Bellevue University

Communication Arts 309

Communication: Putting Theory into Practice

 

Prerequisites:  CA 103 or CA 109

 

Credit:  Three credit hours

 

Catalog Description: Provides a wide range of communication theories with a special emphasis on direct application.  Introduces models/concepts designed to improve communication skills in a variety of contexts and communication environments.  Competencies in the areas of relationship development, listening,  socialization, cognitive processing, reducing uncertainty and dealing with conflict are addressed.

 

Mission: The mission of the Communication Arts Area is to provide our students with a thorough background in theory and practice, that is applicable to their personal life, social life, and career.  In addition, the Communication Arts Area strives to provide a strong foundation of communication skills and knowledge that can be directly applied to the work place. 

 

Purpose:  The purpose of this course is to provide a general overview of communication theories, and to provide students an opportunity to directly apply the material in an everyday environment (school, work, home).

 

Objectives:  Upon successful completion of this course the student will be able to:

1.        Examine the common elements among Human Communication theories.

2.        Utilize communication theory to improve communication skills.

3.        Identify myriad theoretical standpoints.

4.        Recognize various levels of communication in many contexts. 

5.        Use critical thinking as it pertains to the applicability of communication theories. 

6.        Directly apply communication theory/model to a real life situation and do a presentation of a case study.  

               

Assessment and General Assignments:  Assignments include text book readings, research (library, newspapers, world wide web)   one exam, one paper, and an individual presentation of one theoretical model based on direct application of the theory in a real context.  For course/program assessment purposes, a video tape of the presentations will be kept on file as well as two samples of each completed assignment. 

 

Evaluation and Grading: The final grade will be determined by the student's attendance, active discussion at the small group level, qualitative evaluations of the individual presentation (direct application of theory),  assigned papers, and the final exam.

 

Course Outline:

1.       Human Communication theories.

A.     The purpose of theory

1.       Theorizing as an everyday occurrence

2.        Functions of theorizing

3.        Evaluating the quality of theories

4.        Scientific vs. humanistic theories

 

 

 

B.      The flow of communication

1.        Communication defined.

2.        Communication process.

3.        Theoretical and philosophical foundations for ethical communication decisions. 

2.       Communication theory (involved and personalized).

A.     Interpersonal Communication Theory

1.        Personal constructs.

2.        Relationship development

3.        Interpersonal deception

                B.   Uncertainty Reduction Theory

1.       To predict and explain

2.        An axiomatic theory: certainty about uncertainty

3.        Theorems - the logical force of uncertainty axioms

                C.   Relational Dialectics

1.       The push-me-pull-you dialectics of close relationships

2.        Relational Dialectics:

                                                a.    connectedness-separateness

                                                b.    certainty-uncertainty

                                                c.    openness-closeness

                                        3.   Dealing with dialectical tensions. 

3.       Communication theories/theoretical standpoints:

                A.  Symbolic interactionism

                                1.    The construction of social reality

                                2.    The Self: reflections in a looking glass

                                3.    The socializing effect of others' expectations

                B.  Expectancy Violations Theory

                                1.    Personal space expectations

                                2.    To conform or to deviate?

3.       Effects of context, relationship, communicator.

                C.  Social Judgment Theory

                                1.    Attitudes as latitudes.

                                                a.    acceptance

                                                b.    rejection

                                                c.    noncommitment

                                2.    Ego-involvement: the certainty of those who care

4.     Various levels/contexts of communication

                A.  Group Communication

1.    Group think: a concurrence-seeking tendency

                                2.    The Challenger Launch - a model of defective decision                                                                                                        making

                                3.    A functional perspective on group decision making

                B.  Organizational Communication

                                1.    Information systems approach to organizations

                                2.    Cultural approach to organizations

                                3.    Critical theory of communication approach to organizations

               

               

 

                C.  Public Rhetoric

                                1.    The rhetoric of Aristotle

2.       Dramatism (Burke)

                                3.  Narrative Paradigm

                                                a.    Telling a compelling story

                                                b.    Narration and paradigm, a definition

              c.    Paradigm shift from rational-world paradigm to narrative paradigm

4.       Mass Communication 

a.       We shape our tools and they in turn shape us

b.       The medium is the message.

