Communication Skills-104: January 2012

ANDREWS UNIVERSITY AFFILIATED AND EXTENSION PROGRAMS

UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN

2^nd SEMESTER 2011/2012 SCHOOL YEAR

COURSE # & TITLE: COMM 104: COMMUNICATION SKILLS

INSTRUCTOR: Roanna Mangah CREDITS: 3

OFFICE PHONE #: 662-2241 x 2515

EMAIL: rmangah@usc.edu.tt

COURSE DESCRIPTION

‚ COMM104: Communication Skills is the study of the human communication process: with oneself, with another person, within a small group, with other cultures, and within public speaking.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

< To produce students who are competent in using the skills of speaking, writing and reading to convey messages adequately

< To produce students who are able to construct and deliver public speeches

< To produce students who are prepared to function confidently in small-group discussion and problem-solving situations.

EXPECTED OUTCOME:

‘ All students will be expected, having met the objectives and having successfully completed all course requirements, as described on this outline, will obtain a passing grade. Students are responsible for their own learning. My role is simply to facilitate your learning experience through the use of lectures, in-class discussions, handouts, group and individual presentations.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

T Do all quizzes

T Keep a communication journal

T Attend class regularly

T Prepare and submit all assignments

T Participate in all group projects/presentations

T Prepare a 5 minute speech [topic must be approved by lecturer]

T Prepare a two page essay on chosen topic [topic given by lecturer]

T Prepare and participate in a group project [topic given by lecturer]

TEXT

Verderber, Rudolph and Kathleen Verderber. Communicate!. 12^th ed. USA: Thomson Wadsworth,

2008

RECOMMENDED READING

Denny, Richard. Communication to Win. London: Kogan Page Limited, 2001.

Barker, Larry L. and Deborah A Gaut. Communication. 7^th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996.

DeVito, Joseph A. Human Communication: The Basic Course. 8^th ed. New York: Addison Wesly, 2000

Forsyth, Donelson R. Group Dynamics. 3^rd ed. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1998.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS

‚ All assignments are expected at class time on the day they are due. Prompt and neat work done by students is a reflection of their seriousness as students and writers. However, each late assignment brought in a school day after it is due, a letter grade will be deducted. Assignments handed in 48 hours after it is due will not be accepted. All assignments must be delivered in person.

PLAGIARISM

! This is unacceptable by the standards of University of the Southern Caribbean and is illegal by law. Students who violate this instruction WILL automatically fail this course.

ATTENDANCE

i Class attendance is obligatory, it is required for a passing grade. Please note that Attendance Regulation will be in effect. If a student is absent for a total of nine (9) class sessions the grade F may be recorded. Please keep in mind that three (3) tardies equals to one (1) absence. Any inconsistency in attendance may result in the lowering of a student’s final course grade. Students are responsible for finding out and completing all class requirements, assignments given during their absence (See USC Bulletin p. 36 for attendance policy). This also means that you are to be on time for class. Students entering class fifteen (15) minutes after class has begun will be considered late.

GRADING

· Please take your assignments seriously because I’m not in the habit of returning assignments to students for resubmission.

· Adherence to documentation style and basic conventions of grammar, spelling, pronunciation, and other appropriate formatting is essential to achieving a good grade in my class. Marks are allocated to these in each assignment

· Please note that I do not change final grades after submission to the registrar’s office.

· Concessions will be made for special circumstances only if I have been notified within a reasonable timeframe prior to the submission of your grade.

· If you have a query with your grade, feel free to discuss it with me for clarification.

Emailing Etiquette

· Your emails to me are formal correspondence between lecturer and student. As such, please follow the following email protocol:

Ø Appropriate Subject (course acronym, purpose). Example: COMM436 Question

Ø Salutation within email. Example: Hello Mrs. XXXXX

Ø Full identification of assignment within email. Example: This is my submission of the reading report #1—Asciacentric World View

Ø Identification of author(s). Example: Submitted by Jennifer Jones

Ø Closing. Example: Regards, Jennifer

· Assignments should be submitted as attachments to emails. No file sharing on the Internet will be accepted at this time, neither will assignments copied into the body of the email be accepted.

· Please do not include more than one assignment in an email. Send assignments separately, in separate emails with the appropriate subject.

DRESS CODE

) Students are required to comply with the University’s “Dress Code” as outlined in the Students Handbook and signed contracts at registration.

