Syllabus

Pasadena Community College

Department Performing and Communication Arts (PCAD)

Course Syllabus – 8 WEEKS (February 18 - April 12)

Section Number:    36115                                                                            

 

“The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention…”

- Rachel Naomi Remen

Course Information 

Course Number:  SPCH 10

• This course is conducted FULLY online, which means that the class is conducted fully in CANVAS (https://canvas.pasadena.edu/).

 

Instructor:  Rita F. Gonzales                        

E-mail address: rfgonzales@pasadena.edu                                                                                           

*the best way to contact me is through email

Office Phone: 626-585-7674

Office Location:  CA 102E 

Monday 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday  8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. (online)

 

Division Office and Mailbox Location: CA119

 

Text: Looking Out, Looking In

• Ronald B. Adler and Russell F. Proctor II
• Wadsworth, 2016, 15th
  • ISBN-13: 978-1305645349
  • ISBN-10: 1305645340
• Purchase Info: Pasadena Bookstore, Amazon.com, or cengagebrain.com

 

 

Course Rationale and Description

• Speech 10 is designed to increase your understanding and implementation of effective interpersonal communication behaviors and skills. Throughout the semester we will examine basic verbal and nonverbal elements affecting communication between individuals in family, peer groups, and work contexts. 
• This course requires you to participate in activities designed to develop interpersonal skills and will actually improve the quality of your life if you keep an open mind and actively participate!
• Topics include: an introduction to interpersonal communication theory, strategy development, relationship and conversation management, effective listening, conflict management, defensive communication, communication anxiety, cultural/gender differences in communication style, ethics in communicating, relationship development communication climate, and intercultural communication.
• Interpersonal communication introduces students to the complex interaction of social and psychological forces operating in human communication. The course is designed with a dual approach consisting of both theory and application that allows students opportunities to critically evaluate the intricacies of interpersonal relationships and the communication issues surrounding human interaction in various contexts.
• Theories will be considered based on relevance to empirical research and various applied communication contexts (eg: industry, education, medical and legal practices, etc). There is an important distinction between social skills/manners and the interpersonal communication skills you are expected to develop in this course.
• The course seeks to increase student “relational sensitivity.” Only as students become more socially sensitive can they recognize the various conditions that help and/or hinder the process of interpersonal communication.
• The course seeks to increase student “behavioral flexibility.” Only as students become more flexible in their behaviors can they select the appropriate behavioral responses to specific communication situations.
• The course seeks to motivate students to demonstrate behaviors that facilitate competent communication and improve overall student and community life. Enhanced communication skills create better citizens of the world. 

 

Competencies & Learning Objectives: SPCH010 will provide you with both a theoretical understanding of and practical experience with interpersonal communication.  The main objectives of this course include:

• Clarify their values and increase self-awareness.
• Demonstrate various types of communication effectiveness.
• Implement image management strategies to create favorable impressions.
• Read, analyze, and respond in writing to examples of appropriate and inappropriate messages.
• Demonstrate knowledge of effective strategies for initiating, maintaining, and ending communication encounters with others.
• Construct messages that utilizing language that reflects reality.
• Identify the need to communicate feelings accurately and appropriately.
• Demonstrate how to use feedback to enhance their messages.
• Demonstrate an awareness and respect for differing values, attitudes, and beliefs o others.
• Develop an awareness of appropriate and selective self-disclosure.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Students will be able to appraise the role of the self in communication.
2. Students will be able to recognize, compare and contrast interpersonal communication concepts.
3. Students will be able to employ problem solving and conflict management skills.
4. Students will be able to demonstrate active listening.
5. Student will be able to demonstrate an understanding of ethical interpersonal communication founded on communication theory and research

Learning in the Online Environment:

• This class is a community. We all have the same objective: to learn. Online students often feel isolated but it’s important to know you are not in this alone!
• I need each of you to approach our online class with a great attitude and a willingness to help each other. Many problems and questions can be resolved by asking a fellow student. I am always here to help you but I truly believe your experience will be better if you communicate with your fellow students throughout the semester. Let’s work together to make this semester great for everyone!

