George Mason University
Foundations of Interpersonal Communication

Course Description: This course examines the role of interpersonal communication in human relationships. The focus of the course is a relational view of communication--one that explores how relationships are created, negotiated, maintained, and terminated. Class sessions will include lectures and guided discussions. Course Objectives:
• To distinguish interpersonal communication theory building from other communication contexts;
• To understand how interpersonal theories and constructs are developed;
• To explore the nature and role of perception of self and other in interpersonal interactions;
• To examine how interpersonal relationships are affected by cultural context and a relational culture;
• To understand how communication is used to develop, negotiate, maintain, and terminate relationships;
• To examine specific communication competencies and strategies to enhance interpersonal communication effectiveness in relationships.

Course Requirements:
Successful completion (C or better) of COMM 250 is a prerequisite for this course. If you’ve not completed this course, you are expected to perform as though you have.
IC theory presentation (0-10 points)
Group annotated bibliography (0-5 points)
Weekly quizzes (top 10 quizzes for 0-40 points)
Course paper/presentation on social intelligence (0-5 draft; 0-15 final = 0-20 points)
Final exam (0-25 points)

If you miss more than 25% of class sessions, you will not be able to pass the course, regardless of your other scores.

Grading Scale
98 - 100 = A + 94 - 97 = A 90 - 93 = A- 88 - 89 = B+ 84 - 87 = B
80 - 83 = B- 78 - 79 = C+ 70 - 77 = C 60 - 69 = D below 60 = F

Texts: We will be using both of these texts. Please bring these to class sessions as a reference tool for our discussions.

Wood, J. T. (1999) Relational communication: continuity and change in personal relationships. 2/e Belmont, CA.: Wadsworth Publishing Company. ISBN 0-534-56160-8

Friedley, S. A. (2005). Foundations of interpersonal communication: A reader. Reno, NV: Bent Tree Press. ISBN 1-933005-33-5

Class Participation is important for success in the course. Students have a responsibility to prepare, attend, and contribute to class sessions. The very nature of the communication discipline demands that learning occur through discussion, illustration, and experience.

If you miss more than 25% of class sessions, you will not be able to pass the course, regardless of your other scores.

Weekly Quizzes (0-40 points): Each week you will have a quiz on the concepts covered in the course during the previous week and/or on readings that have been assigned for the current week. These quizzes are designed to reward you for attending, preparing, and reviewing information about the foundations of interpersonal communication. Quizzes are based upon assigned readings, class discussions, and other assignments. Maintain copies of the quizzes to study for your final examination.

At the end of the semester, only your top ten quiz grades will be calculated. Unfortunately, you may not make up a quiz, for any reason including lateness, sickness, or emergencies. Please do not request a make-up quiz.

Group Annotated Bibliography (0-5 points): Submit an annotated bibliography using APA style with at least 10 sources about the communication theory that your group has investigated. We’ll be working with our reference librarian for communication, Jen Stevens, Fenwick Library, 703.993.2211, jsteven7@gmu.edu, to find resources. A minimum of five of your citations must be from scholarly journals. http://library.gmu.edu/resources/socsci/perabs.htm#commrelated

Summarize the article/website/book/lecture (one or two sentences) and evaluate the worth of this for your colleagues (one or two sentences). For guidelines for writing annotated bibliographies, consider the following resources:
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_annotatedbib.html
• http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/AnnBib_content.html
• http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/annotatebib.html#top

Group Presentation (0-10 points): As a group, select a communication theory and share this with the class. Plan, practice and present a 10-15 minute talk about the practical applications of this communication theory to our study of close, personal relationships. Work with our reference librarian, Jen Stevens, to find resources to share with our class. You are welcome to use Power Point or other audio-visual support in your presentation. Please prepare a handout for your classmates as well.

Your presentation will be evaluated based upon the following: 0-4 points – Comprehensive and accurate description of the communication theory and handout; 0-3 points – Clarity of presentation (introduction, discussion and conclusion); and 0-3 points – Teamwork and evidence of cohesiveness.

Course Paper Assignment (0-20 points): There are four options for your paper. Each is designed to help you apply the theoretical material covered in the course to the topic of emotional and social intelligence. Please email a draft outline of your paper by 4/21. This draft is worth 0-5 points. Send your email to npeck@gmu.edu. Please put COMM 301 in the subject line of your message.

A hard copy of your final paper is due no later than 5/5. No late papers will be accepted. Please be sure to add a cover page to the final paper as per APA style.
Prepare an 8-10, double-spaced, typewritten pages of original prose and, when citing sources, use either the current APA style guide.
The following criteria will be used to evaluate your assignment:
Content (0-10 points): 1) Does the paper directly address the issues raised in the essay? 2) Is the paper comprehensive and complete? 3) Does the paper demonstrate understanding of the particular concepts or issues developed in the essay?

Clarity (0-5 points): 4) Is the paper clearly, correctly, and coherently written using APA style? 5) Do you have a clear introduction, discussion, and conclusion, and 6) Are specific examples used to illustrate theoretic concepts and key terms developed in the essay?

