Davis A. Foulger, Ph. D. Adjunct Associate Professor Office:  Whitehead 404s

Class Schedule and Assignments / Lecture Notes / Class Moodle

Course Description

Techniques of Communication is a practical introduction to Human Communication, with a particular focus on public speaking. During the course we will explore the the structure and practice of the process of human communication. We will, during the semester, explore the art of presentation, the skill of listening, the nature of language, the value of nonverbal communication, the impact of the communication of others in shaping who we are, the dynamics of group interaction, and the ways in which we can build and maintain better relationships. That's a lot of ground, but this is an introductory course and we won't go too deeply into any of these areas. You will have the opportunity, as you complete your college education, to take entire courses dedicated to these individual subjects.

Our approach here will be very hands on. You will give speeches, interview and be interviewed by people, participate in group projects, attempt to distinguish truth from lies, and explore your personal relationships. You will have some sort of assignment due almost every week and we will do a variety of in-class exercises as well.

Text

Adler, R. and Rodman, G. Understanding Human Communication, 10th Edition. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Additional Materials

• The Class Schedule and Assignments for this class are available on the Internet. See http://davis.foulger.info/brooklyn/fall2010/commtechniques/index.htm.
• My Discussion Notes for this class will be available via the Internet. See http://evolutionarymedia.com/student.htm?CommTechniquesFall201

Discussion Notes

My usual practice is to make my lecture/discussion notes directly available to the class via the Internet. I will frequently display those notes during class. You can print them out later. You may be able to print them out before class, but I don't guarantee that you will. I frequently change my discussion notes right up to the beginning of class (and sometimes during class). The version posted at the end of class can generally be considered to be reliable, but I occasionally modify them after class based on class discussions.

Learning Objectives

1. Students should understand the skills associated with a variety of communication contexts well enough to usefully apply them to improving their own communication and understanding the communication successes and failures of others.

2. Students should be able to research, organize, and present informative and persuasive speeches.
3. Students should be able to work effectively in groups to research, organize and participate in making a group presentation.

Outcomes Assessment

1. 7% Participation in Class Discussions.

2. 7% Submission of Questions based on the course readings. Each student should submit two questions based on each set of readings before the class at which those readings are due.
3. 6% Submission of Think Assignments assigned over the course of the trip. Each student should respond to any think assignment provided before the class at which it is due.
4. 15% Informative Speech
5. 10% Group Presentation
6. 20% Persuasive Speech
7. 15% Mid-Term Exam
8. 20% Final Exam

Discussion/Learning Space

Three and a half hours (the scheduled meeting time) is a long class. I will therefore try to keep class sessions shorter and conduct a portion of the class online using a class discussion/learning space called a "Moodle" located at http://messageecologies.com/ed. There will be required discussions and assignment submissions there. You can also use this group to exchange of any class-related information or questions. Only class members (and perhaps one or two selected others) can post to or read messages in this discussion space. You will be registering into this Moodle on the first day of class. You'll have assignments to complete there for the second day of class and most subsequent days. There is a possibility we will also use online discussion environments. I will inform you of any such change in advance.

Instructions for Accessing the Moodle Discussion/Learning Space

Course Rules

Exams

Exams in this course are objective and computer-graded, based on your comprehension of the text. There will be three one-hour exams. Test questions deal with very specific text material that will be easily recalled if the text was read carefully and understood. You cannot memorize test material—it’s not that kind of test. You are not expected to recall all the material dealt with in the test, but those who have read the assignments will get the highest scores, and those who have not read the assignments will get the lowest. All grades are therefore curved at the end of the semester so we will have a normal distribution of A’s, B’s and so on. Make-up tests are available for documented emergencies, but they are more difficult than the originals, and we don’t review for them, so they are not recommended if at all avoidable.

Participation

Participation will be evaluated based on in class participation, evident effort, and your completion of two types of ungraded assignment that will be due for most classes: questions (two questions for each reading), and think assignments.

Think assignments entail doing a small assignment involving thought or observation. Answers will be short and should be posted to the Moodle.

