COMM 2020: Interpersonal Communication

COMM 40133 COMMUNICATION AND CHARACTER

Department of Communication Studies Spring 2017

GOAL OF THE COURSE

In this course you will practice the use of excellent communication skills to manifest your highest and best character for the benefit of yourself, other people, and society as a whole. You will enhance your communication competence as you …

 Recognize the evidence of good character and reinforce it  Recognize the lack of good character and correct it  Recognize the potential for good character and cultivate it

REQUIRED READING

The textbook for this course will be distributed to you electronically free of charge. You will also read broadly from online resources including essays, research articles, media reports, and literary excerpts. Download all course information from http://character.tcu.edu, and check your TCU e- mail regularly for updates and reminders.

PROFESSOR – DR. PAUL WITT

817-257-6683 [email protected] Moudy South room 328 Office hours 11-12 daily

IMPORTANT POLICIES

Keep an Open Mind – When you enroll in this course, you agree to participate in discussion about sensitive issues related to morality, culture, religion, and personal values. If you hear a classmate express a view with which you differ, practice restraint and use your best communication skills to balance others’ views with your own. Let’s make our class an open, respectful, and safe place to share differing perspectives.

Late Papers – Papers are to be word-processed in standard academic format and e-mailed to me before the beginning of class on the due date. Late papers will receive half credit if received one class day late. They will not be accepted after that.

Attendance – To get the most out of a participative course like this, you should be in class and participating every time we meet. Except for one free miss, you must provide written documentation of any absence due to a medical or personal emergency. Otherwise, your final course grade will be reduced as follows: miss 2 classes (total), lose 3 points; miss 3 classes, lose 6 points; miss 4 classes, lose 10 points. Given the participative nature of the class, no credit will be given for the course if you miss more than 6 classes, regardless of the reason.

Electronic Devices – One way I can help you succeed in this important class is to prohibit the use of electronic devices in the classroom. This may seem inconvenient at first, but I am asking you to trust me on this. Research has shown that texting and social networking interfere with your focus on learning and distract your classmates. Therefore, please do not use computers, pads, or phones during class. EVALUATION AND GRADING

Your final course grade will consist of an average of six graded assignments:

Examinations – Four essay exams will cover foundational content from the class, outside readings, and guest presentations. In lieu of a final exam, a final class activity will be required on exam day. Failure to participate fully in the final class activity will reduce your course grade as much as one letter grade.

Paper/Presentation – “In Search of Good Character” will be based on a face-to-face interview with a selected individual whom you admire. The subject of your interview will be the importance of good character and the ways to develop it. To summarize what you learn, you will write a 4- page paper and deliver a 4-minute class presentation. Further guidelines and instructions are found on the course website at http://character.tcu.edu.

Term Paper – “The Best Me I Can Be” will describe your best character traits and those you wish to develop in the future. This paper will synthesize course content and be evaluated by several of your classmates in a final class activity at the end of the semester. To prepare you to write this important paper, you will first complete “The Me I Want to Leave Behind,” an unsigned essay consisting of a private reflection on the times when your character is at its worst. This preliminary essay will not be graded, but failure to turn it in will result in half credit for the final paper.

Journal Entries – Former students report that they benefited greatly from writing journal entries to apply course content to their personal lives. You will submit several of these ungraded assignments. Dr. Witt will read them carefully and evaluate your work based on the depth of your thinking and the quality of your writing. If you submit a late or incomplete journal entry (one that shows only surface-level thinking), your final course grade may be reduced by one point for each occurrence.

Due Date Assignment Grade

Thur. Feb. 2 Exam One _____

Tue. Feb. 21 Exam Two _____

Thur. Mar. 9 Exam Three _____

Thur. Mar. 23 Paper/Presentation _____

Thur. Apr. 13 Unsigned Paper

Tues. Apr. 18 Exam Four _____

Thur. Apr. 27 Term Paper _____

Adjustment for late/incomplete Journal Entries - _____

Adjustment for Absences - _____

Course Grade ____

Course Grade A = 99–90 B = 89–80 C = 79–70 D = 69–60 F = Below 60 CLASS SCHEDULE Changes will be announced in class.

