Allegory of the Cave

“The purpose of communication is that it is the closest you can get to a person without actually being them”-Anonymous
Communication 114-03: Fundamentals of Communication
MWF 9-9:50 AM KT G51
Instructor: Sharon Wight
Office: NF B38
University Email: [e-mail]; Blackboard
Alternate and Preferred email: [e-mail]
Phone Number: 481-6544 ext. 19027
Alternate Phone: [phone]

Office Hours:
MW 12-1, and happily by appointment.
*****If you have a basic question (i.e. due dates), send me an email first.

Response time:
When you send an email to me, expect me to respond within 24 hours during the work week. Response time will likely happen more quickly if sent to the Gmail address listed above. During weekends, you may not receive a response until Monday morning. Please use the office phone sparingly, as I am not in the office everyday and share the phone with other people. Email is the way that I can assure you will receive a response back within hours, rather than days. You can, however, leave me a phone number if you wish for me to call you instead of emailing you back.

Required Materials:
Duck, S, & McMahan, D.T. (2012). The basics of communication: a relational perspective 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Active student email account

There may be additional readings throughout the semester. These will be posted on Blackboard, and will be announced no later than 1 week prior to when they need to be read.

Teaching Philosophy
I believe that you are the master of your own educational experience, and that you get from education what you put into it. I am here as a facilitator, to bring my knowledge of the material and my experiences with communication to the class. However, I expect you to also bring engaging examples, and be willing to tie the material to your personal lives. If you are willing to do these things, come to class, and immerse yourself in this material, I think we will have a great semester.

Course Description:
General Education Learning Objectives: * Use appropriate organization or logical sequencing to deliver an oral message * Adapt an oral message for diverse audiences, contexts, and communication channels * Identify and demonstrate appropriate oral and nonverbal communication practices * Advance an oral argument using logical reasoning * Provide credible and relevant evidence to support an oral argument * Demonstrate the ethical responsibilities of sending and receiving oral messages * Summarize or paraphrase an oral message to demonstrate comprehension
Course Goals: * For each student to have a basic understand of communication theory and what the field of communication entails. * For each student to understand how communication affects our everyday interactions, especially those between different cultures, genders, and races. * For you to feel more comfortable speaking in public than you did prior to taking the course. * For you to understand the difference between credible and non-credible sources, and ways to find these sources. * For each student to have a basic understanding of how media and communication work together. * Fulfill the computer literacy requirement by emailing me regularly, including emailing all assignments as outlined below to me. * Finally, have fun while engaging with this material.

Classroom structure
This class will consist of, primarily, lecture, discussion and group work. I teach in an open lecture format where I will consistently solicit examples from the class, as well as ask pointed questions.

Policies
University Policies:
While all of the university policies are important, if I were to outline each in this document, it would be far too lengthy. Therefore, I will outline those most important to this course. To become familiar with all of the policies, you can click on the Academic Regulations and Student Code of Conduct link, found on our Blackboard homepage * Academic Misconduct-This encompasses acts of plagiarism, cheating, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If you are found participating in any of these acts, the instructor reserves the right to give you a 0 for the assignment, the course, or you could potentially be expelled. * Plagiarism- This is when you take another’s ideas and adopt them as your own. To avoid this, cite your sources, even when you think it may not be necessary. If it was not your idea, cite it. * Cheating-According to the Student Code, this is when you are dishonest in regard to any academic exercise, whether that be exams or other assignments. This can include, but is not limited to, using materials or study guides on exams without permission, looking at someone else’s paper during an exam, or obtaining an exam prior to the testing date. * Facilitating academic dishonesty-This is when you knowingly give someone information to another student related to class work that they should not have. For instance, if you have a friend in another section of Communication 114, giving them questions that were on your exam. * Grades * I cannot post grades in a public area, email your grades, or give your grades in any way that I could give them unknowingly to a person other than you. Therefore, your grades will be posted on Blackboard as I finish grading assignments. You may also come see me during office hours at any time to check on how you are progressing in the class. * I cannot give your grades, or explanations of your grades, to anyone other than you. * Disability Statement: If you have a disability, or acquire one during the semester, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities at 481-6657, or visit them in their office at Walb 113. I will gladly accommodate any disabilities through the assistance of SSD. Please give me any documentation on this as soon as possible.