c.        Influence of the media world

1.       para-social interaction

2.       play theory

3.       the spiral of silence theory

4.       the theory of mediated place

5.     Critical thinking and the applicability of communication theories. 

                A.  Semantics

                                1.    Words as symbols

                                2.    Thinking as a sorting of experiences

                                3.    The semantic triangle: picturing the problem

                B.  Coordinated management of meaning

                                1.    Social constructionists

                                2.    Persons-in-conversations

                                3.    Did I hear it the way it was meant?

                                4.    Rules:

                                                a.    the source of rules

                                                b.    rules in action

                                                c.    uncovering everyday rules (ethnomethodology

6.          Communication theory or model presentation.

                1.    Fundamentals of speech communication

2.       Use of the speaking outline

3.       Audience analysis/feedback

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signatures:

 

 

 

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

                Originator - Dr. S. Bennett Mercurio, CA                                                                        Date

 

 

 

 

 

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                Area Chair - Dr. S. Bennett Mercurio, CA Area Chair                                                             Date

 

 

 

 

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

                Center Director  - Dr. S. Bennett Mercurio, (Academic & Career Development)                 Date

 

 

 

 

 

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                Academic Review Committee                                                                                             Date

 

 

 

 

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

                Dean, College of Arts and Sciences - Dr. Joseph Wydeven CAS                        Date

 

 

 

 

 

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                VPAA - Dr. Jon Kayne                                                                                                              Date

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resources

 

Required Texts and/or Materials:

 

E.M. Griffin A first look at Communication Theory, 3rd edition, 1997, McGraw-Hill Companies, New York

 

 

Recommended Texts, Resources, and/or Supplies: 

 

John Waite Bowers and James J. Bradac, "Contemporary patterns in human communication theory," Carroll Arnold and John Waite Bowers, (eds), Allyn & Bacon, Boston, 1984. 

 

David Berlo, "The process of communication," Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1960.

 

George Herbert Mead, "Mind, self, and society," University of Chicago, Chicago, 1934. 

 

Albert Mehrabian, "Silent message," 2d ed., Wadsworth, Belmont, California, 1981. 

 

Judee K. Burgoon, "A communication model of personal space violations: Explication and an initial test."  Human Communication Research, Vol. 4, 1978.

 

Roland Barthes, "Empire of signs," Richard Howard (trans.), Hill and Wang, New York, 1974.

 

Immanuel Kant, "Introduction to the metaphysic of morals," The doctrine of virtue: Part II of the metaphysic of morals, Mary Gregor (trans.), Harper and Row, New York, 1964.

 

Carl Rogers, "This is me," in On becoming a person, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1961

 

 

Other Resources or References:

 

Everett Rogers and Steven Chaffee, "The past and the future of communication study: Convergence or divergence,"  Journal of Communication, Vol. 43, No. 4, 1993. 

 

Ernest Bormann, "Small Group Communication: theory and Practice," 3^rd ed., Harper & Row, New York, 1990. 

 

Noam Chomsky, "Aspects of the theory of syntax," Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 1965. 

 

Donald Darnell, "Information theory, An approach to human communication," in Approaches to Human Communication, R. Budd and B. Ruben (eds.), Spartan Books, New York, 1972. 

 

I. A. Richards, "The philosophy of rhetoric," Oxford University Press, London, 1936. 

 

Jonathan Shailor, "Empowerment in dispute mediation: A critical analysis of communication," Praeger, Westport, Conn., 1994.

 

Paul Watzlawick, Janet Beavin, and Don Jackson, "Pragmatics of Human Communication,"  W. W. Norton, New York, 1967.

 

 

Leslie Baxter, "Interpersonal communication as dialogue: A response to the ‘Social approaches' forum," Communication Theory, Vol. 2, 1992.

 

Robert Bales, "Interaction process analysis," Addison-Wesley, Reading, Mass., 1950.

 

Thomas R. Nilsen, "Ethics of Speech communication," Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis, 1966.

 

Stanley Deetz, "Future of the discipline: The challenges, the research, and the social contribution," in Communication Yearbook 17, Stanley Deetz (ed.), Sage, Newbury Park, Calif, 1994.

 

Aristotle, "On rhetoric: A theory of civil discourse," George A. Kennedy, (ed. and trans.), Oxford University, New York, 1991. 

 

Kenneth Burke, "A grammar of motives," Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1945.

 

Stuart Hall, "Ideology and Communication Theory," in Rethinking Communication Theory, Vol. 1 Paradigm Issues, Brenda Dervin, Lawrence Grossberg, Barbara O'Keefe, and Ellen Wartella (eds)., Sage, Newbury Park, CA, 1989.

 

Various sites on the world wide web and contemporary media articles.