COM 201, Introduction to Communication
Syllabus
Spring 2009

Course Overview
Description
COM 201 is an overview of communication emphasizing interpersonal, intercultural, organizational and international communication, with management, multimedia, mass media, and telecommunication perspectives. Some of the broad topics that we'll cover include the following.

• human uses of communication (entertainment, creative expression, advocacy, information, government, intercultural exchange, social networking, etc.)
• converging communication technologies (print, video, multimedia, social media, personal media devices, 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 and cultural values
• communication ethics, law and policy

Objectives and Expectations 
COM 201 is the foundation course in the School of Communications. It is a pre-requisite for all other COM courses. Successful completion of the course with a grade of B or better is one of the basic requirements for declaring a major in communication. Please note that admissions requirements have changed as of 2008.

Earning a grade of B or above requires a commitment to:

• become an active and interactive participant in your own learning process on a continuous basis;
• use information and communication technologies (ICTs) for internet-based activities such as online research, online group collaboration, and completion of online course modules;
• demonstrate your ability to communicate in writing at a level appropriate to the course (module assignments will include written components); and
• read and comprehend academic texts.

Your final grade will be based on exams, in-class participation, attendance and online modules with readings, group work and individual writing requirements. Readings and activities will be assigned from the Web, library resources and handouts throughout the semester. Finding online resources is one of the course objectives. In some cases, this may require logging in to subscription services via the UH Libraries Web site and searching databases for full-text readings. This type of online information retrieval is very much part of how you will demonstrate competence with online media. Therefore, you are expected to attain these resources independently.

Objectives
Success in this course means you will:

1. locate, read and understand relevant online resources
2. identify different types of communication
3. analyze communication processes
4. interpret personal experiences in terms of communication concepts
5. interpret local and global events in terms of communication concepts
6. evaluate media uses and effects
7. explore your scholarly and career options in communications

Exams (2 @ 35% each)
Primary objectives: 1, 2, 3
Two major exams (35 points each) will cover material from class lectures, class discussion, guest speakers, handouts, online postings and assigned readings. Exams may include true-false, multiple-choice, matching and short-answer 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.

Online Modules (2 @ 10 each%)
Primary objectives: 1, 4, 5, 6
Students are expected to complete two online modules this semester. Details will be discussed in class and online.

Other Participation & Attendance (10%)
Primary objectives: 2, 3, 5, 7
You may earn up to, but not exceeding, 10 points toward your final grade by participating in certain activities by the given deadline. There is no extra credit, but you should be able to factor in an easy 10/10 (100%) participation score to your overall grade if you always attend class on time and prepared (i.e., you've read the assigned readings before class).

These activities may include oral presentations on current events, mini-quizzes on readings, and participation in research studies. By the end of the semester, many more than 10 points of credit will have been offered, so no single activity will be absolutely required. However, failure to attend class will result in a zero for any participation opportunities offered that day. Many opportunities for participation will be unannounced. The idea is to reward regular reading, promptness and participation with easy opportunities for credit. See the activity points page for point details.

Grading Weight

Midterm exam in class on March 4	35 points (35 % of final grade)
Final exam at 2:15 p.m. on May 11	35 points (35% of final grade)
Online module #1	10 points
Online module #2	10 points
Other participation activities (see activity points page)	10 points

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.

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'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	Required Reading	Assignments Due & Scheduling Notes
Jan 12 & 14	Syllabus Media literacy	Pricey textbooks (handout) by Wednesday Media literacy (PDF) by Wednesday	Read syllabus and first two readings by Jan 14
Jan 21	Types of communication Conceptualizing communication	The challenge of organizational communication (PDF) by Wednesday	Announcements on COM major
Jan 26 & 28	Online communication Ethics	Cultural fluency (HTML for Online Module) by Monday or Communication ethics (PDF) by Wednesday	Students will be randomly assigned to Online Module #1 or in-class activities
Feb 2 & 4	Online communication Ethics	Cultural fluency (HTML for Online Module) by Monday or Communication ethics (PDF) by Wednesday	Students will be randomly assigned to Online Module #1 or in-class activities (opposite of prior week)
Feb 9 & 11	Intercultural and cross-cultural communication Ecoshock and presence	Teams in Teleland (via UH Libraries) by Wednesday	David San Jose on Feb 9
Feb 18	Organizational culture Journalism	Survival in paradise (UH Libraries) by Wednesday	Professor Auman on Feb 18
Feb 23 & 25	Changing news environment (New) Media & society	Key news audiences now blend online and traditional sources (HTML) by Monday Watch News War (Part Three)	Professor Kato on Feb 23 News War (Part Three)
March 2 & 4	Review Exam	Key concepts handout	MIDTERM EXAM, Wednesday, March 4
March 9 & 11	Public relations Interactivity	Official statement on public relations (HTML) by Monday Interactive public relations (PDF) by Monday	Introduce Module #2 in class
March 16 & 18	Social media	What is Social Media? (PDF) by Monday A Primer in Social Media (PDF) by Monday	Complete Module #2 online by Wednesday, March 18
March 23-27	Spring Break	No Class
March 30 & April 1	Media effects Media uses	The man who counts the killings (HTML) by Monday Cantor's comments on media violence to the FCC (HTML) by Monday Is Google making us stupid? (HTML) by Wednesday
April 6 & 8	Diffusion of innovations Interpersonal influence Demassification	Rogers, "Elements of Diffusion" (on reserve -- see Laulima resources) by Monday Chaffee, "End of Mass Communication?" (Mass Communication & Society via UH libraries) by Wednesday	Professor Kim on April 6 Professor Kawamoto on April 8
April 13 & 15	Video and film	TV's future (CQ Researcher via UH Libraries) by Monday	Professor Moody on April 13
April 20 & 22	Long tail Social impact of communication technologies	The long tail (HTML) by Monday Wednesday reading TBA	Professor Davis on April 22
April 27 & 29	ICTs & policy Convergence	World Information Society Report. (PDF) by Monday Convergence? I Diverge (PDF) by Wednesday	Professor Winter on April 27
May 4 & 6	Media futures Wrap-up & review	Key concepts handout	Professor Wedemeyer (tentative)
Monday, May 11 2:15-4:15 p.m.	Final Exam		FINAL EXAM Monday 5/11, 2:15-4:15 p.m.

Working Bibliography

Anderson, C. (2004, October). The long tail. Wired, 12.10. Available online in HTML.

Auman, A. (2007, Summer). Survival in paradise: How "local identity" helped save the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 84 (2). Available online in full text via UH Libraries online databases.

Cantor, J. (2004, September 15). Comments of Joanne Cantor in Response to FCC Notice of Inquiry in the Matter of Violent Television Programming and Its Impact on Children. Available from author in HTML.

Carr, N. (2008, July/August). Is Google making us stupid? The Atlantic. Available online in HTML.

Chaffee, S. H., & Metzger, M. J. (2001). The end of mass communication? Mass Communication & Society, 4, 365-379. Available online in full text via UH Libraries online databases.

Fassler, K. (2008, July 21). Hawaii college students on the lookout for deals on pricey textbooks. The Honolulu Advertiser.

Fontaine, G. (2002). Teams in teleland: Working effectively in geographically dispersed teams in the Asia Pacific. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 8 (5/6), 122-133. Available online in full text via UH Libraries online databases.

Greenblatt, A. (2007, Feb. 16). Television's future. CQ Researcher. Available online in full text via UH Libraries online databases.

Griffin, E. (1994). Communication ethics. In A First Look at Communication Theory. New York: McGraw Hill. Chapter available from author in HTML.

iCrossing (2007, November). What is Social Media? An e-book from iCrossing. Available online in PDF.

Inoue, Y. (2007, November). Cultural fluency as a guide to effective intercultural communication: The case of Japan and the U.S. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 15. Available online in HTML.

International Telecommunication Union. (2007). Executive summary. In World Information Society Report 2007. Available online in PDF.

Jenkins, H. (2001, June). Convergence? I diverge. Technology Review. Available online from author in PDF.

Karjaluoto, E. (2008, March 1). A Primer for Social Media: Examining the Phenomenon, Its Relevance, Promise and Risks. A smashLAB white paper available online in PDF.

Kelleher, T. (2007). Interactive public relations. In Public Relations Online: Lasting Concepts for Changing Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Sample chapter available in PDF from the publisher.

Miller, K. (2009). The challenge of organizational communication. In Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes, 5th ed., Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Sample chapter available in PDF from the publisher.

Pew Research Center (2008). Key News Audiences Now Blend Online and Traditional Sources. Available online in HTML.

Public Relations Society of America (n.d.). Official statement on public relations. Available online in HTML.

Rogers, E.M. (2003). Elements of diffusion. In E.M. Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations (5th ed., pp.1-38). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Stossel, S. (1997, May). The man who counts the killings. The Atlantic. Available online in HTML.

Thoman, E., & Jolls, T. (2004, March). Media literacy: A national priority for a changing world. Available online in HTML and PDF from the Center for Media Literacy.