Essential for Course Success

Technical Skill Requirements

Students should have a minimal level of technical expertise. Students should be able to:

• utilize Canvas;
• create, save, and move files;
• download and submit files through the Canvas assignment link;
• copy and paste content;
• navigate the internet;
• upload image and audio files;
• send and receive email; and
• trouble shoot basic technical problems. Must have access to Microsoft Word; assignments will only be accepted in this format.

 

Canvas System Requirements:

• Platform: Windows 98, 2000, XP, Vista / Mac OS 9 or higher.
• Minimum Hardware Requirements: 64 MB of RAM, 1 GB of free disk space.
• Modem: 56 k modem or higher.
• Browser: For best results, we recommend Internet Explorer 6.x Service Pack 1, or 7.x (PC); Safari 1.x (Mac).
• Other combinations are supported and may also work with Canvas.
• Browser Settings: JavaScript & Cookies must be enabled.
• Software: Requirements for applications and plug-ins depend on the types of files a user needs to view from Canvas. Some of the most common: Microsoft Office applications or viewers, Adobe Acrobat Reader, RealPlayer, QuickTime, Flash Player.

Academic Skills:

• Well developed, reading, and writing skills are strongly related to student success in an online learning environment. In face to face classes, the instructor supplements required readings through lecture. In online classes, students are responsible for all readings and the application of critical thinking skills to gain an understanding of course material. Since nearly all communication is written, students must be able to effectively express themselves in writing.

Student Characteristics:

• Students need to have a strong commitment to learn. Being self-motivated and self-disciplined is critical to success in an online environment that by definition has more freedom and flexibility than the traditional face to face classroom. The willingness to be open minded about sharing life, work, and educational experiences are also a critical component to your success.
• In a traditional classroom, some students choose to be passive observers during open discussion sessions. However, in an online class, students cannot sit in the back of the class and hide. All students must interact.

Realistic Expectations:

• This is a 3-unit course; as such you should expect to commit 144 hours of your time throughout the course of the semester. For our course, this roughly translates into 9 hours per week.
• Online classes are not easier than traditional classes. Some students who have taken both online classes and traditional classes consider the online environment to be more difficult.

Course Policies

Participation (Online):

Drop Policy:

• First, based on the Pasadena City College Attendance and Drop Policy #4025.20, the instructor may “drop students who fail to attend the first meeting of a class if they have not made prior arrangements with that instructor, and may drop students who arrive late at the first meeting of a class or who fail to attend the second meeting if they have not made prior arrangements with that instructor.”
• Second, instructors are required to “drop all students who become nonparticipants by the census date. Nonparticipants are defined as students who have continuous or cumulative absences totaling at least 11 percent of the total hours the class is scheduled to meet.  In a regular 18-week course, for example, a student becomes a nonparticipant when his or her cumulative absences reach the number of hours the class is scheduled to meet in a two-week period.” (http://www.pasadena.edu/ipro/policies/pcc_4025.pdf)  Finally, it is up to the student to officially drop the course, failure to do so will result in an “F.” 
  • All students must attend all mandatory meetings to keep their active status in the course. Students who do not attend all mandatory meetings will be dropped from the class. After the initial drop period, students may be dropped for excessive absences.
  • Attendance in this course is measured by Canvas activity, which includes participation in discussion boards, completing quizzes, and submitting assignments. In which case, students who do not actively participate for 10 consecutive days or miss two consecutive discussion board and portfolio assignments may be dropped.

 

PCC’s Drop Policy:

• Students in distance education courses are required to ‘attend’ class and participate just as if they were in a face-to-face course. This means that instructors need to set up guidelines for how much each lecture, reading assignment, discussion or project qualifies as a meeting during the course of a week/learning unit/course module.
• Students who do not participate in class, that is, who consistently do not complete assignments, quizzes, respond to forums or turn in other work, should be notified that they will be dropped from the class for non-participation.

