The Communication Baccalaureate of the Department of Communication at Dixie State University is driven by specific learning outcomes, skills and competencies that the degree is designed to reach in both human and mediated communication. These include:
Theory - Explain and apply concepts from communication theoretical traditions in small groups, business, interpersonal, mass media, and public settings.
Content Creation - Create appropriate and effective messages based on skilled analysis of the audience and situation using mediated and non-mediated presentations with a variety of purposes.
Critical Thinking - Apply good reasoning, critical thinking and problem solving skills in interpersonal, small group, organizational, public, and mass media settings.
Research - Apply effective skills in researching, organizing, and writing appropriate professional documents, personal communication, and effective communication analysis.
Global Perspective - Demonstrate effective cross-cultural communication knowledge and skills in achieving a global perspective.
Ethics - Exercise ethical principles in all aspects of the communication discipline.
This is an upper division course designed to develop student's awareness, understanding, and application of critical thinking and persuasive message design to achieve intended persuasive effects on specific audiences.
This course seeks to sustain these outcomes through the student learning objectives below.
Course Outcomes
Through regular attendance and active participation you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of attending and listening to the other person, and portray listening behaviors that demonstrate your understanding.
- Transfer an understanding of communication fundamentals to the social contexts experienced in everyday life.
- Recognize the important, meaningful roles that non-spoken behaviors fulfill during our communication interactions.
- Understand the axioms of persuasive communication and its principles and ethics.
- Evaluate the interplay between the persuasive source and the responsive audience.
- Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the perceptual process of communication.
- Apply active listening and its principles in your persuasive communication.
- Explain the nature of trust and be able to define and build that trust.
- Distinguish between different audiences by correctly analyzing their needs, values, general tendencies, and all ethical considerations applicable to a specific audience.
Curriculum focuses on rhetorical, conceptual, and applied research and scholarship that tracks both traditional as well as modern persuasive processes. In addition, students will be challenged to develop their critical thinking skills through thorough audience analysis and the analysis of positional arguments and their rhetorical construction. Both oral and written presentation of persuasive messages in the classroom will be emphasized. The Item Pool below provides detail:
Item Pool
The item pool for Persuasion consists of one class presentation, a research activity, a critical analysis post, and three term assessments. The cumulative point total for all items is 1000 points, which break down into the following:
The Persuasion Application Post (four total) is where you find and post an artifact and your analysis of its use of persuasion theory using Fogg's Behavioral Change Model, Reich's Cultural Parables, Larsen's Cultural Images and Myths, and Marwell & Schmitt's Influence Tactics. Four posts due, one each week. At least two of the artifacts should be speeches. It's campaign season. There's much from which to choose.
The Appeals Research Post represents your intuitive and applied research of topics relating to persuasive appeals in political, theological, or psychological rhetoric.
The Persuasive Speech is a rhetorical application of theory where you research and construct an appeal(s), outline an integrated presentation, apply the appeals to your topic germane to the persuasive genre you've decided to use (motivational v. ideological), and present them orally to your peers in this class. You will also design a rubric for your evaluation used by your peer audience.
Term Assessments are formative with an emphasis on application.
Breakdown of Points
Persuasion Application Posts - 200
Appeals Research Post - 200
Persuasive Speech - 200
Term Assessments - 3 at 100
Participation - 100
Total - 1000 Points
Record your scores above throughout the semester. If you must, on a percentage basis you can determine your letter grade using the following breakdown:
90 – 100% = A range
80 – 89% = B range
70 – 79% = C range
60 – 69% = D range
Below 59% = F
Cut off for minus to straight grade = 3.5
Cut off for plus to straight grade = 6.5
Calculate your percentage by dividing points possible by points earned.
Reading/Research
This course requires completing regular reading, writing and research exercises both in class and out of class. Your appeals alone will require a great deal of research and source citing. Be sure to dedicate the time needed for successful achievement.
Writing
- Review and follow the guidelines regarding plagiarism. Submitting an assignment that includes plagiarized material can earn you expulsion from the college.
- Post all formal writing on a blog created for this class, in 12-point type following APA formatting. Please format black text on a white background.
Course Policies
Late Work and Missing Tests
I don't accept late work nor do I accept technical excuses. Papers are due by the beginning of class on the date indicated in the schedule.
If you should miss an assessment due to medical reasons, you must provide documentation that states you were otherwise occupied at the time or in the general vicinity of class time.
Missing Class
Show up. It's the first secret to achievement. Every semester students will let me know that they'll be missing class to go on a cruise, or for a wedding, or to go snowboarding, and I say, "Cool, have fun." You, or somebody else, have paid to be here. It's your stewardship and my expectation. To account for this, over the course of this semester I'll give those in attendance a secret word which they will email back to me before 5:00p that day to indicate they were there. I will do this five times during the semester on the days of lowest attendance. If at the end of the semester you have emailed five secret words, your grade remains in tact. If you've submitted only three secret words, your evaluation drops a whole letter grade. If you've sent two or less, you fail the course.
Show up. It's the first secret to achievement. Every semester students will let me know that they'll be missing class to go on a cruise, or for a wedding, or to go snowboarding, and I say, "Cool, have fun." You, or somebody else, have paid to be here. It's your stewardship and my expectation. To account for this, over the course of this semester I'll give those in attendance a secret word which they will email back to me before 5:00p that day to indicate they were there. I will do this five times during the semester on the days of lowest attendance. If at the end of the semester you have emailed five secret words, your grade remains in tact. If you've submitted only three secret words, your evaluation drops a whole letter grade. If you've sent two or less, you fail the course.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Plagiarism is the use of another source’s words, ideas or statistics without their permission and/or proper citation. Anyone who plagiarizes material in my class will receive a grade of zero on that assignment. Anyone found cheating on term assessments will fail the test, though I also reserve the right to assign you an “F” for the course and/or refer you to our chair for further sanctions. Please keep in mind that one can be expelled from the college for academic dishonesty.
Electronic Devices
Bring your technology to class, your tablets, laptops and smart phones, and use them in our discussions and presentations. But, please don't text, call or surf online for anything not having to do with the day's topic. Please put your phone on vibrate. Should your device make any ring or notification sound, interrupting class, or if I noticing you're otherwise engaged in something other than the topic at hand, including texting, you owe me a completely stamped Cafe Rio meal card. Really.
Bring your technology to class, your tablets, laptops and smart phones, and use them in our discussions and presentations. But, please don't text, call or surf online for anything not having to do with the day's topic. Please put your phone on vibrate. Should your device make any ring or notification sound, interrupting class, or if I noticing you're otherwise engaged in something other than the topic at hand, including texting, you owe me a completely stamped Cafe Rio meal card. Really.
Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with a medical, psychological or a learning difference and requesting reasonable academic accommodations due to this disability, you must provide an official request of accommodation to your professor(s) from the Disability Resource Center within the first two weeks of the beginning of classes. Students are to contact the center on the main campus to follow through with, and receive assistance in the documentation process to determine the appropriate accommodations related to their disability.
You may call (435) 652-7516 for an appointment and further information regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 per Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The office is located in the Student Services Center, Room #201 of the Edith Whitehead Building.
Literacy Contacts:
- Library - http://library.dixie.edu
- Writing Center - http://new.dixie.edu/english/dsc_writing_center.php
- Testing Center - http://new.dixie.edu/testing
- Tutoring Center - http://dsc.dixie.edu/tutoring/