Question assignments: involve coming up with two questions based on each of the readings. Write them on one side of an index card. A portion of every class will be devoted to a conversation in which we discuss the answers to your questions.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is mandatory. The Brooklyn College Bulletin states that "Students are expected to attend all scheduled sessions of every class for which they register. Students late for class may be excluded from the room. An instructor may consider attendance and class participation in determining course grade." While I am unlikely to lock the door, I will take account of missed class time in computing grades. You should not, as a general note, ask me for "permission" to miss class. While I will try to be understanding of documented emergencies, the basic reality (which has more to do with your ability to learn when you aren't in class than anything else) is that absences make your grade grow smaller.

Plagiarism and Cheating:

The CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity states that “Academic Dishonesty is prohibited in the City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion, as provided herein.”  For more information on CUNY policy on Plagiarism and cheating and BC's implementation of that policy, see http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies/ .

On a more practical note, I have caught a number of students attempting to pass off other people's work as their own. Such behavior is unacceptable in any classroom, and I won't accept it in mine. My usual practice will be to zero any assignment on which a student has been found to be cheating and consult with the department chair on what other actions may be appropriate. Examples of cheating include:

• Duplicate test answers. I cannot prevent students from studying together or comparing notes on a take home exam (should I give any). Test answers should always be in your own words (e.g. not copied out of a book or off of someone else's test paper).
• Plagiarized term paper content. I encourage you to look at content from a wide variety of sources, but the content of your term paper should be in your own words.
• Unreferenced term paper content. Where, in the course of writing a term paper, you present the ideas of others, you must indicate where they came from with a reference. This is true even when you have stated the ideas in your own words or if the ideas or their sources seem obvious.

Bottom line: Write in your own words and reference the ideas you use to the sources you read them in.

Help with Research and Writing

The Library maintains a collection of links to sites that can assist you with proper citation format and paraphrasing and quoting other authors at http://library.brooklyn.cuny.edu  Research & Writing Help. The Learning Center has writing tutors available to help you with your writing http://lc.brooklyn.cuny.edu/.

The best learning is done in conversation with others, whether they are people—classmates, teachers, friends—or texts—books, articles, essays, poems, films etc. It should not be a solitary process. However, the assignments that you hand in for this course must be done on your own, should represent your own thinking, and should be original work that you have done for this particular course. In my opinion, the best way to balance these two seemingly contradictory approaches (collaborative learning and original individually-produced work) without knowingly—or, even unwittingly—resorting to plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct is to learn and meticulously observe the rules for citing the work of others (this could be the great point your roommate made that you used in your paper, it could be a well-turned phrase from an academic essay, or it could be anything in between). It is your responsibility to learn what constitutes plagiarism and the correct rules for citing sources—read the information on the following web site carefully: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies/. The bottom line is: passing off anyone’s words or ideas as your own for any reason whatsoever is plagiarism.

Late Assignments:

It is your responsibility to ensure that all assignments are submitted by the due date. I will reduce the grade on an assignment by one half letter grade if one period late and one full grade thereafter. As a general rule, it is always best to turn in assignments on time, but not turning in an assignment at all is far worse than turning them in late. A letter grade penalty is far less onerous than a zero.

Accessibility

It is important to me that the course be accessible to all students. Students who have a disabling condition which might interfere with their ability to successfully complete this course are encouraged to speak to me confidentially. I will be happy to cooperate in identifying alternate means of demonstrating such mastery where there is a demonstrable need. Students with disability-related academic accommodations students must register with the Center for Student Disability Services if they have not done so already. Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to set up an appointment with the Director of the Center for Student Disability Services, Ms. Valerie Stewart-Lovell at 718-951-5538. If you have already registered with the Center for Student Disability Services please provide me with the course accommodation form so we may discuss your specific accommodation.

Bottom line: I'm here to help. Brooklyn College wants to help too.

Good Advice

Questions, Problems and Incomplete's:

If you have a question I encourage you to ask it in class. There are no stupid questions; only answers that didn't need to be. If you don't know the answer to a question it is likely someone else is curious as well. Please ask. The worst that can happen is that I defer my answer to a meeting after class or during office hours.

If you have a problem in the class I encourage you to contact me as quickly as possible. Several means of contact are listed at the top of my Brooklyn College home page, including telephone, e-mail, and instant messenger. I also maintain regular office hours. Note, in particular, that I will not grant an incomplete for the course unless you talk to me about it in advance or I am aware of conditions which would make it impossible for you to do so.