COM-1102: Interpersonal Communication Syllabus

Spring 2009

Instructor: Dr. Robert J. Trader

Office: 332d Lewis Recitation Hall

Email: rtrader@mcdaniel.edu

Phone: 410-386-4604

Website: https://www2.mcdaniel.edu/rtrader/

Office Hours: I am generally available by email between 10:00 a.m. 10:00 p.m.
from Monday to Friday and by luck on Saturdays and Sundays. If I havent
responded to your email within 12 hours, then either resend the email (since
technology sometimes fails us) or stop by my office. Be sure to read the Email Policy
below. Face-to-face meetings outside of office hours can be scheduled based upon
student request and instructor availability. Office hours for the Spring 2009 term are:
4:30 5:30, M-W-F and 1:00 2:00, T.
1. Course Sections/Times:
1) COM-1102-01: Intro to Communication I Interpersonal, MWF 11:30AM ~
12:30PM in LRH 325.
2) COM-1102-02: Intro to Communication I Interpersonal, MWF 01:50PM ~
02:50PM in LRH 323.
Technology Requirements:

Blackboard access for obtaining course readings.

MS Word 2003 for writing assignments. http://www.openoffice.org/ has a free
office suite compatible with MS Word 2003 (no excuses). Make sure to save
your documents as MS Word 2003 documents.
An email account that you check and use regularly.
Adobe Acrobat Reader (freely available from http://www.adobe.com/).

ABOUT THE COURSE:

COM-1102 provides a broad historical and theoretical introduction to the study of
human communication from a social science perspective in the context of face-toface and small group interaction. The course broadens student understanding of
human communication in four topical areas:

Intrapersonal Communication
Communication Skills/Competence
Relational Communication
Persuasion

Emphasis is placed on interpersonal communication theories and the key

constructs that have received interpersonal communication research attention.

COURSE MATERIALS (TEXTBOOKS AND READINGS):

Required Texts:
Wrench, J. S., McCroskey, J. C., & Richmond, V. P. (2008). Human
Communication in everyday life: Explanations and application. Boston,
MA: Pearson.
Griffin, E. (2009). A first look at communication theory (7th ed.). New York:
McGraw-Hill. (website)
The required texts are available through the campus bookstore. Other reading
assignments for this course are digitally available through Blackboard or on
the course website. Students are responsible for obtaining and reading
these materials as required.
It is recommended that all Communication majors purchase their own copy of
the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: Fifth Edition
(2001) since APA Style use is required of all scholarly work in our discipline.
FILE NAMING CONVENTIONS:
You are required to submit all assignments to Dr. Trader via email
(rtrader@mcdaniel.edu) unless otherwise stated. When saving your file, make
sure to use your LAST NAME as part of the file name. For example,
TRADERassignment1.doc. Attach the file to an email. You should receive an
automatic reply that the email has been received. If you don't recieve the
confirmation email, then try sending the email again. If the problem persists,
contact Dr. Trader using some other means.
EMAIL POLICY:
Outside of class, email is the preferred form of communication with Dr. Trader for
the majority of your questions. To ensure that your emails to Dr. Trader are
responded to as quickly as possible, please perform the following required
actions:

Include the course number with section number in the subject

field of the email exactly as follows: COM-2203-01 or COM-2203-02. Be
sure to include the hyphens and to capitalize all the letters in C-O-M.
Emails from your course and section are automatically filtered to special
folders that quickly receive Dr. Traders attention.
In the body of the email, state your name and the topic to which
your email refers. For example:
o Name: Ima Smartone
o Re: Homework 1
Remember that email is not checked before 10 a.m. or after 10 p.m. and
may not be checked on Saturdays or Sundays (except when assignments
are due on a Monday).

Keep in mind that no technology is 100% reliable. Always keep copies of

the email(s) you have sent to Dr. Trader to verify that an attempt to
communicate has indeed been made or an assignment has been sent.
Failure to follow the above rules for email communication is
grounds for receiving a failing grade on an assignment.

