Catalog Description

Advisory: Eligibility for ENGL 1A
Hours: 54 lecture
Description: Introduction to concepts and skills needed for effective communication in a variety of contexts. Includes practical experiences and skill building in small group, interpersonal, intercultural and public speaking contexts. (CSU, UC-with unit limitation)

Course Student Learning Outcomes

  • CSLO #1: Identify and apply effective communication strategies for working within diverse small groups (e.g., listening, conflict management, group roles, etc.).
  • CSLO #2: Apply interpersonal communication theories to a personal relationship in your own life.
  • CSLO #3: Examine cultural identities and the role they play in various communication contexts.
  • CSLO #4: Prepare and deliver an audience-centered presentation.

Effective Term

Fall 2024

Course Type

Credit - Degree-applicable

Contact Hours

54

Outside of Class Hours

108

Total Student Learning Hours

162

Course Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:
1. Identify similarities and differences between various disciplinary areas within communication studies. (Depending on faculty specialties, explorations could include the nuances of Interpersonal, Intercultural, Small Group, Performance Studies, Rhetoric, Mass Communication, and Critical Communication Pedagogy).
2. Demonstrate an introductory understanding and application of humanistic and/or social scientific methods.
3. Participate in small group activities to demonstrate an introductory understanding of collaborative communication, problem solving, role orientation and conflict management strategies to explore human communication inquiries and phenomena.
4. Research, organize, and deliver effective reviews and critiques of the communication discipline.

General Education Information

  • Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability
    • AA/AS - Behavioral Sciences
    • AA/AS - Comm & Analyt Thinking
    • AA/AS - Oral Comm Skills
  • CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval)
    • CSUGE - A1 Oral Communication
  • Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval)
    • IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval)
      • IGETC - 1C Oral Communication

    Articulation Information

    • CSU Transferable
    • UC Transferable

    Methods of Evaluation

    • Classroom Discussions
      • Example: Classroom discussions: Evaluated in a variety of disciplinary specific ways. For example, in a small group, select a controversial topic of current interest that you will argue about in a panel discussion in front of the class. Thoroughly research diverse positions on this topic. Select members of the group to represent the various positions. Select a moderator who will carefully prepare the introduction, the primary questions, and the conclusion, with the help of the other panel members. Present the panel discussion to the class in a lively and thought-provoking manner, role-playing when appropriate.
    • Essay Examinations
      • Example: Essay exams: Traditional essay, where students respond to a question(s) about topics like small group ethics, cultural diversity, and development models requiring both analysis, synthesis, reflection, and reflexivity of information.
    • Objective Examinations
      • Example: Objective exams: Short answer exam which may include fill-in-the blank, a one-paragraph response, term definitions, multiple choice, or true/false responses based on course objectives and work covered over a manageable period of time. Example: Define Leadership in your own words.
    • Problem Solving Examinations
      • Example: Problem Solving Exams: Provided with facts, case-scenarios, or a contextualized situation where communication studies disciplinary differences might be challenged, students use best-practices of a process to reach supportable conclusions and/or make recommendations based on disciplinary research. Responses fully describe and utilize information from course work and situations provided to students. In simple terms, students show how they understand the differences of the discipline.
    • Skill Demonstrations
      • Example: Skill Demonstrations: Physical demonstration by students engaging in small group process disciplinary corrections by peers and instructor as needed. Example: As a group, demonstrate an organized business meeting.

    Repeatable

    No

    Methods of Instruction

    • Lecture/Discussion
    • Distance Learning

    Lecture:

    1. Instructor-centered classroom discussion where the professor is, primarily, the active voice. For example, guiding students through an application of Human Communication Experience, student's participation during a lecture session is facilitated by the instructor or another student.
    2. Directed work in a prescribed, hands-on course of study in a social-laboratory environment. or various classroom activities such as learning scenarios. For example, after guiding students through an application of Human Communication Experience methods for groups, student’s participation in an activity during a course session facilitated by the instructor or another student.