Note: Per the University Honor Code, original work is expected; any outside sources used in the papers must be properly credited using the APA style guide.

Course Paper Option #1 - Self and Others. Select at least three articles and/or books we’ve explored on emotional or social intelligence and examine how the insights you gain from this course and your reading can be applied to understanding yourself as an interpersonal communicator.

Part One: Explain the communication concepts developed in the readings and discussions;
Part Two: Describe and assess how the insights from these readings apply to you as an interpersonal communicator; and
Part Three: Analyze your close personal and voluntary relationship with another and consider how the key insights about intelligence can be applied to the way that you relate interpersonally. Use concrete examples from one or more of your personal relationships to describe how you relate and to evaluate the effectiveness of your relationship. Make sure you are focusing on the relationship and its dynamics instead of on individual communication behaviors, only.

Course Paper Option #2 – Critical Analysis of a Journal Article on Emotional or Social Intelligence.
Part One: Explain the concepts developed in the article, including a brief explanation of each of the key theories and approaches;
Part Two: Review related literature with at least two other sources from professional literature in the field that explore concepts and key terms used in the article you’ve selected, and offer a summary of each source; and
Part Three: Discuss and evaluate how the related literature you’ve selected affects your understanding of the original article and the concepts it examines.

Course Paper Option #3 – Analysis of a Popular Relationship Self-Help Book or Video related to emotional or social intelligence. Examine how the insights you gained from this course relate to those of a popular self-help book or video that is intended for readers who want to improve their personal relationships using social or emotional intelligence. [Authors might include John Gottman, Daniel Gilbert or Daniel Goleman.]
Part One: Explain the concepts in the essay, including a brief explanation of each of the key terms of the essay;
Part Two: Give a brief overview of the book/video. Describe the credentials of the author and the methodology for researching the topic and the prescriptions; and
Part Three: Describe and assess how the terms of the book or video apply to our class understanding of emotional or social intelligence. Would you recommend this book or video? Why or why not?

Course Paper Video Option #4 – Interview with an Interpersonal Scholar. Interview a scholar/professor on the topic of emotional and/or social intelligence. Be sure to explore her/his research prior to the interview! Rather than writing a paper, create and submit an 8-10 minutes digital presentation.

Part One: Introduce the purpose the video, the expert, and the communication theory that the scholar will discuss. Outline the questions that you will/have asked the expert;
Part Two: Demonstrate that you have fully researched the theory and from your questions and/or the organization of your interview that you understand how this understanding of social intelligence affects close and personal relationships; and
Part Three: Discuss how the viewer can learn more about intelligence and how it relates to interpersonal communication in close relationships.

Final Examination (0-25 points): Using the weekly quizzes, class discussions, readings, and class presentations, this multiple-choice, 50-question scantron test will be held during the final examination session. It is cumulative. Each answer is worth 0-1/2 point. Bring a 50-answer scantron form to the examination session.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
The mission of George Mason University's General Education Program is to educate, liberate, and broaden the mind, and to instill lifelong love of learning. In conjunction with each student’s major program of study and other electives, minors, or certificates, this program seeks to produce graduates with intellectual vision, creative abilities, and moral sensibility, as well as the skills to assure a well-rounded and useable education. The General Education Program seeks four specific goals:

1. General education courses should first ensure that all undergraduates develop skills in information gathering, written and oral communication, and analytical and quantitative reasoning.
2. General education courses should expose students to the development of knowledge by emphasizing major domains of thought and methods of inquiry.
3. General education courses should enable students to attain a breadth of knowledge that supports their specializations and contributes to their education in both personal and professional ways.
4. General education courses should encourage students to make important connections across boundaries (for example: among disciplines; between the university and the external world; between the United States and other countries).

Accommodations: To provide an equitable learning environment for each student, the instructor will adjust to those students who may have special needs. If you have special needs in the classroom, please bring a letter from Disability Support Services confirming and describing your special need within two weeks of the start of the semester (or of your diagnosis). You may have Disability Support Services write the instructor directly, and in either instance, the instructor will hold the information in confidence.

Class Climate: This class will adhere to all published university policies regarding sexual harassment and equal opportunity, and this class will follow all appropriate university regulations.

Emergencies: Mason Alert is a new information system designed to give all users timely access to emergency announcements, notifications and updates. To register for this, go to http://alert.gmu.edu/.

University policy dictates that all students need to turn off cell phones and pagers before class. We will have a discussion of disaster procedures during the first week of class. See the emergency poster on the classroom wall for more information.

Get involved with a professional communication association! Lambda Pi Eta. A national undergraduate communication honor society that recognizes and rewards outstanding scholastic achievement while promoting and encouraging professional development among communication majors and stimulating interest in the field of communication. Professor Susan Tomasovic is our faculty advisor.

Virginia Association of Communication Arts and Sciences
Eastern Communication Association
Southern States Communication Association
National Communication Association
International Communication Association
International Association for Relationship Research
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

COMM 301.005 meets Tuesdays 7:20-10 p.m., Innovation Hall, Room 209

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