Tue. Jan. 17 Character and Communication; Assign Ch. 1, Mortenson, Kinnier Thu. Jan. 19 Character formation; Character assessment; Assign Lutz and self Tue. Jan. 24 Attribution theory; Discuss Lutz; Assign Arnett Thu. Jan. 26 Emerging Adulthood; Introduce interview Tue. Jan. 31 Character in a postmodern society Thu. Feb. 2 EXAM ONE Tue. Feb. 7 Ch. 2 Honesty Thu. Feb. 9 Ch. 3 Compassion Tue. Feb. 14 Ch. 4 Courage Thu. Feb. 16 Guest – Cyndee Hopkins Tue. Feb. 21 EXAM TWO Thu. Feb. 23 Ch. 5 Patience; Assign interview; Writing Tips Tue. Feb. 28 Ch. 6 Humility Thu. Mar. 2 Ch. 7 Persistence Tue. Mar. 7 Guest – Travis Rall Thu. Mar. 9 EXAM THREE ---- Spring Break ---- Tue. Mar. 21 The Last Lecture of Dr. Randy Pausch Thu. Mar. 23 BEGIN PRESENTATIONS; Turn in In Search of Character Tue. Mar. 28 FINISH PRESENTATIONS Thu. Mar. 30 Video: The Power of Forgiveness; Assign Ch. 11 and Paper 1 Tue. Apr. 4 Ch. 8 Forgiveness Thu. Apr. 6 Ch. 9 Connectedness Tue. Apr. 11 Ch. 10 Whole health Thu. Apr. 13 Turn in The Me I Want to Leave Behind; Guest – Luke Jensen Tue. Apr. 18 EXAM FOUR Thu. Apr. 20 Writing Tips (Honors Convocation 11) Tue. Apr. 25 How will history remember you? “The Emperor’s Club” Thu. Apr. 27 Finish the movie; Turn in multiple copies of The Best Me I Can Be Tue. May 2 Receive instructions for the final class Thu. May 11 FINAL CLASS: Review several papers, meet with team members to 9:30-10:30 a.m. discuss them, and select a Top Paper to receive bonus points. (not 8:00) This portion is the official TCU syllabus for all sections of COMM 40133 – Communication and Character

TCU Mission To educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global community

Course Description/Catalog Description The development and use of communication skills to manifest positive character traits for the benefit of self, others, and society at large.

Degree Requirements Meet by the Course This course currently applies to the major and minor in Communication Studies (COMM).

Credit Hours You will earn three undergraduate credit hours for successfully completing this course.

Prerequisites Students are required to complete COMM 30163 with a C or better before enrolling in Communication and Character.

Learning Outcomes  Students will demonstrate an ability and willingness to learn in response to the challenges posed by a diverse and evolving society.  Students will demonstrate an ability to influence others through effective written, spoken, and artistic expression.

Required Text and Additional Resources Witt, P. L. (2016). Character on Campus. This book will be distributed to you electronically free of charge.

You will also read broadly from online resources including essays, research articles, media reports, and literary excerpts. Detailed information will be posted on the course website at http://personal.tcu.edu/pwitt.

Course Policies/Grading Each instructor will provide a description of all assignments that will be evaluated and how their students’ work will be translated into a final course grade. In addition to this explanation, the grading scale will be included. Currently, every faculty member has the option of using the plus/minus grading method or traditional letter grades.

University Attendance Policy The University Attendance Policy is that regular and punctual class attendance is essential and no assigned work is excused because of absence, no matter what the cause. The course instructor will keep records of class attendance. When an accumulation of absences reaches the point of endangering a student's academic status, the faculty member should report his situation to the Campus Life Office. An instructor should not assume that continued absence from class indicates an official withdrawal until notified by the Registrar.

The Campus Life Office may grant official University absences for students who miss class to represent the University (as in athletics, band, chorus, national or state meeting of organizations represented at TCU). Faculty/staff who wish to have an activity sanctioned for official University absence status must submit the names of all students, including date and hours absent from campus, to the Campus Life Office no later than one week prior to the date of the activity. The Dean of Campus Life reviews and approves the request as appropriate and forwards the names for publication and distribution to all faculty members through the TCU Weekly Bulletin. Faculty members are required to permit students to make up work missed because of official university absences.