HONOR CODE:
Students will adhere to the McDaniel College honor code as defined on the
honor code web page (http://www.mcdaniel.edu/2333.htm) as well as in the
Student Handbook. The following pledge is to be written out and signed on
all exams, papers, and written assignments:
I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this piece of work, nor
have I knowingly tolerated any violation of the Honor Code.
Failure to include the above written and signed pledge on exams,
papers, or other written assignments will result in an automatic grade
of 0 on that assignment.

ATTENDANCE & ASSIGNMENTS:

Students are expected to attend each class. If students do miss a class,
they are personally responsible for obtaining any handouts, notes, or other
materials or information disseminated in that class from a reliable classmate.
Students with an unexcused absence (an excused absence is a death in the
immediate family, personal illness, or attendance at a college related event or
activity; an excused absence must be verifiable and must be accompanied by
some form of credible documentation) will not be permitted to make up
missed tests or quizzes or to hand in assignments. Students with unexcused
absences will also lose that days class participation credit. Late unexcused
assignments will not be graded and will automatically receive 0
points.
Assignments must always be submitted electronically before the beginning
of the class period in which they are due (unless Dr. Trader has stated
otherwise). Students should also print off a paper copy so that students can
refer back to them during class discussions. Written assignments are to be
typed and double spaced using Verdana set at 10 point, and must
follow APA Style as appropriate for citations and formatting.

CELL PHONE POLICY:

Cell phones should not be visible during class, and should be turned off during
class. If a cell phone is visible during a test, exam, or other type of graded
assignment, the student will automatically receive a 0 score on that test,
exam, or other type of graded assignment.

CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR:
Dr. Trader believes that learning is often the process of resolving internal
conflict stemming from either internal or external pressures. An important
part of this learning process is to be able to deal with conflict calmly and
objectively. In other words, Dr. Trader does not expect everyone to hold
hands and sing kumbaya all of the time. However, even when people do
disagree, they still need to treat other people and their ideas with
respect. In fact, scholarly work is essentially an argument for or against an
idea that uses other peoples ideas and work as evidence or support for the
claims being made.
Formal mechanisms have been developed for presenting opposing arguments
in academia such as formal debates and formal discussions to neutralize
innate potentially violent and/or abusive emotional reactions. Formal in this
case means that there are rules in place to ensure equitable airtime to all
points of view. We will discuss in class how to deal with conflicting viewpoints
as this is an important aspect of communication science. And thus, we will
utilize various communication methods to voice conflicting viewpoints in class.
SPECIAL NEEDS:
I will be more than happy to accommodate anyone with documented special
needs in accordance with Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
You need to provide me with the appropriate documentation and adequate
advance notice. See the Student Academic Support Services (SASS) website
for more information: http://www.mcdaniel.edu/863.htm.
GENERAL GRADING CRITERIA
The following general grading criteria adopted by Dr. Trader in this course are the
college-wide grading standards advocated by CriticalThinking.org
(http://www.criticalthinking.org/resources/HE/college-wide-grading-standards.cfm).
The Grade of A
High level performance implies excellence in thinking and performance within the
domain of a subject and course, along with the development of a range of knowledge
acquired through the exercise of thinking skills and abilities.
A level work is, on the whole, not only clear, precise, and well-reasoned, but
insightful as well. Basic terms and distinctions are learned at a level which implies
insight into basic concepts and principles.
The A-level student has internalized the basic intellectual standards appropriate to
the assessment of his/her own work in a subject and demonstrates insight into selfevaluation.
The A-level student often raises important questions and issues, analyzes key
questions and problems clearly and precisely, recognizes key questionable
assumptions, clarifies key concepts effectively, uses language in keeping with