My Grading Policies: * The 60% Rule: This is a department-wide policy for grading in Communication 114 * Students must earn a 60% or better in both exam and non exam portions of the course. If you do not do this, even if you have a perfect score on the other portion, you will not pass the course. * Exams will determine 40% of the students’ final grades * Participation, written assignments, and speeches will determine 60% of the final grades * Grading Breakdown
This course is worth 1000 points. The following is how I will break down the grades, to adhere to the 60% rule. * Exams 40% (400 pts) * 3 Exams 94% (125 pts each) * Syllabus Quiz 6% (25 pts) * Speeches (3) 40% (400 pts) * Informative Speech 10% (100 pts) (5 pts for submitting on time) * Persuasive Speech 15% (150 pts) (7.5 pts for submitting on time) * Group Speech 15% (150 pts) * Written assignments 14% (140 pts) * Media Analysis 100% (140 pts) * Participation 6% (60 pts) * Show and Tell 25% (10 pts) * Classroom Participation 75% (50 pts) * Grading Scale
A: 950+ pts A-: 900-949 B+: 870-899
B: 830-869 B-: 800-829 C+: 770-799
C: 730-769 C-: 700-729 D+: 670-699
D: 630-669 D-: 600-629 F: >600 * Extra Credit: * This will be offered for various reasons throughout the semester. Each extra credit assignment will be worth 2 pts. * One example of ongoing extra credit is to attend an IPFW function during the semester. This can be a play, basketball game, lecture, etc. Then, write at least one page double spaced about the event, and the kinds of communication you saw taking place there. You must provide a program, ticket, etc. to indicate your attendance at the function.
Attendance Policies: * Attendance is key for this course, as much of your work in presentations and discussions will take place here. Attendance means being on time, staying throughout the entire class period, and participating in the class. All of the following policies are up to the discretion of the instructor. * I will allow for 3 days during the semester where you cannot attend class, without contacting me beforehand, and will have no repercussions, also known as no call/no show days. Use these days wisely, as you never know what will happen during the semester. I will allow for 3 days where you can miss if you let me know you will be missing ahead of time. Once you use the 3 no call/no show days, I will begin deducting 10 points per instance from your participation grade, unless I know you will be missing ahead of time. * Exceptions to the rule above are as follows: * Presentation days: You are required to come to all presentation days and to be on time. These days are outlined in the schedule presented at the end of the syllabus, so you know about the days well ahead of time. * If you are not sitting in your seat when presentations begin, you will lose 1 point per presentation that you miss. Also, you will lose a point if you come in during another student’s presentation. Thus, if you are late, wait until you hear applause from the classroom before coming in. Presentations will only be rescheduled under extreme circumstances, and will require additional paperwork (i.e. if you were in the hospital, I will need documentation) * Extreme circumstances can include, but are not limited to: * Car accident on the way to class * Being in the hospital * Being at a funeral * ***Please note that these are not all of the circumstances I would take under consideration, but merely an example. Please keep open communication with me during the semester if an emergency arises. * If you use your cell phone or laptop during other’s speeches, I reserve the right to take up to 5% of each speech away per instance. This means that if, on the first day of informative speeches, for instance, I catch you using a cell phone once, you will lose up to 5 points. * Exam Days: Again, you will know about these days from the schedule outlined in the syllabus. Plan to be here, on time, on these days. * Examinations will, also, only be rescheduled under extreme circumstances. These will also require additional documentation that states why you missed the exam. * If you are running late on an exam day, follow these guidelines: * 1-15 minutes late: I will allow you into class to take the exam, but you may lose up to 10% of your points * 16-30 minutes: I will allow you into class to take the exam, but you may lose up to 20% of your points * Final Exam Day: * During Final Exam week, you will be giving your group speeches in lieu of a final exam. However, the final exam time is slightly different than our scheduled class time. Please see the schedule below and take note of this change. * Letting me know ahead of time: * If you know about a doctor’s appointment (for example) that you will need to attend during the semester, this will count towards one of the 3 days you can miss with notification. To take advantage of this, I will need the following to happen: * Let me know at least two class periods before you will be missing. For instance, if you know you will be missing Wednesday, I would need to know the Friday beforehand. * Give this to me in email format. This way, I will not lose it, and we have a record that both you and I can refer back to. Do not just tell me in class and hope that I remember. * If you have an emergency, email me as soon as you can. If I see that an email was sent to me before class, this counts as one of your days that you notified me that you would miss. However, if you wait until the next week to tell me, this will count as one of your no call/no show days.