Serious illness or family emergencies may be verified by the Campus Life Office but are not considered official absences. Illnesses that will be verified are those involving hospitalization, or catastrophic accidents or illness. When a serious illness or emergency has been verified, each instructor should assist the student to make up any missed work. Time lost through such absences should NOT prejudice class standing. Faculty members should specify the appropriate time frame for making up missed work.

Students who miss an instructional experience are expected to meet with faculty to discuss their absence as soon as possible. Faculty may permit a student to make up missed work or assess a penalty for class absence. Academic Misconduct Academic Misconduct (Sec. 3.4 from the Student Handbook) –Any act that violates the academic integrity of the institution is considered academic misconduct. The procedures used to resolve suspected acts of academic misconduct are available in the offices of Academic Deans and the Office of Campus Life and are listed in detail in the Undergraduate Catalog (Student Policies>Academic Conduct Policy Details; http://catalog.tcu.edu/undergraduate/). Specific examples include, but are not limited to:  Cheating: Copying from another student’s test paper, laboratory report, other report, or computer files and listings; using, during any academic exercise, material and/or devices not authorized by the person in charge of the test; collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test or laboratory without permission; knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in its entirety or in part, the contents of a test or other assignment unauthorized for release; substituting for another student or permitting another student to substitute for oneself.  Plagiarism: The appropriation, theft, purchase or obtaining by any means another’s work, and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of that work as one’s own offered for credit. Appropriation includes the quoting or paraphrasing of another’s work without giving credit therefore. (If you are using Turnitin www.turnitin.com place information about your course id and password so students can create and/or join your Turnitin account. If you only want to use Turnitin as a spot check please indicate in your syllabus that you may use Turnitin for plagiarism detection.)  Collusion: The unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work offered for credit.

Disabilities Statement:

Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator of Student Disabilities Services in the Center for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall, 1010. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at (817) 257-6567.

Netiquette: Communication Courtesy Code

All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats. If I deem any of them to be inappropriate or offensive, I will forward the message to the Chair of the department and the online administrators and appropriate action will be taken, not excluding expulsion from the course. The same rules apply online as they do in person. Be respectful of other students. Foul discourse will not be tolerated. Please take a moment and read the following link concerning "netiquette". http://www.albion.com/netiquette/

Participating in the virtual realm, including social media sites and shared-access sites sometimes used for educational collaborations, should be done with honor and integrity: http://macaulay.cuny.edu/community/honorable-technology/guidelines/

Getting Help with Pearson LearningStudio (eCollege) If you are enrolled in a Web-enhanced section of this course and have not yet taken the Student Tutorial, please do so immediately. The Student tutorial is listed on your personal student homepage. To access it, click on "Exit Course" at the bottom of this page. Then click on the "Student Tutorial" on your home page and follow the instructions.

If you experience any technical problems during when using an online course, please do not hesitate to contact the HELP DESK (at Pearson LearningStudio (eCollege) ). They can be reached by phone or by email 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. email: [email protected] phone: 1-800-826-1665

For questions about logging into Pearson LearningStudio (eCollege) visit the online video: http://www.elearning.tcu.edu/resources/howtologinvideo/howtologinvideo.asp

TCU Campus Resources for Students Many resources exist on the TCU campus that may be helpful to students: Mary Couts Burnet Library (257-7117); Center for Academic Services (257-7486, Sadler Hall. 11); the William L. Adams Writing Center (257-7221, Rickel Bldg. 244); Student Development Services (257-7855, BLUU 2003); and Office of Religious & Spiritual Life (257-7830, Jarvis Hall).

Only the official TCU student email address will be used for all course notification. It is your responsibility to check your TCU email on a regular basis.

Department Research Requirement All COMM undergraduate students are required to participate in research projects conducted or sponsored by the Department of Communication Studies. Examples of typical research activities include completing opinion surveys, observing the communicative behavior of others, or assessing one’s own speaking performance or other experiences during the course. Identities of all students participating in departmental research will be kept strictly confidential. All research conducted with the assistance of COMM students will conform to the University’s policy for research involving humans. Alternative activities, such as tests over readings on communication research, are available for students who are unable or do not wish to participate in the Department’s research program.