educated usage, frequently identifies relevant competing points of view, and

demonstrates a commitment to reason carefully from clearly stated premises in the
subject, as well as marked sensitivity to important implications and consequences.
A-level work displays excellent reasoning and problem-solving within a field and
works consistently at a high level of intellectual excellence.
The Grade of B
The grade of B implies sound thinking and performance within the domain of a
subject and course, along with the development of a range of knowledge acquired
through the exercise of thinking skills and abilities.
B level work is, on the whole, clear, precise, and well-reasoned., but does not have
depth of insight. Basic terms and distinctions are learned at a level which implies
comprehension of basic concepts and principles.
The B-level student has internalized some of the basic intellectual standards
appropriate to the assessment of his/her own work in a subject and demonstrates
competence in self-evaluation.
The B-level student often raises questions and issues, analyzes questions and
problems clearly and precisely, recognizes some questionable assumptions, clarifies
key concepts competently, typically uses language in keeping with educated usage,
sometimes identifies relevant competing points of view, and demonstrates the
beginnings of a commitment to reason carefully from clearly stated premises in a
subject, as well as some sensitivity to important implications and consequences. Blevel work displays sound reasoning and problem-solving with in a field and works
consistently at a competent level of intellectual performance.
The Grade of C
The grade of C implies mixed thinking and performance within the domain of a
subject and course, along with some development of a range of knowledge acquired
through the exercise of thinking skills and abilities.
C level work is inconsistently clear, precise, and well-reasoned; moreover, it does not
display depth of insight or even consistent competence. Basic terms and distinctions
are learned at a level which implies the beginnings of, but inconsistent
comprehension of, basic concepts and principles.
The C-level student has internalized a few of the basic intellectual standards
appropriate to the assessment of his/her own work in a subject, but demonstrates
inconsistency in self-evaluation.
The C-level student sometimes raises questions and issues, sometimes analyzes
questions and problems clearly and precisely, recognizes some questionable
assumptions, clarifies some concepts competently, inconsistently uses language in
keeping with educated usage, sometimes identifies relevant competing points of
view, but does not demonstrate a clear commitment to reason carefully from clearly

stated premises in a subject, nor consistent sensitivity to important implications and

consequences.
C-level work displays inconsistent reasoning and problem-solving within a field and
works, at best, at a competent level of intellectual performance.
The Grade of D
The grade of D implies poor thinking and performance within the domain of a subject
and course. On the whole, the student tries to get through the course by means of
rote recall, attempting to acquire knowledge by memorization rather than through
comprehension and understanding.
The student is not developing critical thinking skills and understandings as requisite
to understanding course content. D-level work represents thinking that is typically
unclear, imprecise, and poorly reasoned. The student is achieving competence only
on the lowest order of performance. Basic terms and distinctions are often incorrectly
used and reflect a superficial or mistaken comprehension of, basic concepts and
principles.
The D-level student has not internalized the basic intellectual standards appropriate
to the assessment of his/her own work in a subject and does poorly in selfevaluation. The D-level student rarely raises questions and issues, superficially
analyzes questions and problems, does not recognize his/her assumptions, only
partially clarifies concepts , rarely uses language in keeping with educated usage,
rarely identifies relevant competing points of view, and shows no understanding of
the importance of a commitment to reason carefully from clearly stated premises in a
subject,.
The D-level student is insensitive to important implications and consequences. Dlevel work displays poor reasoning and problem-solving within a field and works, at
best, at a low level of intellectual performance.
The Grade of F
The student tries to get through the course by means of rote recall, attempting to
acquire knowledge by memorization rather than through comprehension and
understanding. The student is not developing critical thinking skills and
understandings as requisite to understanding course content.
F-level work represents thinking that is regularly unclear, imprecise, and poorly
reasoned. The student is not achieving competence in his/her academic work. Basic
terms and distinctions are regularly incorrectly used and reflect a mistaken
comprehension of, basic concepts and principles.
The F-level student has not internalized the basic intellectual standards appropriate
to the assessment of his/her own work in a subject and regularly mis-evaluates
his/her own work. The F-level student does not raise questions or issues, does not
analyze questions and problems, does not recognize his/her assumptions, does not
clarify concepts, does not use language in keeping with educated usage, confuses

his/her point of view with the TRUTH, and shows no understanding of the importance
of a commitment to reason carefully from clearly stated premises in a subject.
The F-level student is oblivious to important implications and consequences. F-level
work displays incompetent reasoning and problem-solving within a field and
consistently poor intellectual performance.