* If you think you will be out of class for an extended period of time, more than 3 days in a row, please let me know about it as soon as possible. This can be as simple as sending an email that states how long you think you will be gone and a brief reason why. The more I know, the better I can work with you in the case of an emergency.

* Athletes: You must give me the document provided by your coaches which states all of the days you will miss during the semester. If you miss a day of speeches or an exam day, we will discuss individually, through email, office hours and after class, how you will make this up. Speech days will be assigned at minimum 2 class periods before speeches begin, so be sure to pick a day when you are not traveling. * Emergencies: * If there is a university-wide emergency: These include weather related emergencies, or anything that would affect the university community as a whole. There will be postings on www.ipfw.edu, stating whether the campus is open or not. You can also call 260-481-6827 at anytime during the semester to determine whether the university is opened or closed. Finally, the campus has devised an emergency system which you can sign up for voluntarily on myipfw, which will call you in the case of an emergency. If I can get to campus during a weather emergency, and campus is open, I will hold class. * If I have an emergency: I will send emails out to the entire class via Blackboard. Also, I will call my department to have them post a cancellation notice near the door of our classroom. * If you have an emergency: See the attendance policies above.

Makeup work and Missed Assignments * Makeup work: Will not be accepted without additional documentation stating why the item was turned in late. All assignments, except for tests, will be due using the Blackboard Learn system. Therefore, these can be turned in from home even if you cannot make it to the campus. Acceptable documentation is up to the discretion of the instructor

* Missed speeches- You will be assigned a specific speech day well in advance of any speech, therefore, if you miss a speech, you will write a paper on your topic due no later than two class periods after the missed speech. This paper will need to be in length the same number of minutes it would have been if performed. For instance, if you miss your informative speech, you will write a 5-7 page paper. In addition, if you miss a speech, you will lose up to 20% for being late. If there are extreme circumstances which prohibit you from doing so, please contact or see me. This option will only be considered if there is paperwork detailing why you missed your assigned speech day.

* Missed exams-Will need to be made up during office hours no later than one class period after the exam was taken. If you have to take an exam after the appointed exam time, you will lose up to 30% for being late. You will not take the same exam as your classmates, and may be asked to take a full essay exam. In addition, if you miss the second opportunity to take the exam, you will not get another opportunity. If there are extreme circumstances which prohibit you from doing so, please contact or see me. This option will only be considered if there is paperwork detailing why you missed exam day.

* Extra credit-when assigned, will be accepted no later than the date specified when the extra credit was assigned. For ongoing extra credit, this will be accepted no later than Monday, December 2nd , the Monday after Thanksgiving Break.

Classroom Conduct
Throughout this semester, there will be many discussions, and as such, many different viewpoints. This is expected and encouraged. However, name calling, harassment, and other actions that create a hostile environment for me and your fellow students will not be tolerated. Be respectful towards others’ opinions, and feel free to share your own without the fear of hostility.