Late Work:

• All work is expected to be submitted on time to receive full credit. Unit Assignments, Quizzes, Exams, and Unit Discussions all have due dates and times for submission. The due dates for each are located in the Course Schedule section of this syllabus. If you believe you will not have access to a computer close to an assignment's due date, you should plan ahead and submit your work early. It is a good idea to have a backup plan if your technology fails. Starbucks? Best friend? 

 

• Canvas unit assignments will remain open 24 hours past the set due date and time to allow students to turn assignments for half credit. However, unit discussion boards, quizzes and exams will not remain open past set due date and time. There will not be any allowances for making up unit discussion boards, thus the penalty is No Credit (zero points). The penalty for not completing quizzes and exams by the scheduled due date and time is No Credit ( zero points).
• If you have an assignment completed by the deadline but are unable to post it in the forum for technical reasons, you should send it to me via email to demonstrate that it was completed on time. However, you must post the assignment in the forum once that becomes available. In all situations where technical difficulties prevent you from submitting an assignment or completing a quiz/exam, document the problem by taking a screen capture the error message.
• It is strongly recommended that you draft (and save) all assignment and discussion responses in Microsoft Word (or your favorite word processing program) and then COPY and PASTE the information into the discussion board forum. That way you will have a copy saved on your computer should anything go wrong!
• There may be times when circumstances that are beyond your control result in lateness and you believe that no penalty should be incurred. Illness, death in the family, and unavoidable business travel are some of the reasonable circumstances that may interfere with timely submission of assignments. Under these or similar circumstances the penalty may be waived and the due date may be extended so long as you can document the circumstance.

Asking a Question:

• As mentioned before, this class is a learning community. As such, if you have a question about an assignment, the readings, or general classroom policy, post those types of questions in the discussion board link, located in the main menu of our Canvas course. Just as in a regular classroom, multiple students should benefit from questions posed by their classmates.
• And, as in the traditional learning context students who offer responses to questions also benefit. The restatement of knowledge is reinforced when shared with others. I will be checking this board and responding to questions, but students are encouraged to be the primary participants of this discussion board. See the section on extra credit to see how you can benefit from helping others.

Email:

• Student to instructor email should be reserved for personal communication. Personal communication includes, but is not limited to, questions about your grade, notification of special needs such as accommodations required for recognized disabilities, providing information about unforeseen circumstances, and unique technical issues.
• All email should be sent through the Canvas system which will identify your legal name, course and section number. When sending email, students must include a description of the correspondence in the subject line. Blank subject lines or subjects labeled “Hello”, can easily get overlooked and may not be responded to in a timely manner. Here is an example of what an email sent through the Canvas system will look like: Doe, John_ Unexpected Emergency Travel: SPCH 10-3209. If you are unable to send a message from the Bb system, please include the following information in the subject line: legal name, specific subject, course, and section number.
• Students should expect a response to their email within 24-48 hours between Monday at 8:00AM and Friday at 5:00PM. Remember to use the Ask a Question forum for content, assignment, and policy related questions. Students should begin assignments early so that their needs are met before pending deadlines.

Netiquette (Adapted from albion.com)

 