SPECIFIC GRADING CRITERIA FOR THIS COURSE:

A+ = 485 ~ 500 points
A = 465 ~ 484 points
A- = 450 ~ 464 points
B+ = 435 ~ 449 points
B = 415 ~ 434 points
B- = 400 ~ 414 points
C+ = 385 ~ 399 points
C = 365 ~ 384 points
C- = 350 ~ 364 points
D+ = 335 ~ 349 points
D = 315 ~ 344 points
D- = 300 ~ 314 points
F < 299 points

Midterm Exam = 100 points

Final Exam = 200 points
Class Participation = 100 points
Research Paper = 100 points
25 points are deducted from your class participation score
for each of the events below that you miss:

TOTD Presentations
Notetaking days
Review days

Reading your reaction papers in class days

ASSIGNMENTS:
I. Exams (300 points max)
There are 2 exams in this class, a midterm exam (100 points) and a final exam (200
points). The exams consist of some combination of multiple choice, matching, fill-inthe-blank, and short essay questions. Emphasis is placed on definitions,
interpersonal communication theories, and integration of course materials. The final
exam is cumulative.
II. Class Participation (100 points max)
At the end of the course, you will be asked what your contribution to the course has
been. In other words, what would the course have been missing if you hadnt been
an active participant in course proceedings? Active class participation includes:
discussions, TOTD presentations, notetaking, asking questions, answering question,
being prepared for class, doing the course readings, writing the reaction papers, and
so on.
III. TOTD Presentations
In this course, we will become familiar with 13 interpersonal communication theories
through our TOTD (Theory of the Day) Presentations. You will be divided into groups,

and will perform 2 group presentations. Each presentation will be 10 minutes long
with adequate time for questions from the audience.
An excellent presentation is clear, logically presented, and adequately represents
the theory. An excellent presentation also demonstrates facility with language and
delivery.
An average presentation is still understandable, but may be rambling, unclear in
places, and/or lacking in factual information. The presentation is good, but slightly
flawed in content and/or delivery.
A bad presentation is one that is performed, but has serious flaws. The presenters
are obviously unprepared, uninformed, and/or incomprehensible.
Not making the presentation results in a loss of 25 points.
A separate handout has been prepared and distributed that more fully elaborates
upon the requirements for the TOTD Presentations. Try not to lose this handout.
IV. Notetaking
Each class period, 2-4 people are assigned as official notetakers for the class. These
2-4 people have several responsibilities:

to hand in the notes taken during class (typed)

to clarify course content/assignments so that this information can be added to
notes (oral in class)
to summarize what happened in that days class during an oral review at the
end of class (oral in class)

The notes taken in class are taken home, typed, organized, and corrected for
mistakes, and then submitted to Dr. Trader before the start of the next class period.
(If you are a notetaker on Monday, then the notes are due before class on
Wednesday.) Official notes for each class are uploaded to Blackboard or the course
website.
You will be the assigned notetaker for 4 classes. Missing a notetaking day results in
the deduction of 25 points from your class participation score.
V. Reading Reaction Papers
There are seven sections to this course:

Communication/Theory
Interpersonal Communication Research
Intrapersonal Communication
Communication Competence
Relational Perspectives
Rhetorical Perspectives
Conclusions

Each section is accompanied by several required readings from our course textbooks
and/or from PDFs available on Blackboard/the course website. Readings are marked
on the weekly schedule as (reading). See the handout for more information about
the reading reaction papers. Basically, you will be asked at random to read your onetwo page reaction paper in class to stimulate class discussion. If you have not
prepared a reaction paper, then you will automatically lose 25 points from your class
participation grade.
VI. Research Paper (100 points max)
Students are required to write a 10 ~ 15 page research paper on some aspect of
interpersonal communication. General topics for these papers include:

Nonverbal communication
Sports communication
Relationships
Persuasion
Deception
Intercultural communication
Gender communication
Gay and lesbian issues
Health communication
Computer-mediated communication
Organizational communication
Instructional communication

Time on Fridays will be set aside for working on the research paper. Students will
develop an information seeking plan (10 points), an annotated bibliography of 20
articles (40 points), and an interpretation of those/other articles (50 points) that
points out recurring themes, gaps in knowledge, and directions for future research.