Assignment Descriptions
All assignments turned in (excluding exams) will be typed in 12 point, either Arial or Times New Roman font (Arial Preferred), with 1 inch margins on all sides. All assignments will be turned in via Blackboard, rather than turning in via hard copy. All papers will be double spaced, with a cover page containing the title of your paper, your name, the name of this course and way to contact you. Your header will not contain your name, rather part of your title. All outlines will be turned in single space, with your speech title, your name, this course, and the date which the outline was turned in at the top left. Sample rubrics for each assignment are on Blackboard Learn already. These rubrics should give you an idea of my grading style and what to expect, but may not be the exact rubric given in class.

Exams (400 pts)
There will be three exams throughout the semester, each highlighted in the syllabus. These exams may be done electronically, via a take home exam format, or on scantron. Therefore, you should be prepared for any of these options. This means, for example, always having a #2 pencil with you on exam days. You will be told no less than one week before the exam which format will be used. These exams may include true/false questions, multiple choice questions; fill in the blank questions, short answer questions and essay questions.

Classroom Participation (50 pts)
These are the points you will obtain by attending class and participating in classroom activities. This means being attentive, taking notes, answering questions and listening to others’ answers as well. This may include small, handwritten assignments announced in class. This does NOT mean, reading books for other classes, chatting with friends in the class or on the Internet (unless it is during group time, and you are including an absent group member), or using your cell phone during the class.

Cell Phone Use: This is extremely discouraged, and in most cases will not be tolerated. It is a distraction not only to you, but also those around you who could become disengaged from the material because of your cell phone use. However, I also understand that each of you are going down different paths in life, and therefore may need to be attentive to your phone during a class period. If this is the case, please let me know before class starts that you may need to take a phone call (NOT a text) during class. If you receive a call during class, quietly excuse yourself and go into the hallway. If I catch you texting or using your phone for something unrelated to classroom activities, I reserve the right to take 5 points off your total for the semester per instance. If, at the end of the semester I have not caught anyone using their cell phone for things unrelated to classroom activities, everyone will get 5 extra credit points.

Show and Tell (10 pts)
This is your first chance to show the rest of the classroom who you are, as well as take part in some public speaking. Bring something to class that is special to you, and says something about you. This can be a book, your laptop, favorite pencil, the possibilities are endless. You will not need a visual aid, other than your “show and tell” item, and you need no outside sources for this assignment. These will be no longer than two minutes

Informative Speech (10% or 100 pts)
This speech is meant to inform your audience about a particular subject. In this course, I would like for you to inform the class one of these topics:
a. One thing you want to do more than anything in the world,
b. One place you’d like to vacation, either for the first time or again, anywhere.
For either of these, pretend money is no object; you can spend whatever you want to accomplish it. For example, if the one thing you want to do more than anything is to see a band perform in China, you could talk about that. You will pick your topic on or before the date specified in the tentative schedule below. . * This speech will be 5-7 minutes in length * This should include at least 2 cited credible sources. I can assist with this. You must have at least one source that has gone through an editorial process, such as an academic journal article, a newspaper article, or a book. * A typed outline will be turned in by midnight the night before speeches begin, please include your references on this outline at the end. (Feb. 7) * Use at least one presentational aid (audio clip, PowerPoint, etc) * You will lose up to 10%, or 10 pts, off of the speech if you are reading directly from a note card or manuscript. * You will lose up to 10 pts if you run short or go over on your speech time * You are allotted 2 3x5 index cards to help remind you of what you are going to say. * Topic must be approved by specified date on syllabus. (Jan. 23) * Grades and feedback for this speech will not be given back until everyone has completed their speeches.

