Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Persuasion (Face-to-Face)

COMM 3110-01

Course: COMM 3110-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: COMM
CRN: 11439

Course Description

The course teaches students how to use and evaluate persuasive strategies for attitude and behavior change. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)]

Required Texts

Gass, R. H., & Seiter, J. S. (2011).  Persuasion, social influence, & compliance gaining (5th Ed.).  Boston: Allyn & Bacon.  ISBN #978-0-205-69818-9

Other readings as assigned – these are posted in canvas. 

Learning Outcomes

Gass, R. H., & Seiter, J. S. (2011).  Persuasion, social influence, & compliance gaining (5th Ed.).  Boston: Allyn & Bacon.  ISBN #978-0-205-69818-9

Other readings as assigned – these are posted in canvas. 


Course Requirements

1. Students will be exposed to valuable definitions and relevant theories of persuasion (in a variety of personal and public contexts) and will work to develop and express this knowledge in writing and speaking via specific class learning opportunities.  They will use this information to understand the persuasion process as well as how to apply this knowledge to messages they both create and consume.

Assessment:  Accomplished through class discussion, course exams, and the Team Project assignments with class client.

Ties to SUU Essential Learning Outcomes: Communication; Problem Solving

2.  Students will have opportunities to further develop their knowledge and skills related to contemporary persuasive message design and strategies by actively studying relevant research, synthesizing that knowledge and analyzing practical communication situations.    

Assessment:  Accomplished through various course readings, a persuasive strategy portfolio and through analyzing social movement persuasive strategies. 

Ties to SUU Essential Learning Outcomes: Communication; Critical Thinking; Digital Literacy, Teamwork   

3.  Students will have opportunities to develop a greater awareness of the ethical choices involved in all persuasive situations reflecting on and reasoning through “means-end” thought processes.

Assessment:  Accomplished through focused class discussion, in class exercises and completion of course assignments.

Ties to SUU Essential Learning Outcomes: Communication; Critical Thinking

Course Outline

Course Schedule
 
 WEEK #1 
Jan 7 Course Introduction; Frame course = “Message” discussion; Unit Assignments (discuss Unit 1 in detail – new persuasion landscape) 
Jan 9 Ch. 2 (What Constitutes Persuasion?); Fogg’s Model
https://www.behaviormodel.org/ 
 WEEK #2  
Jan 12 Ch. 2 (cont)
Jan 14 Ch. 3 (Attitudes & Consistency)
Jan 16 Ch. 3 (cont)
 WEEK #3  
Jan 19 MLK Recess – No Class
Jan 21 Ch. 4 (Credibility)
Jan 23 (cont)
 WEEK #4  
Jan 26 Harold’s Argument; Introduce Ritzer’s Efficiency & Predictability
Jan 28 (cont)
Jan 30 Exam #1 Review
 WEEK #5 
Feb 2 Exam #1 – be prepared with a pencil, pen, scantron & blue book (End of Unit #1)
Feb 4
 Unit #2 Assignment Discussion; decide on a topic & start working on it; finish final editing for Unit #1 Assignment & submit.
Feb 6 Coding Workshop: Johnson & Holmes Article; Q&A; AI
 WEEK #6  
Feb 9 Workshop Day 1: Form Teams, Create Peer Eval Criteria
Feb 11
 Client Meeting with Joe Petty, CEO of The Idea Tank: Company & Product Intros (Do NOT miss class on this day).
Feb 13 Workshop Day 2: Decide on a product; Find one research article for each deliverable
 WEEK #7  
Feb 16 Pres. Day Recess – No Class
Feb 18 Ch. 13 (Motivational Appeals) + Parody as Persuasive Strategy
Feb 20 Ch. 13 (cont)
 WEEK #8 
Feb 23 Ch. 14 (Visual Persuasion) & Color from Ch. 15
Feb 25 (cont)
Feb 27 (cont)
 WEEK #9 
Mar 2 Exam #2 Review
Mar 4 Exam #2 – be prepared with a pencil, pen, scantron & blue book (End of Unit #2)
Mar 6 Unit #3 Assignment Discussion; find a social movement & decide which option is best; finish final editing for Unit #2 Assignment & submit.
 WEEK #10 
Mar 9 Spring Break
Mar 11 Spring Break
Mar 13 Spring Break
 WEEK #11 
Mar 16 Discuss Social Movement Strategy Analysis; Rhetoric of Agitation & Control
Mar 18 (cont)  
Mar 20 (cont)  
 WEEK #12  
Mar 23 (cont)  
Mar 25 Ch. 7 (Language & Persuasion)
Mar 27 Ch. 7 (cont)
 WEEK #13 
Mar 30 Ch. 5 (Communicator Characteristics & Persuadability)
Apr 1 Ch. 5 scales assignment.
Apr 3 Workshop Day 3: see canvas description
 WEEK #14 
Apr 6 Workshop Day 4: see canvas description
Apr 8 Project Pitches to Client
Apr 10 Project Pitches to Client
 WEEK #15 
Apr 13 Ch. 9 (Structuring & Ordering Persuasive Messages)
Apr 15 Ch. 9 (cont)
Apr 17 Exam #3 Review
Apr 20 Exam #3 (Final) 11am-1pm; be prepared with a pencil, pen, scantron & blue book

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

LATE WORK:You should plan to turn in your work by 11:59 pm on the day it is due.  Late work will receive a non-negotiable 10% grade reduction for each day it is late unless your situation falls under the excused category discussed above.  Late assignments must be turned in no later than one week after they are due, or you will receive a zero.  I will not award incompletes in this course except for a serious medical crisis or other extenuating circumstances that will be judged on a case-by-case basis.  To be eligible for an incomplete contract you must be passing the course with a C- and completed at least 75% of the assignments.

Attendance Policy

ATTENDANCE:Regular attendance and participation are strongly encouraged in this course.  Attendance will be taken daily and you will see a point value explanation in canvas for earning points for coming to class.  Legitimate absences will be accounted for when calculating this part of your grade.  Such absences include documented illness, family emergencies or school approved function.  If your absence will affect when assignments or quizzes are due, you need to contact me so we can discuss an alternative arrangement.  To keep campus running smoothly for all of us, please vigilantly monitor your health.  That means you should avoid coming to class if you wake up feeling sick, but you should notify me (in advance if possible) by email.  Your personal health will be the guiding logic behind this policy for our class.  I will deal with these unique situations on a case-by-case basis, and I reserve the right to make the final judgment about what constitutes an excused absence and opportunities to make up work.  I will not be recording class sessions unless required separately by the Student Accommodation office for individual cases under the law, nor will the class be broadcast over zoom.  Refer to posted slides, notes from friends in class and office hours with me to help you understand any content you might have missed or misunderstood.    

Course Fees

$12 course fee

Department AI Guideline

AI cannot substitute for foundational learning. Students must acquire disciplinary knowledge and critical thinking skills in order to evaluate AI outputs appropriately. In cases where assignment instructions allow for AI use, students must certify that they have reviewed, verified, and edited all AI outputs, which may include AI prompts used. Students should treat AI as a partner in thought and creation, not as a shortcut or a substitute for human expertise, ethics, and judgment. Students should not input sensitive, personal, confidential, copyrighted or proprietary information into public AI tools (such as ChatGPT) as it is illegal and violates expectations of privacy and academic/creative work.

AI is allowed for certain assignments (see assignment instructions for details). Presenting AI-generated work as entirely one's own in a course that does not permit such use, or using AI in ways explicitly prohibited in assignment instructions, constitutes a violation of SUU Policy 6.33: Academic Misconduct and opens the violator up to a series of potential sanctions. 

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.