Weekly Schedule: Spring 2009

W

MON

JAN 26

WED

JAN 28

FRI

JAN 30

Weekly Readings & Topics

Intro to the course.
Syllabus.
1. What is communication/theory?
2. Powers, J. H. (1995). On the intellectual structure of the
human communication discipline. Communication
Education, 44(3), 191-222. (reading) (pdf)

3.

HCEL chapter 1 (reading)

What is the study of interpersonal communication/theory?

FEB 2

FEB 9

FEB 4

FEB 11

FEB 6

FEB 13

1.

AFL Chapters 1, 2, 3, & 4

2.

Berger, C. R. (2005). Interpersonal communication:

Theoretical perspectives, future prospects. Journal of
Communication, 55(3), 415-447. (reading) (pdf)

Intrapersonal Communication
1.
2.

FEB 16

FEB 23

MAR 2

MAR 9

FEB 18

FEB 25

MAR 4

MAR 11

3.
4.
5.

HCEL Chapter 2 & 6 (reading)

Cunningham, S. (1995). Intrapersonal communication:
A review and critique. In J. E. Aitken & L. J. Shedletsky
(Eds.), Intrapersonal communication processes.
Retrieved from University of Southern Maine,
Department of Communication Web site:
http://www.usm.maine.edu/~com/intrabook/intrac~3.ht
m (reading) (pdf)
Symbolic Interactionism (Theory)
Attribution Theory (Theory)
Interpersonal Communication Motives (Theory)

6.

Message Design Logics (Theory)

FEB 20

FEB 27

MAR 6

MAR 13

Communication Competence
1.
2.

HCEL Chapter 3 & 4 (reading)

Communication Competence (Theory)

3.

Strategic Communication (Theory)

MIDTERM REVIEW & EXAM

MAR 16 ~ MAR 20: SPRING BREAK

MAR 23

MAR 25

MAR 27

10

MAR 30

APR 1

APR 3

Go over midterm exam.

Relational Perspective.

11

APR 6

APR 8

APR 10
1.
2.
3.

12

APR 13

APR 15

APR 17

13

APR 20

APR 22

APR 24

Rhetorical Perspective
a. Relational Dialectics (Theory)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

14

APR 27

APR 29

HCEL Chapters 5 & 10.

Initializing Relationships:
a. Uncertainty Reduction Theory (Theory)
b. Social Penetration Theory (Theory)
Maintaining Relationships:

HCEL Chapters 7 & 8.

Deception
1. Interpersonal Deception Theory (Theory)
Conflict
1. Coordinated Management of Meaning (Theory)
Control
1. Elaboration Likelihood Model (Theory)
Compliance

MAY 1
1.

Kellermann, K., & Cole, T. (1994). Classifying

compliance gaining messages: Taxonomic
disorder and strategic confusion.
Communication Theory, 1, pp. 3-60. (reading)
(pdf)

Conclusions & Final Exam Review

15

MAY 4

MAY 6

MAY 8

1.
16

AFL Chapter 36 (reading)

MAY 11 ~ MAY 15: FINALS WEEK

* AFL = A First Look at Communication Theory

** HCEL = Human Communication in Everyday Life

Some Major Interpersonal Communication Theories

CONTEXT

THEORY

PRESENTERS

DATE

Symbolic Interactionism
Attribution Theory
Intrapersonal Interpersonal Communication
Motives

Dr. Trader

Message Design Logics

Skill

Communication Competence
Strategic Communication
Uncertainty Reduction Theory

Relational

Social Penetration Theory

Relational Dialectics
The Interactional View
Interpersonal Deception
Theory

Rhetorical Coordinated Management of

Meaning
Elaboration Likelihood Model

Requirements: Presentations should be around 10 minutes long and should

contain the following key elements:
1. a one-page handout with:
a. last names of the theory creators and year in which the theory first
appeared (ie; Berger & Callebrese, 1974)
b. a graphical representation of the theory
c. an example of when/how the theory would be applied
2. in the presentation state the following:
a. the phenomena the theory addresses
b. the major constructs of the theory (define each and provide an
example)
c. the major propositions of the theory (the relationships between
constructs)
d. methods used to test the theory
e. your own evaluation of the utility of the theory