Persuasive Speech (150 pts)
In this speech, you are to persuade your audience about why, or why not, an invention changed the world. You will pick the invention from a list that I will provide, but I will be open for suggestions, on or before the date listed below. * This speech will be 6-8 minutes in length * You must have at least 3 sources for this speech, including one which has gone through an editorial process. * A typed outline will be turned in online by midnight the night before speeches begin. (March 17) * Use PowerPoint for this speech, include at least 5 slides. * You will lose up to 10%, or 10 pts, off of the speech if you are reading directly from a note card or manuscript. * You will lose up to 15 pts if you run short or go over on your speech time * You are allotted again 2 3x5 index cards to help remind you of what you are going to say * Grades and feedback will not be given for this speech until all students have completed their speeches. * Topic must be approved by the specified date on the syllabus (Jan. 23)

Group Speech (150 pts)
In this speech, you will collaborate with 3-5 of your classmates. Greater details will be given about this speech later in the class. * This speech will be no longer than 20 minutes * A typed outline will be turned in the midnight before speeches are given. * A visual aid of some kind, preferably PowerPoint. * Grades will only be given back for this speech via Blackboard. If feedback is sought, you must notify me by email before April 16th. * This speech will be given during finals week in lieu of a final exam. Plan your schedule accordingly so that you have availability during this time.

Written Assignment

Media Analysis Assignment (140 pts)
This paper will be no fewer than 4 pages, and no longer than 8 pages (1000-2000 words, excluding cover pages) analyzing a media text using concepts found in Chapters 7, 9 and 10. These chapters cover group work, technology, and media usage in our everyday lives. There will be a film shown in class as a text you can analyze, but you are not required to analyze this text. If you choose to do another, please let me know before Halloween (October 31), and keep in mind there must be elements of group work, modern technology, and media usage in the text. You are welcome to use other references to prove your points, but these are not required. Please use at least three concepts to help support your claims. Three films will be proposed by the instructor and selected in class by majority vote.

Tentative Schedule-Please view this schedule as a living document, subject to change.