GRADE COMPUTATION

Quizzes 10%

Essay 10%

Attendance 5%

Journal 10%

Group Participation 10%

Informative Speech Pres. 20%

Group Presentation 35%

100%

GRADING SCALE

A (94-100) B+ (87-89) C+ (77-79) D (60-64)

A- (90-93) B (83-86) C (70-76) F (0-59)
B- (80-82) C- (65-69)

COURSE SCHEDULE

MODULE 1:

T Foundation of Communication

T Perception of Self and Others

T Communicating Verbally

T Communication Nonverbally

MODULE 2:

T Developing a topic for Public speaking

T Organizing a Speech

T Adapting Verbally and Visually

T Overcoming Speech Apprehension

MODULE 3:

T Communicating across Cultures

T Communicating in Relationships

T Listening and Responding

T Developing Intimacy in Relationships

T Interviewing

MODULE 4:

T Participating in Group Communication

T Member roles in Groups

T Leadership roles in Groups

THINGS TO TAKE NOTE OF:

‚ You are required to source course information from supplementary reading texts available in the university library. You are also advised to read additional course material prior to class sessions in order to contribute to class discussions.

‚ Handouts will be given periodically

‚ You are advised to be punctual for all class sessions. If you arrive late and class is in session, please do not enter class while someone is speaking.

‚ Students arriving fifteen (15) minutes after classes have begun will be considered late.

ASSIGNMENTS AND THEIR SPECIFICS

< INFORMATIVE SPEECH: You will be required to give an informative speech approximately 5 minutes in length on a topic chosen. This speech will be presented in front of the class. Students are advised that they are not allowed to read their presentation; however, note cards are acceptable.

< ESSAY: A two-paged essay is to be done on a topic chosen by the student. Essay must be typed, double spaced, proceeded by the Standard USC cover page, and include a Reference page. Students are advised to indent on the first lines of each paragraph. Each page should be numbered on the top right hand corner of the page. Due January 30 & 31, 2012

YOU ARE TO CHOOSE ONE ESSAY TOPIC AND WRITE A 2 PAGE ESSAY. INSTRUCTION FOR THE ESSAY IS ON YOUR COURSE OUTLINE. YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR ESSAY SOFT COPY VIA EMAIL COMMSKILLS104@GMAIL.COM OR HARD COPY AT CLASS TIME.

TOPICS

COMMUNICATION IS CONTINUOUS
COMMUNICATION MESSAGES VARY IN CONSCIOUS THOUGHT
COMMUNICATION IS RELATIONAL
COMMUNICATION HAS ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS
COMMUNICATION IS LEARNED
WHAT IS SELF MONITORING?
ISSUES OF STEREOTYPING IN PERCEPTION
USES OF LANGUAGE
CULTURE SHOCK
CULTURAL IDENTITY
UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
POWER DISTANCE
ETHNOCENTRISM AND YOU
CONCRETE WORDS VS PRECISE WORDS
VERBAL VIVIDNESS
WHEN SHOULD YOU USE JARGON?
LINGUISTIC SENSITIVITY

< GROUP PRESENTATIONS: The class will be divided up into selected groups. Each group will be required to prepare a presentation between 35-40 minutes in length, on a topic chosen. Students are encouraged to be creative in their presentations. Students much prepare a 2-3 page handout on the main points covered in their presentation. This is due the class session prior to presentation.

< You will use www.blogger.com for your online journal. You will need to submit your weblog address via email to your course instructor. No later than JANUARY 17, 2012

BLOG/JOURNAL ENTRIES PART 1

DUE: NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY17, 2012

ENTRY 1

As your first blog post, you are required to introduce yourself. Please state the following: Your name, your major, Tell us a little about yourself, Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 on how effective you are as a communicator, 1 being ineffective and 10 being effective, and lastly, brain storm ways you can improve on your areas of weakness as a communicator.

ENTRY 2

Your personal response to an event that had an impact on your life. Did the event change your life? Yes, No? State the reasons for your answer! Did the event change any of your personal point of views? Do you think differently after this event?

ENTRY 3

What is your perception of you? In about 1 paragraph state how you perceive you!

ENTRY 4

Select one local Trinidad and Tobago newspaper. Choose one article and comment about it. What is your perception of the article? What perception was formed after reading the article?

ENTRY 5

How does your culture impact the way you communicate? How does it influence your verbal and nonverbal behaviors?

ENTRY 6

What did you learn from the in-class presentations on culture?

ENTRY 7

What did you learn from the culture you presented in class? Was that culture strange to you? If you did learn something new, how does that new knowledge influence the way you communicate now.

ENTRY 8

Choose one article from your local newspaper and comment about it. What is your perception of the article? What perception was formed after reading the article?

ENTRY 9

Are you an effective verbal communicator? Is there clarity in your speech? Do you demonstrate linguistic sensitivity?

ENTRY 10

Do you use slang in your everyday conversations? Why? Do you think you use slang appropriately? State the reasons for your answer!

Communication Skills-104

Monday, 23 January 2012

LINKS ON VERBAL COMMUNICATION

RATING YOUR VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Blogger Tutorial - How to Start Blogging with Blogger

SELF CONCEPT

COURSE OUTLINE 2ND SEMESTER 2011/2012

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