Course Information

Term: Summer 2016

Course: CA 100-801, Introduction to Communication
Format: Fully Online
Instructor Information
Name: Mrs. Katherine Rigsby
Email: krigsby@southalabama.edu
Office phone: 251-380-2818
Office hours: TR 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. or by appointment
Course Description
This course examines various approaches people take to communicating. It
focuses on developing an awareness of how and why we communicate and
why we do not always communicate effectively. It includes consideration of
variables related to interpersonal, group, public, and mass communication
contexts.
Course Goals and Objectives
Studying communication is important because it provides the tools necessary for
critically thinking through various issues. Effective communication depends
heavily on critical thinking and problem solving. The information provided in this
course is designed to accomplish three specific goals: 1) to introduce students
to the various forms of human communication, 2) to provide an understanding
of theory and research associated with human communication, 3) to provide
practical application to enhance students communication skills in every day
situations. In addition to these goals, students should be able to demonstrate
three behavioral and social sciences learning outcomes: 1) demonstrate
knowledge of the core concepts and theoretical perspectives in the world
sciences, 2) demonstrate knowledge of social science approaches to building
knowledge as well as application of knowledge gained to issues in
contemporary life, 3) demonstrate knowledge and ability to distinguish empirical
from non-empirical claims.
Course Materials
DeVito, J. (2015). Human communication: The basic course (13th ed). Pearson
Education, Inc.

Class Attendance Policy

Online Learning is self-directed learning. It requires a high level of responsibility,
dedication and self-discipline on the part of the student. In this course, you are
responsible for your own work, your own progress and your own grade. In order
to succeed, you need to log in to the course regularly to check
announcements, participate in discussions, access course content, and meet
your deadlines. Failure to show up weekly is the equivalent of being absent. At
a minimum, every week, students are responsible for completing the following
tasks:
Attend all online class activities, including participation in weekly
discussions
Timely submission of assignments, submitted as instructed
Timely submission of quizzes
Assessment
Item

Points

Chapter Quizzes

130 points

Assignments

90 points

Participation

80 points

Final Exam

100 points

Total

400 points

Grade Distribution
Total Points

Letter Grade

358-400 points

318-357 points

278-317 points

238-277 points

000-237 points

Academic Disruption Policy

I expect students to be cordial, courteous and respectful of faculty members
and fellow students. The University of South Alabamas policy regarding
Academic Disruption is found in The Lowdown, the student handbook.
http://www.southalabama.edu/lowdown/academicdisruption.shtml: Disruptive
academic behavior is defined as individual or group conduct that interrupts or
interferes with any educational activity or environment, infringes upon the rights
and privileges of others, results in or threatens the destruction of property and/or
is otherwise prejudicial to the maintenance of order in an academic
environment.
Student Academic Conduct Policy
The University of South Alabamas policy regarding Student Academic Conduct
Policy is found in The Lowdown
http://www.southalabama.edu/lowdown/academicconductpolicy.shtml: The
University of South Alabama is a community of scholars in which the ideals of
freedom of inquiry, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of
the individual are sustained. The University is committed to supporting the
exercise of any right guaranteed to individuals by the Constitution and the
Code of Alabama and to educating students relative to their responsibilities.
If the policy is violated, students may incur any of the penalties described in the
Lowdown, depending on the nature of the offense.
Students enrolled in online courses are expected to adhere to the Academic
Conduct Policy. In particular, students are expected to complete their
own coursework and not provide unauthorized information or materials to
another student. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Please be sure to know the
definition of the word and how to avoid it. Students may learn about the
meaning of plagiarism and how to avoid it at the following link:
http://libguides.southalabama.edu/plagiarism
Students With Disabilities
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, students with bona fide
disabilities will be afforded reasonable accommodations. Student Disability
Services will certify a disability and advise faculty members of reasonable
accommodations. If you have a specific disability that qualifies you for
academic accommodations, please notify the instructor/professor and provide
certification from the Student Disability Services. Student Disability Services is
located at 5828 Old Shell Road at Jaguar Drive, (251-460-7212).

