Course Structure

Course Description

The study of interpersonal communication is the study of interaction between people. It is not only the conversation, but the study of relationships, problems, and situations and how they can be dealt with in a positive manner. This course is designed to study interpersonal communication from a descriptive as well as analytical point of view. The topics of interpersonal relationships, self-concept, perception, gender and culture impact, verbal and nonverbal language, listening, self-disclosure, defensiveness, and conflict will be discussed. Possible methods of enhancing interpersonal communication situations will be practiced through discussion, role play, writing, and observance.

Interpersonal communication will be implemented firsthand in class. You will participate in preparation activities such as readings from our online textbook and articles. You will teach one another through weekly discussion boards. You will ponder and prove what you have learned by reflecting on your activities in a weekly assignment and also by taking a weekly reading quiz. You will have two projects due instead of a midterm and final test.

Course Objectives

1. Identify foundational interpersonal theory and vocabulary.
2. Demonstrate self-communication and developing interpersonal skills.
3. Demonstrate skills to improve interpersonal relationships.

Learning Model Architecture

As with all of your other courses at BYU–Idaho, you will have the opportunity to prepare intellectually and spiritually throughout this course. This course follows the BYU–Idaho Learning Model and will give you several opportunities to share those learning/teaching moments with others. You will also be given opportunities to reflect on what you are learning and to report on your weekly activities. Please remember that you will need to be able to devote 3–4 hours of time for every course credit, or 9–12 hours weekly.

Course Materials Needed

IComm: Interpersonal Concepts and Competencies. It may also be accessed in the Resources Folder.

Grading Policies

Class Policies

Assignments

Each week runs from Friday to Friday of the next week. Late work is not accepted. You will be required to participate in two discussions each week: the synchronous small group discussion and the asynchronous Your Board discussion board found on Facebook. Your small group meeting time will be decided by the group members. Students who cannot meet synchronously will be provided an alternate assignment after contacting the instructor. Your first post to the Facebook discussion board will always need to be completed early in the week, by the due date listed with the board on the Calendar, and the follow-up posts will be due three days later. This will require you to be prepared to post an intelligent comment by the first due date, which is early in the week, so the preparation materials should be reviewed prior to this time.

The Your Board is an online social experiment, like a virtual water cooler, where class members will discuss topics throughout the week. Interpersonal communication skills now extend to the online setting, and this discussion board is an opportunity for hands-on electronic communication to show how interpersonal theories such as perception, relationships, and conflict resolution apply. Throughout the semester, you will be asked to evaluate your experience on this board, and you are required to participate by contributing.

There is a weekly individual assignment, a quiz, and a weekly “Best Of” assignment where you reflect on the week's activities, providing samples of your best posts, applications, and work.

All activities and assignments are due on the due date listed on the Calendar. The time listed on your Calendar is automatically adjusted for your time zone if you have updated your time zone in your profile. You will submit your assignments in the appropriate week in I-Learn.

All quizzes are open book.

Standard Code of Conduct

Demand the Highest Ethical Standards from Yourself

The collaborative and team oriented nature in this class means that there are many group projects both in and out of class. It is inevitable that you will have opportunities to hand in work that is not your own. Remember when these opportunities present themselves that you are being trusted and challenged to uphold the highest standards of ethical behavior. We want you to learn from your experiences in this class and at BYU-I in general. You need to be able to trust each other and yourself to make the ethical decision. Accordingly, cheating, plagiarism, and other cases of intellectual dishonesty will not be tolerated, and your instructor will be responsible to decide what action to take place.  

Take Pride in Your Work

Business leaders know that everything they present to the public reflects on them and their organization. Long-term success comes only to companies and individuals who produce the highest quality products and services, and deliver them in a timely fashion. Every paper, presentation, and project is an expression of the pride you take in yourself and your work. Make every effort to write well, meet deadlines, and take the time to make both the format and the content of your work of the highest quality. This may mean writing one more draft, double checking spelling and grammar, or reviewing and practicing your presentation one more time.

Demonstrate Respect for Yourself and Others

Managers make decisions and lead others to implement those directives. Thus, if you are going to be a manager, you must learn how to influence others to accept and respect you. You will need to show yourself to be worthy of their respect, and in turn, show that you respect them. Your professional demeanor sends messages about your leadership ability and level of dedication. You can earn a lot of credit by following some very basic guidelines:

• Be On Time - Professional behavior means being on time for class deadlines. Group work is important for this course, and your contributions are essential in order to ensure discussion flow. 
• Be Prepared - Unprepared managers have very short careers (or end up in dead-end jobs). To succeed, you need to prepare for each class session. Nothing shows less respect for others than making them wait while you do something you were supposed to have done in advance. If you don’t come prepared and try instead, to “fake it,” you run the risk of looking foolish and wasting everyone’s time with irrelevant comments.
• Show Respect - Professionalism also means being civil to those with whom you disagree. In business, you will find that you must work with people with conflicting opinions or personal styles. Your ability to work with, tolerate, and effectively interact with these individuals is critical to your success. Finally, you demonstrate a lack of respect for your colleagues or professors when you engage in private discussions while course or business meetings are in progress. 
• Get Involved - Professionalism means keeping up with the discussion. It means making a contribution. Not everything you say has to be serious, however. As long as it fits, it’s okay, even desirable, to inject a little humor once in a while. Just make sure you do it in a way that isn't mean and doesn't step on anybody’s toes.

Resources

If you need assistance, visit the I-learn help tab (the question mark icon) located on the left-hand side of your screen to contact the appropriate support center.

University Policies

Students with Disabilities

Brigham Young University-Idaho is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the Disability Services Office at (208) 496-9210 or visit their website and follow the Steps for Receiving Accommodations. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with students and instructors by the Disability Services Office.

This course does require synchronous meetings. If you are currently registered with the Disability Services Office and need an interpreter or transcriber for these meetings, please contact the deaf and hard of hearing coordinator at (208) 496-9219.

Other University Policies

Student Honor and Other Policies

Please read through the document called University Policies. It gives important information about the following topics:

• Student Honor
  • Academic Honesty
  • Student Conduct
    • Sexual Harassment
• Student with Disabilities
• Complaints and Grievances
• Copyright Notice

Go to the Student Resources module to review further resources and information.