Timeline | Class Activities | For next class | Unit 1 | | | Week 1 | | | August 26 | Go over syllabus; introduce Blackboard; introduce library resources | Read Ch 1 of Duck and McMahan | August 28 | What is Communication? Discuss Ch 1 (PS), Model "Show and Tell" speech | Read Ch 11 of Duck and McMahan; | August 30 | Syllabus Quiz; Ch 11-Preparing Public Speeches (PS) | Speech Topics Due Wednesday, Show and Tell Speeches Wednesday. | Week 2 | | | September 2 | Labor Day | Prepare Show and Tell Speeches | September 4 | Show and Tell speeches (PS) | Read Ch 12 | September 6 | Finish Show and Tell Speeches if needed (PS); Ch 12- Developing a Public Presentation (PS); Informative and Persuasive Speech Topics Due Via Email (PS) | Read Ch 13 | Week 3 | | | September 9 | Finish Ch 12-; Ch 13-Relating through Informative and Persuasive Speeches. (PS) | Bring 1 source to class that you believe is credible. Read Ch 14 | September 11 | Credible vs. Non-Credible Sources Workshop (SG); Ch 14 Delivering a Public Presentation (PS) | Begin studying for Unit 1 Exam Review | September 13 | Finish Ch 14 if needed; Wrap up Unit 1 Material (PS); Do in-class review (SG); Assign times for Informative SpeechesSmall Groups assigned via Blackboard | Study for Unit 1 Exam | Week 4 | | | September 16 | Unit 1 Wrap Up and Exam | Prepare for your informative speeches! All Informative Speech outlines due Thursday, 9/17 by Midnight on Blackboard | September 18 | All Outlines for Informative Speeches due 9/17 before midnight; Informative Speech Day (PS) | | September 20 | Informative Speech Day (PS) | | Week 5 | | | September 23 | Informative Speech Day (PS) | | September 25 | Informative Speech Day (PS) | | September 27 | Informative Speech Day (PS) | Read Ch 2 in Duck and McMahan | Unit 2 | | | Week 6 | | | September 30 | Ch 2-Verbal Communication (IP) | Read Ch 4 in Duck and McMahan | October 2 | Ch 4-Listening (IP) | Read Ch 3 in Duck and McMahan | October 4 | Ch 3-Non Verbal Communication (IP) | Read Ch 5 in Duck and McMahan | Week 7 | | | October 7 | Ch 5-Identities and Perceptions (IP) | Study for In Class Review! | October 9 | In Class Review (SG) | Study for Unit 2 Exam | October 11 | Unit 2 Exam | Prepare your outline and other materials for your persuasive speeches! | Week 8 | | | October 14 | Fall Break | Prepare your outline and other materials for your persuasive speeches! | October 16 | Peer Review of outlines and other materials for persuasive speeches (SG); Assign Times for Persuasive Speeches | Prepare for your persuasive speeches! All outlines due Sunday, 10/20, on Blackboard by Midnight | October 18 | Small Group/Class Activity | | Week 9 | | | October 21 | Persuasive Speech Day (PS) | | October 23 | Persuasive Speech Day (PS) | | October 25 | Persuasive Speech Day (PS) | | Week 10 | | | October 28 | Persuasive Speech Day (PS) | | October 30 | Persuasive Speech Day (PS) | Read Ch 7 in Duck and McMahan | Unit 3 | | | November 1 | Ch 7-Groups and Leaders (SG) | Read Ch 9 in Duck and McMahan | Week 11 | | | November 4 | Small Group Activity/Introduce Media Analysis Assignment and Group Speech Assignment | | November 6 | Ch 9-Technology in Everyday Life (IP) | Read Ch 10 in Duck and McMahan | November 8 | Ch 10 Relational Uses of Media | | Week 12 | | | November 11 | Film | | November 13 | Film | | November 15 | Film | Read Ch 6 in Duck and McMahan | Week 13 | | | Unit 4 | | | November 18 | Finish film if needed, discuss film in relation to course content; Ch 6-Talk and Interpersonal Relationships (IP) | Read “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” | November 20 | "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema" Reading Activity (IP) | Read Ch 8 in Duck and McMahan | November 22 | Ch 8-Culture and Communication (IP)Media Analysis Paper Due | Read Ch 15 in Duck and McMahan | Week 14 | | | November 25 | Small Group Time | | November 27 | Thanksgiving Break | | November 29 | Thanksgiving Break | | Week 15 | | | December 2 | Ch 15-Interviewing (IP) | | December 4 | In Class Review (SG) | | December 6 | Unit 4 Wrap up and Exam | | Week 16 | | | December 9 | Semester Wrap Up- Anything that you wanted to talk about any we didn’t?; Group Speech time | | December 11 | Group Speech Time | | December 13 | Group Speech Time | Begin preparing your group speeches! | Finals Week | | | 9 AM Class:Monday, December 16, 8-10 AM | Group Speech Day | | | | |

Student Resources on Campus
The Spot Tutoring Center
You can go here for tutoring in any of your courses on campus. For each class you are taking, you can use up to 2 hours per week of free, course specific tutoring. Call 481-5419 or visit http://new.ipfw.edu/offices/casa/index.html to learn more about the Spot.

The Writing Center
You can go here for assistance with your writing in any of your courses. Writing Center consultants are there to help with topic ideas, assistance with APA and MLA styles, or even to talk through the process of writing your first (or 50th!) college paper. Call 481-5740 or visit http://new.ipfw.edu/offices/casa/index.html to learn more about the Writing Center.

Technology Assistance
Through IPFW’s Information Technology Services department, they can assist with many of your technology needs. From connecting your personal laptop to IPFW’s wireless system to using IPFW’s computers, the ITS knowledge base at http://new.ipfw.edu/its/ and the consultants in the ITS help desk can help you with all of your technology needs. Call 481-6030 to reach their help desk.

Helmke Library
Here you will find your information for your research projects throughout your college career. Through http://www.lib.ipfw.edu/, you can access the university’s online book catalog; connect to many academic journals, and order books and other materials from other libraries. You can also connect with course-specific librarians who can help you search for sources for any paper on campus. For Communication 114, Denise Buhr is the content-specific librarian.