Online Writing Support

The University of South Alabama provides online writing tutoring services through
SMARTHINKING, an online tutoring service. SMARTHINKING is available at
http://services.smarthinking.com. Students may enter the site by logging on with
their Jag number and using the last four digits of the social security number as
the password. For log-on problems, technical questions and/or on-campus
writing assistance, contact the USA Writing Center at 251-460-6480 or e-mail
csaint-paul@usouthal.edu.
Statement on Diversity
The Department of Communication is committed to preparing students to work
in a diverse society. As such, our classes will include lectures and activities, which
promote an awareness of and sensitivity towards differences of race, ethnicity,
national origin, culture, sexual orientation, religion, age and ability. Such an
environment will contribute to the growth and development of each member of
the class, as it will encourage students to embrace diversity as a positive aspect
of learning and scholarship.
Participation in Discussions
The course week will run Tuesday-Monday. There are four forum discussion. For
forums, you must make a minimum of two threaded discussion posts throughout
the week, not at the end of the week. You should post your first threaded
response by Thursday in the week, and your entry must be posted by the
following Monday. Threaded discussion entries must include one response to the
question(s) by the instructor and one response to a classmates comments. In
other words, post your thoughts and then respond to at least one of your
classmates ideas as well. Failure to provide timely, thorough, grammatically
correct responses to the discussions will result in a lower participation course
grade.
Netiquette
All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all
email messages, forum discussions and chats. If I deem any of them to be
inappropriate or offensive, I will consider it an act of academic disruption, and
will forward the message to the Chair of the department and the online
administrators and appropriate action will be taken. The universitys academic
disruption policy can be found in the USA Lowdown.

Deadlines
One of the benefits of an online class is that you can complete your coursework
from practically anywhere. However, odd things happen in cyberspaceemails
get lost, servers disconnect temporarily, and logins fail. Do not wait until the last
minute to do your work. Allow time to meet deadlines. You are responsible for
meeting all of your deadlines.
Late work will not receive credit unless you notify the instructor with a verifiable
emergency and can provide written, verifiable documentation. In addition,
there will be no make up exams. If you miss the final exam, you will receive a
zero.
Submitting Your Work
Before submitting your assignments, you must save in Microsoft Word so that I
can read them. If you cannot open your file or read your document, you will
receive a zero. All assignments must be submitted through Sakai unless otherwise
specified. Back up your work on a jump drive or save to your computer and
make a hard copy that you can submit to my mailbox before deadline, if
necessary. If you experience computer difficulties, you are responsible for solving
your own technical problems. Heavy Internet use typically occurs in the evening,
so you might want to log on at other times if possible.
Help Desk
For technical problems like not being able to view a page, slowness issues,
problems viewing video or hearing audio, things not working as they should,
please contact the Sakai 24/7 Help Desk at 855-577-2032. They do not answer
homework questions. Send those to me.
Communication
Throughout the semester, I will post information as announcements to the course
and/or send email messages to the account you have on file with the University.
Please login to Sakai and check your email messages on a regular basis. Be sure
to respond in a timely manner if the message requires a reply.
I will check my email M-F between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. I may check email in
the evening, but please do not expect it. I will respond to course related
questions within 24 hours on a weekday. Please be patient when waiting for a
response, and do not send the same message multiple times. While you may
send one email, I must respond to several each day. If you have not received a
response within 24 hours, please resend your message. If you email me over a
weekend, I may not respond until Monday, so please be patient.

Course Topical Outline

WeekDates
Week 1Tuesday, May 31st to
Monday, June 6th

Topic

Preliminaries to Communication
Culture and Communication
The Self and Perception

Week 2Tuesday, June 7th to

Monday, June 13th

Listening in Human Communication

Verbal Messages
Nonverbal Messages

Week 3Tuesday, June 14th to

Monday, June 20th

Interpersonal Communication:
Conversation
Interpersonal Relationship Stages
and Theories
Friends, Lovers, and Families
Small Group Communication
Members and Leaders
Human Communication in the
Workplace: Organizational
Communication
Interpersonal and Small Group
Conflict
Comprehensive Final Exam

Reading/Activity

Chapter 1-3
Forum Discussion
Assignment
Quiz
Chapter 4-6
Forum Discussion
Assignment
Quiz
Chapter 7-9
Forum Discussion
Assignment
Quiz

Chapter 10-13
Forum Discussion
Assignment
Quiz

Chapters 1-13

Week 4Tuesday, June 21st to

Monday, June 27th

Final ExamMonday, June 27th

Changes in Course Requirements

Not all classes progress at the same rate thus course requirements might have to
be modified as circumstances dictate. You will be given written notice if the
course requirements need to be changed.