assignments for this course. There are roughly fifty to seventy pages of assigned reading material for each lesson. It is essential that you take the time to read, reread, and take notes. Grading ScaleThe work in this course is graded on a standard ten-point scale as outlined below:
You may submit a draft any assignment to me three or more days BEFORE the due date to receive feedback on your work. In addition, I will always discuss any element of an assignment, or any challenges you are having with a particular assignment. The best time to discuss your paper is before you submit it, but if you wish to discuss your paper or my comments after you receive your grade please contact me via e-mail. Late WorkWork that is up to one week late will have one full letter grade deducted. After one week, assignments will automatically receive a ZERO. If you encounter extenuating circumstances (such as illness, family emergency, work conflicts), the late penalty will be waived if you let me know in advance of the due date, or in exceptional circumstances on the due date. After-the-fact excuses will not be accepted. It is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you send to me via e-mail. If I don't receive your work, you must have a duplicate copy, indicating the date sent, to prove that you submitted the assignment on time. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent e-mails, as there is no way to guarantee that any e-mail message will be delivered. Glossary of TermsI have compiled a Glossary of Terms that you will need to know in order to complete your final exam correctly. Please make sure you are familiar with these terms. Honor CodeFull compliance with the University Honor Code is required on all assignments, quizzes, and course work.
All violations--and suspected violations--of the UNC Honor Code will, without exception, be reported immediately to University authorities for purposes of investigation and prosecution. Course MechanicsBlackboardSome of your class components (announcements, discussion forums, exam) are accessed through a software package called Blackboard. You will need to login to Blackboard using a unique identifier known as your UNC Onyen (Only name you'll ever need) and Onyen password. There is a link to the Blackboard site in the gray navigation bar at the top of every page in this course. Click on that link, and then use your Onyen to login to Blackboard. Click on the "COMM 100" link and then you will see navigation buttons on the left taking you to the Announcements, Discussion Forums, and so on. If you experience problems accessing Blackboard, this is what you should do:
Library Services and E-reservesStudents enrolled in Carolina Courses Online can access online library resources from the UNC Library System by linking to Library Services for Distance Education Students. This site includes information on using general online reference works as well as accessing e-reserves. If you are using an off-campus computer, you will need to enter your UNC Onyen to access the readings that are available through the library's online system. The UNC library staff is available to assist any students who have difficulties accessing online library resources. If you encounter difficulties, please visit this Web page for reporting a problem. Using E-mailYou will receive e-mail messages regarding the course at your UNC e-mail address. Off-campus users can access their UNC e-mail account using Webmail. You can have your UNC e-mail forwarded to a different e-mail address by clicking "Forward e-mail" at the Onyen Web site. If you use a filter on your e-mail account, you are responsible for ensuring that it does not prevent you from receiving messages from me, the course listserv, or Friday Center staff. Hotmail users should be aware that Hotmail will block messages sent from within Blackboard because Blackboard uses "blind carbon copy" to protect privacy. We recommend that you use your UNC Onyen e-mail account rather than Hotmail for this course. Again, it is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you send to me via e-mail. If I don't receive your work, you must have a duplicate copy, indicating the date sent, to prove that you submitted the assignment on time. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent e-mails, as there is no way to guarantee that any e-mail message will be delivered. Please check your e-mail software to see how it manages sent and saved messages. Some software automatically deletes messages one month after they have been sent; others only save messages if they are filed in folders; others save messages received but not those sent. You may need to send yourself a copy of your e-mailed assignment at the same time you send it to me, or you may need to print a copy of the e-mail message and any attachments to keep in your paper files. No matter how your system works, make sure you know how to save a copy of all work that you submit to me and that you save the copy for several months beyond the end of the course. Other QuestionsIf you have questions regarding the content of the course and your progress, contact me (your instructor). There is a link to my e-mail address at the top of every lesson page. E-mail is not limited to emergencies or problems; I encourage you to contact me for any course-related reasons! I am happy to discuss the material, review a draft of your assignment before submission, or help you find further resources in a subject of interest. Please include "COMM 100" in the subject line of your e-mail so I may respond to you as promptly as possible. If you find a problem with this Web site, including bad links, contact the Instructional Designer at the Friday Center. If you have any questions about enrollment, Onyen, credits, withdrawal, and so on, contact the Student Services staff at the Friday Center for Continuing Education (phone 919-962-1134 or 800-862-5669). Course Schedule
Lesson 1 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
