Essential Learning Outcomes:
1. Communication: Students develop and express ideas and will be able to do so in a variety of ways, namely in writing, by speaking, kinesthetically, and aurally.
a. Assessment: Accomplished by completing assignments and through instructor feedback on students’ class discussion and assignments.
2. Critical Thinking: Students demonstrate disciplined processes of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.
a. Assessment: Accomplished through conceptualizing and synthesizing information into required assignments and class discussion.
Course Goals and Objectives:
1. The student will understand the need to reflect upon interpersonal communication practices.
2. The student will gain knowledge of concepts, theories, and research findings in interpersonal communication.
3. The student will develop and practice communication skills in a supportive environment.
4. The student will learn the vocabulary of interpersonal communication theory and practice.
5. The student will understand various contexts (friendship, co-worker, family, etc.) in which interpersonal communication occurs.
Class Policies:
1. Attendance- Attendance in class is essential for a course of this topic and will be graded accordingly (see “In-class assignments” (P.5) for more information). Failure to attend class may result in a 0 for in-class assignments that day. Frankly, the reality of this class is that apart from Unit Assessments, and textbook/lecture quizzes, you shouldn’t have too much homework. When you miss class, that reality changes. So, it’s up to you.
2. Writing Expectation – Communications as a psychological science follows APA 7th Edition guidelines. There are some writing assignments, and as such students are expected to know the basic standards for APA 7 in these writing assignments. There will be a brief explanation in Unit 1 and any writing assignments are expected to meet a college level writing, using APA 7 as closely as possible.
3. Participation – I respect that you may not want to actively participate in class discussions and will hopefully have resources for those that get nervous about that social situation. Having said that, this course is a communication in human interactions class, so you will have to interact with other humans. It’s in the title of the class. So don’t be afraid to speak up, but also know there will be small group discussions, class discussions, and other type of participation that will require your attention, so come to class ready to learn.
4. Academic Dishonesty - Cheating on exams and plagiarism of papers constitutes grounds for failure of that assignment, potential failure of this course, and possible expulsion from the university. I take cheating very seriously and have zero tolerance.
5. Cell Phone Usage- Electronic devices such as laptops, phones, and tablets are powerful learning tools in the classroom. You are encouraged to use them at appropriate times. Do not misuse your devices in class. If your phone or any other electronic device becomes a distraction to yourself or others I’ll probably just ask you to leave. Be an adult
6. Late Work- Anything over 2 weeks late won’t be accepted, anything late from due date won’t get full credit. Just turn stuff in on time.
7. Extra Credit- Extra credit is just that - it's “extra”, not “instead of” credit. If you have not completed all other assignments, I will not accept any extra credit work. If you have not submitted all the assignments and want to boost your grade, complete and submit the required assignments.
8. Out of Class Contact- Please contact me through the Canvas Inbox or ammonharris@suu.edu. I am available during office hours and you can email me at any time. I work to have a 24 hour response time for all my emails. I’ll work to uphold that with you too. There are no promises over the weekend.
9. GRADING: Your grade will be determined by calculating your total score for the semester divided by the total possible points. The resulting percentage will determine your grade. I will do my best to grade assignments within two weeks of due dates. Exams and quizzes are graded immediately through Canvas so you can keep track of your progress. There should be no surprises when it comes to final grades.
| Grade | Range | Grade | Range
| A | 100% to 94.0% | C | 76.99 % to 74.0%
| A- | 93.99 % to 90.0% | C- | 73.99 % to 70.0%
| B+ | 89.99 % to 87.0% | D+ | 69.99 % to 67.0%
| B | 86.99 % to 84.0% | D | 66.99 % to 64.0%
| B- | 83.99 % to 80.0% | D- | 63.99 % to 60.0%
| C+ | 79.99 % to 77.0% | F | 59.99 % to 0.0%
10. INCOMPLETE GRADES: An incomplete is given only if a student has finished a majority of the classwork (75%) successfully and for reasons of health or other serious circumstances cannot finish the course. Failure to turn in lessons and assignments or take exams and quizzes during the course of the semester is not a valid reason to request an incomplete. University policy on incomplete grades will be followed.
11. COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT AI POLICY: Any use of artificial intelligence software (A.I.), including visual (e.g., Midjourney), textual (e.g., chatGPT), or audio (e.g.,
voice.ai) to aid on assignments will be considered an infringement of academic integrity.
Unless explicitly designated and outlined in assignment instructions, students should avoid using these aids, entirely. You are responsible for the accuracy, fairness, originality, and quality of every word you submit. All faculty have access to Copyleaks which detects plagiarism, including the use of AI software (I will be using that tool this semester for assignment submissions). Consequences for violating this policy are consistent with SUU Policy 6.33 regarding academic integrity, and may include a failing grade in the course, and expulsion from the program.