COMM 4829

How many different things a family can be---a nest of tenderness, a jail for the heart, a nursery of souls. Families name us and define us, give us strength, give us grief. All our lives we struggle to embrace or escape their influence. They are magnets that both hold us close and drive us away.

--George Howe Colt, Life, April, 1991

Text:

Turner, L. H., & West, R. (1998). Perspectives on family communication. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.

Attendance and Participation:

You will be expected to take an active role in your own education. Education is a social process; therefore, in order for this class to be successful, your attendance and participation are imperative. This class will be conducted as a seminar; we will all perform the roles of teachers and learners simultaneously. You are responsible for keeping up with all assigned readings. We will discuss the readings extensively as a class and your comments will be welcome and expected. That said, please help me keep discussions focused on the course material and goals.

You will be allowed to miss two days of class, the equivalent of two weeks. Beyond two absences, you will lose two points for each class session missed. You do not need to tell me when or why you miss class. In addition, you are responsible for all material included in class lectures. If you miss class, get the notes and assignments from one of your classmates.

Quizzes will be given throughout the semester. No make-up quizzes will be given. If you are late to class, you will not be given extra time to complete your quiz, and you will not be able to make up that quiz. You will be allowed to drop one quiz grade.

All work should be turned in on time. Please do not be late to class on the day assignments are due. If you are unable to handle the demands of the Maymester schedule, you should drop the course now. Late work will be lowered five percentage points for each day late, beginning after class. For example, if you do not show up to class on the day an assignment is due but turn it in after class is over, your grade on that assignment will be lowered five percentage points. If you come to class but “forgot” your assignment and turn it in after class, that assignment will be lowered five percentage points. If your printer broke, your computer crashed, your disk acted up, you overslept, etc., the assignment will be lowered five percentage points. If you turn it in the next day, your grade will be lowered ten percentage points.

You should keep up with all of your work in this class. All papers should be saved on disk and easily accessible. It is expected that you will keep up with all work handed back. If I do not record one of your grades, it is your responsibility to produce the graded assignment upon request.

Course Description:

Family Communication is designed to help you understand the way communication phenomena work in the context of “family.” The overall goal of this course is to help you understand how, through communication, we develop, maintain, or disturb family relationships. We will examine how verbal and nonverbal communication can help promote and discourage healthy and competent family communication toward the goals of family stability and satisfaction.

Researchers have noted that while families have changed throughout time, it is the unprecedented speed of change today that has resulted in inordinate discontinuity in our families. In this class we will discuss the effects of such changes on our families and their communication.

Academic Misconduct:

All work should be uniquely your own in both word and thought. You should correctly document all words and ideas belonging to others according to APA (American Psychological Association) or MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines. This course is subject to university policies on academic misconduct. For example, academic misconduct, including plagiarism and cheating, will automatically result in a failing grade and will be reported to the University. Please see the UNT Student Handbook for explanations of UNT=s policies.

Method of Evaluation:

Quizzes (8 X 3 points each = 24 points):

You will have 11 unannounced short-essay quizzes over the course readings. These quizzes will emphasize critical thinking skills and application, and will highlight the major theories and concepts of gender and communication. The quizzes will consist of 2-3 short essay questions of which you will choose one to answer. If you would prefer an journal assignment over the readings instead of the quiz, let me know. You will be allowed to drop your lowest quiz grade. No make-up quizzes will be given. If you get to class after we have taken the quiz, you will not be allowed to make up that quiz.

Midterm and Comprehensive Final (2 X 8 points = 16 points):

As a class we will construct short essay questions for our midterm and final. On each exam, you will have five questions, of which you will answer three.

Grading Scale:

A:            92-100                     D:                62-71
B:            82-91                       F:                00-61
C:            72-81

Family Type/Family Communication Research Paper (20 points/paper + 5 points presentation = 20 points):

You will select one type of family to research in more depth. Types of families include, but are not limited to, traditional families, single-parent families, dual-career families, African-American families, Hispanic families, families of another culture, gay and lesbian families, etc. At a minimum, you should discuss the general characteristics of the family type, communication issues of this family type, and challenges and celebrations of this family type. You should use 5-7 credible outside sources in a 4-5 page typed, well-written paper. While you are welcome to use Internet sources, they may not count as one of the required sources. You will present this information orally to the class (4-5 minutes) in a professional PowerPoint presentation (I will pass out simple directions). You should make a copy of your presentation for everyone in the class.

Book chapter discussion leader (10 points):

In pairs or alone, you will each choose one chapter for which to bring in additional information. If alone, your presentation should be 10 minutes long, if paired, 20 minutes long. This is your opportunity to teach the class. Your presentation should go beyond the information presented in the text. Each person should include 5-6 additional sources in their presentation. Each presentation should have a handout summarizing the additional information.

Controversial Family Issue Opposing Viewpoints Paper (20 points/paper + 5 points presentation = 25 points):

We often have passionate feelings about topics about which we neglect to listen to the opposing viewpoint. You will select one controversial topic relevant to family communication and explore existing oppositional arguments concerning the topic in a 4-5 page paper. Both (or all) sides should be represented fairly. You should use at least four credible outside sources to support the arguments for each side (8 outside sources total). While you are welcome to use Internet sources, they may not count as one of the four required sources. You will present this information orally to the class (4-5 minutes) in a professional PowerPoint presentation. You should make a copy of your presentation for everyone in the class.