1. provide an overview of what constitutes communication, including verbal and nonverbal processes;
2. introduce you to the areas of interpersonal, group, organizational, rhetorical and political communication, mass media & telecommunication, and cultural studies;
3. introduce you to basic theories relevant to the above specialty areas;
4. give you assignments designed to encourage you to understand these areas and their relevance to your lives;
5. use a common theme to illustrate the complexity and importance of communication and communication studies, and to introduce you to interdisciplinary research methods. This year the shared topic is gossip.

REQUIRED TEXTS:
Ruben, Brent D. & Stewart, Lea P.(1998). Communication and Human Behavior. Fourth Ed., Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Potter, James W. (1998). Media Literacy Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

OPTIONAL TEXT
American Psychological Association. (1994). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 4th ed. Washington DC: APA.

RESERVE READINGS
The following are on reserve in Robertson Library for use in preparing assignments:
Bergmann, J. R.1993. Discreet indiscretions: The social organization of gossip.New York: De Gruyter

Goodman, Robert F. And Aaron Ben-Ze'ev, eds. 1994. Good Gossip.Lawrence KA:University Press of Kansas.

Levin, Jack, and Arnold Arluke. 1987. Gossip: the Inside Scoop. NY:Plenum Press.

Shibutani, Tamotsu. 1966. Improvised News: a Sociological Study of Rumor. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill.

Spacks, Patricia Meyer. 1985. Gossip. NY: Knopf.

Additional Reserve Readings TBA.

STUDENT RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
Assignments:
A brief description of each assignment and point breakdowns are given below. Detailed instructions for each assignment will be linked to this page and discussed in class.

One Abstract and Critique: An abstract is a brief summary, abstracting is the process of writing such a summary. For this course, you will abstract and critique an article from a communication research journal.

Model of Communication: Based on reading, in-class discussion, and brainstorming, each of you will theorize, develop and present a model of a communication process.

Quizzes: Quizzes will be based on the assigned reading for the week. They will not be announced in advance. They will be given during the first five minutes of class. If you miss a quiz you get a zero. Eleven quizzes will be administered. Your grade will be based on the top ten.

Exams: The Mid-term and Final exams will consist of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions designed to allow you to demonstrate your understanding of reading and lecture/discussion materials. The final will be comprehensive. If you are going to miss exams due to excused absence, you must make arrangements for a make-up exam IN ADVANCE. There will be no make-ups for exams missed due to unauthorized absence.

Point Distribution

Lateness: If you show up for class late, you miss important information (and possibly a quiz). Furthermore, to be late regularly is rude to other students and the instructor. Repeated lateness will result in grade reduction.

Participation: You are expected to complete all reading assignments prior to class, and to ask useful questions and engage in discussions in an informed and thoughtful way.

Honor code
You are expected to be familiar with, and abide by, the student honor code, as laid out in the Student Handbook. In particular, pay attention to the definition of plagiarism.

Grading
I will make every effort to grade and return all assignments by no later than one week after they are turned in. The Grading Scale for each assignment and for the final grade is based on a total of 100%, as follows: