COM 201, Introduction to Communication
Syllabus
Fall 2007

Required Resources

• Vivian, J. (2007). The Media of Mass Communication, 8th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. - Allyn & Bacon.
• Outside readings and activities may be assigned from the Web, library resources and handouts throughout the semester.

Course Overview
Description
COM 201 is an overview of many of the major areas of communication that are covered in the School of Communications. Some of the broad topics that we'll cover include the following.

• converging communication technologies (Internet technologies, newspapers, video, film, personal digital media, etc.)
• human uses of communication (entertainment, creative expression, advocacy, information, government, intercultural exchange, social networking, etc.)
• career options (video production, journalism, public relations, multimedia design, communication training, etc.)
• social science (historical perspectives, communication theory, media effects research, etc.)
• critical perspectives, gender issues, cultural values
• communication ethics and laws

Objectives
Success in this course means you will:

• identify different types of communication
• analyze communication processes
• interpret local events in terms of communication concepts and models
• interpret global events in terms of communication concepts and models
• discuss intercultural communication
• understand laws and policy related to communication
• offer informed critique of media
• evaluate media effects in terms of ethics
• explore your scholarly options in communications
• explore your career options in communications

Expectations 
Your final grade will be based on exams, written assignments, presentations, participation and attendance.

Exams (90%)
Three major exams will cover material from class lectures, class discussion, guest speakers, handouts, online postings and assigned readings. Exams may include multiple-choice, short-answer and essay questions. THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO MAKE-UP EXAMS without proper documentation for your absence, which must be provided before the absence if at all possible. A missed exam will count as a zero.

Participation and Writing Assignments (10%)
You may earn up to, but not exceeding, 10 percentage points toward your final grade by participating in certain activities by the given deadline. See the "Activities for COM 201" sheet for details.

Failure to attend class will result in a zero for any participation opportunities offered that day. Many opportunities for participation will be unannounced.

You and your fellow students will have many opportunities to contribute to this class. Information provided by students may be used as material on exams. Students who miss classes in the large courses I've taught often find their grades suffering. For example, students miss exam questions based on in-class discussions and miss opportunities to earn participation points.

Grading Weight

Exam 1	30%
Exam 2	30%
Final Exam	30%
Participation Activities	10%

Final Grade Requirements

A	B	C	D	F
90-100	80-89.9	70-79.9	60-69.9	59.9 and below

There will be absolutely no adjustment of grades on an individual basis (e.g., "I'm only one point away from a B, and I must get a B because I already plan to be a COM major.") Any requests for exceptions will be seen as an attempted breach of fairness to the rest of the class. I know the decimals look technical, but there must be a cutoff somewhere for each grade, and given the requirement that students must earn at least a "B-" in COM 201 to become COM majors, this cutoff point is especially important. When I have taught courses with plus and minus designations, I have used 80-82 as the range for "B-". Since we're not using the plus/minus system in this class, acceptance to the COM major will require an 80 or better.

Seeking Help
This course should provide a great learning experience for all of us. The success of the course depends largely on effective student-teacher interaction. Don't feel like you have to have a pressing problem to talk to me. I look forward to hearing your input. I'll be available during my office hours unless announced otherwise. Of course, I'm often in and available at times not posted as office hours. Generally, I'll leave my office door open if I'm available. If my door is closed, that either means I'm out or that I'm in but working on deadline or getting ready for class. In any case, we can set an appointment if that works better.

Special Accommodations
Students requiring special accommodations must notify me and present appropriate supporting documentation by the end of the second week of class.

Academic Honesty
Academic dishonesty of any sort will not be tolerated. I take cheating issues very seriously, and I've had some unpleasant experiences dealing with cases of cheating in recent semesters. Please see me if you have any questions about academic honesty, and I'll be happy to discuss such issues in advance of you taking an exam or submitting your work.

Preliminary Class Timeline 
Please make a careful note of the exam dates. Make sure that you do not have any scheduling conflicts. The exam dates are very unlikely to change. Other topics and readings are subject to change, especially to accommodate current events and guest speaker schedules. Additional readings, speakers and assignments may be added as we go.

Class Days	General Topics	Assignments Due & Scheduling Notes
August 21 & 23	Syllabus Media literacy	Review syllabus by 8/21 Read Vivian Chapter 1 by 8/23
August 28 & 30	Types of communication Communication models	Read Vivian Chapter 15 by 8/28
Sept 4 & 6	Communication theory Media effects	Read Vivian Chapter 16 by 9/4
Sept 11 & 13	Media and society Communication and culture	Read Vivian Chapter 17 by 9/11 Guest speaker on 9/13: Professor Gary Fontaine
Sept 18 & 20	The School of Communications Discussion, review and exam	Handouts/announcements on COM major Exam 1 in class on September 20
Sept 25 & 27	Media ethics Academy for Creative Media Movies and film	Read Vivian Chapter 6 by 9/25 Guest speaker on 9/25: Professor Tom Brislin Guest speaker on 9/27: Professor Marc Moody
Oct 2 & 4	Internet and telecommunication technologies Multimedia	Read Vivian Chapter 9 by 10/2 Guest speaker(s) on 10/2: Professor Colin MacDonald
Oct 9 & 11	Entertainment media Creativity in communication	Read Vivian Chapter 13 by 10/9 Guest speaker on 10/11: Professor Dineh Davis
Oct 16 & 18	Journalism Blogs and reporting UHM journalism program	Read Vivian Chapter 10 by 10/16 Guest speaker on 10/16: Professor Jonathan Lillie
Oct 23 & 25	Public relations	Read Vivian Chapter 11 by 10/2
Oct 30 & Nov 1	Review Exam 2	Exam 2 in class on November 1
Nov 6 & 8	Global communication Diffusion of innovations	Read Vivian Chapter 18 by 11/6 Guest speaker on 11/6: Professor Joung-Im Kim
Nov 13 & 15	Media and law, First Amendment Global journalism	Read Vivian Chapter 20 by 11/13 Guest speaker on 11/13 : Professor Gerald Kato
Nov 20	Media ethics	Read Vivian Chapter 21 by 11/20
Nov 27 & 29	Topics TBA	Guest speaker on 11/29: Professor Dan Wedemeyer, Chair, School of Communications
Dec 4 & 6	Course wrap-up & review	Last day to turn in thought papers is 12/4 Last day for oral presentations is 12/4
Thursday, December 13	Final Exam	Final (Exam 3) Thursday 12/13, 9:45 a.m.