Communication 395

COM 395: Social Cognition

Semester Syllabus - Fall, 2001

Course Schedule and Assignments

The Proposed Department Course Syllabus, which describes what this course is supposed to cover. Note that this proposed syllabus, which is under the proposed course number COM 312, is not yet approved. Hence Social Cognition is taught as COM 395, a topic in communication.

A Course Bibliography which shows the references on which the proposed department course syllabus is based.

Texts

Baumeister, Roy F. Meanings of Life. New York; Guilford, 1991.

Brookfield, Stephen D. Developing Critical Thinkers. Challenging Adults to Explore Alternative Ways of Thinking and Acting. San Francisco; Jossey-Bass, 1991.

Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence. New York; Bantam, 1995.

Grading:

Weight Description

Final Exam 24% Classic Question and Answer testing, conducted at the end of the semester. Need I say more. Covers all of the material covered in the course, including classroom material and book material.

Mid-Term Exam 12% Classic Question and Answer testing, conducted in the middle of the semester. Covers all of the material up until mid-term.

Group Projects 14% Two group projects, each culminating in a group presentation, and worth 7 points each

Index Card Reports 10% Index card assignments entail doing a small assignment involving thought or observation, but with the restriction that the output of the assignment (your answer or observation) must fit on one side of a 3x5 card. There will be approximately 20 such assignments, each worth .5. These will not be graded. Simply turning them in on time nets the points, but deductions will be taken if it is obvious that a particular assignment wasn't taken seriously. Index Card Assignments will frequently be used in the course of class discussions.

Major Research Paper 30% A Research Paper, expected to be at least ten pages long and to make use of at least ten references. This brief overview of this paper will be presented to the class. The overview should take no more than three minutes. Expect to answer some questions.

Participation 10% You get this just for showing up prepared at a rate of about .36 (28/10) per class. I will deduct if it is obvious that you were not prepared (e.g. had not done the reading or completed the assignment) on a given day.

Total Grade (based on above) 100%

Effort Bonus Up to 10% An optional addition, based on good and enthusiastic participation, interest in subject matter, etc. There is no guarantee I will give any of these points to anyone.

	Weight	Description
Final Exam	24%	Classic Question and Answer testing, conducted at the end of the semester. Need I say more. Covers all of the material covered in the course, including classroom material and book material.
Mid-Term Exam	12%	Classic Question and Answer testing, conducted in the middle of the semester. Covers all of the material up until mid-term.
Group Projects	14%	Two group projects, each culminating in a group presentation, and worth 7 points each
Index Card Reports	10%	Index card assignments entail doing a small assignment involving thought or observation, but with the restriction that the output of the assignment (your answer or observation) must fit on one side of a 3x5 card. There will be approximately 20 such assignments, each worth .5. These will not be graded. Simply turning them in on time nets the points, but deductions will be taken if it is obvious that a particular assignment wasn't taken seriously. Index Card Assignments will frequently be used in the course of class discussions.
Major Research Paper	30%	A Research Paper, expected to be at least ten pages long and to make use of at least ten references. This brief overview of this paper will be presented to the class. The overview should take no more than three minutes. Expect to answer some questions.
Participation	10%	You get this just for showing up prepared at a rate of about .36 (28/10) per class. I will deduct if it is obvious that you were not prepared (e.g. had not done the reading or completed the assignment) on a given day.
Total Grade (based on above)	100%

Effort Bonus	Up to 10%	An optional addition, based on good and enthusiastic participation, interest in subject matter, etc. There is no guarantee I will give any of these points to anyone.