    Distance Learning

    1. Instructor will create a discussion board prompt on the current state of racial, social or political conditions Specific news examples are presented for students to choose from. Students are to choose one subject presented and (a)state how the condition personally affects them and (b) state one thing they can do or have done to improve the communication climate surrounding the situation. Students will reply to two other student posts and respectfully agree or disagree using critical thinking skills covered in course content. (Course Objective 3)
    2. Instructor will give instructions on how to create and upload a 3-minute self-introduction video for Discussion Board, incorporating basic presentational criterion including an introduction, body and conclusion.(Course objective 1,2,3)

    Typical Out of Class Assignments

    Reading Assignments

    Read the chapter in the textbook on improving interpersonal relationships and write out the answers to the review questions at the end of the chapter, paying special attention to how the concepts can be applied to your everyday use of interpersonal communication techniques to improve your relationships. 2. Thoroughly research the topic of your speech, reading the relevant material you find in reference books, periodicals, government publications, data bases, Internet sites, etc. Select the material that supports your central idea and main points in your speech, and paraphrase it and/or quote it accurately.

    Writing, Problem Solving or Performance

    1. Participate in a field experiment where you purposely violate U.S. norms for nonverbal behavior (e.g., sit right next to a stranger in a relatively empty movie theatre, stand facing the back of an elevator full of people, stand within one foot of an acquaintance during a casual conversation); carefully observe the reactions of the other people. Then write a paper in MLA style that specifically names the behavioral norm you violated, cites the relevant theories on the subject, carefully documents exactly what happened during your experiment, and analyzes the reaction of the other people involved. 2. In MLA style, write a complete preparation outline for an informative speech about a specific aspect of another culture, including a specific purpose statement, a central idea, a five-step introduction, a body with clearly stated main points and well-developed supporting material, an effective conclusion, and a works cited page.

    Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.)

    In a small group, select a controversial topic of current interest that you will argue about in a panel discussion in front of the class. Thoroughly research diverse positions on this topic. Select members of the group to represent the various positions. Select a moderator who will carefully prepare the introduction, the primary questions, and the conclusion, with the help of the other panel members. Present the panel discussion to the class in a lively and thought-provoking manner, role-playing when appropriate.

    Required Materials

    • Essential Communication
      • Author: Adler, Ronald B., George Rodman, & Athena du Pré
      • Publisher: Oxford University Press
      • Publication Date: 2021
      • Text Edition: 3rd
      • Classic Textbook?: No
      • OER Link:
      • OER:
    • Introduction to Communication
      • Author: Scott T. Paynton & Laura K. Hahn with Humboldt State University Students
      • Publisher: LibreText Libraries
      • Publication Date: 2021
      • Text Edition: 1st
      • Classic Textbook?: No
      • OER Link:
      • OER: Open Education Resource (OER) LibreTexts Project: https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Communication/Introduction_to_Communication/Introduction_to_Communication_(Paynton_and_Hahn)
    • Communication in Our Lives
      • Author: Wood, Julia T.
      • Publisher: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning
      • Publication Date: 2017
      • Text Edition: 8th
      • Classic Textbook?: No
      • OER Link:
      • OER:
    • Introduction to Communication
      • Author: Keith Green, Ruth Fairchild, Bev Knudsen, & Darcy Lease-Gubrud
      • Publisher: LibreText
      • Publication Date: 2021
      • Text Edition: 1st
      • Classic Textbook?: No
      • OER Link:
      • OER: Open Education Resource (OER) LibreTexts Project: https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Communication/Introduction_to_Communication/Introduction_to_Communication_(Green_et_al.)
    • Communication In the Real Worls
      • Author: Author removed at request of publisher
      • Publisher: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing
      • Publication Date: 2016
      • Text Edition: 2nd
      • Classic Textbook?: No
      • OER Link:
      • OER: Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike: https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/

    Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.