• Remember the human
  • Do unto others as you’d have others do unto you. Be empathetic. Imagine how you’d feel if you were in the other person’s shoes. Stand up for yourself, but do not try to hurt people’s feelings.
  • Would you say it to the person’s face? If not, then don’t say it.
  • Online communications (text) are easier to misinterpret. Remember this and be careful about the way you phrase your communications.
• Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
  • Online people seem to be more willing to take risks because there is the impression that there is less chance of getting caught. This isn’t true.
    • Be ethical.
    • Do your best to act within the laws of society when is cyberspace.
    • Breaking netiquette is bad ethics!
  • Lurk before you leap
    • Take time to understand the context of a discussion before you post your thoughts. You wouldn’t walk up to a crowd of people and just start talking would you? You’d stop and listen to what’s being said and then share your ideas. Do the same in an online discussion.
  • Respect other people’s time and bandwidth
    • Take time to learn the policies and rules that have been established to maintain the flow of inline space.
    • You are not the center of cyberspace. Each of us is passionate about our beliefs, ideas, and opinions. Not everyone will agree with what you have to say…and that’s ok. Expect that.
    • We all have questions that we want answered. But don’t expect answers to be sent immediately. This doesn’t mean your questions aren’t important, it merely means there are a lot of questions to be answered.
  • Make yourself look good online
    • Know what you are talking about and make sense. Don’t just post something to post something.
    • Use proper grammar and spelling at all times. Create post in a word processing document with the use of editing tools before posting responses and comments.
    • Don’t be confrontational.
    • Do not swear even if you’re relying upon the good ol’ %*&^*!$
  • Share expert knowledge
    • If a topic is covered that you know very well, let yourself shine! Step up to the plate and share your experiences! This is what makes online learning so wonderful!
    • This includes answers to questions about the course. If a student is struggling to understand a concept that is being covered in a learning unit and you find that you understand it well, step up and offer a hand. Remember helping others understand concepts that you know well, helps you to reinforce that knowledge.
  • Be forgiving of other people’s mistakes
    • If someone breaks a netiquette rule, forgive and forget. We are all human, even in cyberspace.

Honesty:  

• Academic dishonesty encompasses both cheating and plagiarism.
  • Cheating includes obtaining or attempting to obtain or aiding another to obtain academic credit for work by the use of any dishonest, deceptive or fraudulent means.
  • Plagiarism involves submitting the works of others as your own and includes improper source citation, no source citation, using materials prepared by another student, and using fictitious sources.
• The penalties for academic dishonesty range from receiving an "F" on the assignment or exam, to receiving an "F" in the course and may be reported to the college.

Turnitin.com:

• Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. You may request, in writing, that your papers not be submitted to Turnitin.com.
• However, if you choose this option you will be required to provide documentation to substantiate that the papers are your original work and do not include any plagiarized material. Even indirect quotes, paraphrasing, etc. can be considered plagiarism unless sources are properly cited.
• Plagiarism is a major type of academic dishonesty and will not be tolerate. Pasadena City College’s policy for Academic Honesty in the Course Catalog and Schedule of Classes will be followed in this course.

Special Circumstances: 

• If you have any learning or physical challenges that could affect your performance in this class, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor as soon as possible. I will work with you toward your success.
• In compliance with ADA guidelines, students who have any condition, either permanent or temporary, that might affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to inform the instructor at the beginning of the term. The college will work with the appropriate faculty member who in determining what accommodations are suitable based on the documentation and the individual student needs.  The granting of any accommodation will not be retroactive and cannot jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of the course.  We have an amazing service for this called DSPS – Disabled Student Program Services. 
• “A student with a disability, who would like to request an academic accommodation, is responsible for identifying herself/himself to the instructor and to the Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS). To make arrangements for academic accommodations, student should contact the Disabled Student Office in Johnson Center, U-103, or on the first floor of Russell Hall; phone (714) 564-6264 or TYY (714) 564-6284 for a referral to the appropriate DSPS department.”

Veterans: 

• Welcome home! If you have any questions or concerns regarding your performance in this course, please do not hesitate to notify the instructor early in the semester.
• Have you heard about our Veteran Center? “We strongly encourage all veterans to join PCC Veterans' Club, our student organization. Statistics show that students who assimilate to campus life by developing associations with like-minded students or faculty members have a higher degree of success.” Veterans Resource Center
Room: L113


Office of Personal Counseling:

• “Since 1950, the Psychological Services Program has been an integral part of the educational experience at PCC and has been helping students to creatively handle the stresses of college life.  Learning to master these challenges will enhance a student's psychological, interpersonal, educational, and career development while at PCC and long after leaving the campus.”
• Room: D203
• Telephone: 626-585-7273
• Website: http://www.pasadena.edu/studentservices/psychservices/
• The Speech Center

• The speech center offers dynamic, one-on-one assistance to students seeking to improve their speech communication skills outside of class.  When visiting, please bring your assignment guidelines and grading rubrics to maximize your experience and improve that speech grade!  Walk-ins are welcome! Otherwise call or email to make an appointment.

              Hours: M-W 10:00am – 5:00pm

              Room: D-302

              Phone: 626-585-5311

              Email: speechcenter@pasadena.edu

Mandatory Meeting Speech Days:

• It is essential that you bring your rubric, outline, and note cards to class. You need to be prepared to give your speech when called upon, failure to present a speech will result in a zero.  NO MAKE UP SPEECH!
• 1^st Meeting: Introduction, Syllabus, Group Meeting
• 2^nd Meeting: Group Activities - Bring laptops/electronic devices and textbook
• 3^rd Meeting: Group Workshop & Group Preview Presentations
• 4^th Meeting: Final Group Presentations – Bring Rubric, PowerPoint, and Video

The Social Contract

This means that both student and instructor will work to create a supportive, explanatory, and intellectually challenging academic community.  This demands preparation for class discussion and commitment to the full participation in all engagement as well as providing sensitive, critical response to the work of your colleagues.

 

Within the class, we will foster an environment that is friendly, supportive, safe, and non-threatening.  With this in mind, we will attempt to acknowledge and respect the diverse experiences, cultures, and preferences of each person (as reflected in their attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors) – while contributing to a common classroom culture of mutual support and respect.

 

You voluntarily enter this contract by maintaining your enrollment in this class.

 

Course Assignments

Chapter Learning Units:

Each chapter unit contains the following components. All assignments, quizzes, and exams are

to be completed and submitted through Canvas; as mentioned in the case of technical difficulties students may send verification that the assignment was completed on-time, but the assignment must be resubmitted in Canvas for credit. Please refer to the course schedule to ensure that you are aware of assignment deadlines.

 

• Chapter Discussions. Throughout the semester, questions will be posted in the Canvas discussion board (DB) covering current topics or assignments. Each student is expected to post an initial response to the question and reply to two peer responses. The due dates of your initial post and responses to peers are staggered, see course schedule.

 

• Chapter Journal Assignments. Each unit is accompanied with Portfolio assignment that requires students to demonstrate knowledge, engage in analysis, and apply personal experience to unit concepts. Assignments must be submitted in the Microsoft Word format, pdf, or text.

 

• Quizzes. Each unit includes a 10 point quiz that can be taken unlimited times before the scheduled closing date. It is suggested that students begin each unit by taking the quiz before completing reading and unit assignments. The quiz should then be retaken after completing all assignments. Remember the quiz can be taken an unlimited amount of times to yield the highest score. This strategy frames learning and strengthens long term memory.

Final Presentation

• As a required component of this course, students will develop an oral slide presentation.

Exams

• There will be two exams during the course of the semester. Each student is given 24 hours to complete the assessments. These are single attempt exams; students cannot retake exams for a better score.
• Plan ahead; it is important to use a reliable computer with a strong internet signal. If you are knocked off line, you will not be able restart the test.

 

Grades

 

What Grades Mean (Adopted from Doctor Judith Hamera)

A: Excellent work!  You have consistently gone above and beyond simply meeting the class requirements.  You have added both extra effort and originality to all assignments with virtually no problems.  The class learned something valuable from you.  In the case of A-, there were one or two minor errors.

B: Very good work!  You have exceeded expectations on some of the assignments. There are few errors; the nature and amount of these are reflected in the +/- range.  Your work has been thorough and consistent throughout the term.

C: Average work.  You have done what was expected of you, no more no less.  There have been errors in some assignments; the nature and amount are reflected in the (+/-).  There may have been problems with consistency over the course of the term.

D: Time for self-reflection.  You have done qualitatively and quantitatively less than the minimum expected of a student in this class.

F:  As Roland Barthes has observed, some signs critique themselves.

A         90%-100%

B         80-89.9%

C         70-79.9%

D         60-69.9%

F          59.9% and below