Final Blog Post

Hello Class!

This will be my final post to this blog.   I hope that you have learned a bit over the course of the semester. My students never cease to amaze me. I think I learn just as much from my students, if not more, than my students learn from me. In short, I have had a great time with you this semester, and wish each of you a relaxing and fun break.

As of midnight last night everything should be entered into D2L.  I have added a column to the gradebook that adds up all of the points you have accrued in the class.  Take a look at your total points then compare that number to the following scale to see the grade you earned in Comm 105.

A+ 970-1000
A 940-969
A- 900-939
B+ 870-899
B 840-869
B- 800-839
C+ 770-799
C 740-769
C- 700-739
D+ 670-699
D 640-669
D- 600-639
F 600 and below

I will post grades at some point tonight, but I don't think they will be released for a day or two. The mysjsu system will release grades at its own pace.

Again, I have had a great time with you all this semester, and hope that you have a wonderful Summer break!

Signing off for the last time.....

The Blogging Prof

Final Exam Procedures

Hello Fabulous Students,

Here is some information regarding the proctor form required for the final exam.  As a reminder the final exam will open up on Aug 8th at 12:01am, and will close on Aug 10th at 11:59pm.  Please be sure to take the final exam during the scheduled time.  It is an open book/open notes exam.


Please follow these instructions and reminders to take the final exam:

1). Download the Proctor Form from the "Content" tab on D2L.  You can locate it under the "Quizzes and Tests" tab.
2). Find someone to proctor your final exam who is a). NOT a part of Comm 105P at SJSU, and b). Over the age of 21.  You do not need to go to a testing center for the final exam, rather, you can ask a family member, friend, etc.....
3). Make sure the proctor watches you take the final exam to attest to the fact that you did not share questions or answers with anyone.  In short - the proctor is there to make sure you don't offer assistance or get assistance from another person.
4). Log onto D2L and locate the final exam.
5). Take the test - This is an open book/open notes test.
6). Submit the test within the time limit allowed (see D2L for more info.)
7). Submit the SIGNED proctor form to me through email.  You can either scan it into the computer and send it to me, or you can take a HIGH QUALITY digital photo and email the picture to me.  Be sure to email the proctor form to the class email address.

NOTE:  If I do not receive a signed Proctor Form from you with 24 hours of you completing the final exam, you will earn a zero on the final. 

Email me with any questions you might have.

:)
The Blogging Prof.

Week of August 6 - 10

Hello Folks!

Here is what is listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages from D2L for this week.

Due this week:
*Study: Study for the final exam this week.  The final exam will cover all chapters in the Trenholm text.

*Participate in the discussion (see questions below).  REMINDER:  This is a short week.  Your discussion should be completed by Friday, August 10th. 

*FINAL EXAM: Please log into D2L between Aug 8th and Aug 10th to take the final exam.  The exam will open at 12:01am on August 8th, and will close at 11:59pm on August 10th.  Make sure you start your final exam early in order to submit it by 11:59pm on August 10th.



Discussion Questions:
Answer one question in its entirety in each of your three separate posts, at least 12 hours apart. Please make sure you are creating a NEW POST for each question on your blog. You MUST WAIT at least 12 hours from the first post in order to create a second post. The same is true for the second and third post. I will record dates and time of your posts, so make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. EACH POST MUST BE 150 WORDS OR MORE.


1). What concept/s in the class have you found most interesting?  What was it about that concept/s that you found interesting?

2). What have you learned throughout this class?  What was your favorite thing about this class?  What was your least favorite thing about the class?  How can this class be improved?

3). Pick one concept from throughout the semester that you feel can use further discussion.


Comments - Remember to post ONE comment ON THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS between 12:01am on Monday and 11:59pm on Sunday. This means that you will log onto MY BLOG at: http://comm105p.blogspot.com/ and look under "Student Blogs" to see a list of your colleagues blogs. Click on those blogs, read what was posted for this week and respond. You need to make sure you are responding to only what was discussed THIS WEEK (starting Monday and ending Sunday of the current week). Comments posted to blogs that were NOT within this week will not be counted for points. Each comment must be a minimum of 100 words.

Note about comments: When you leave a comment on another blog, make sure you are logged into your blogspot account. In other words, you will need to make sure your "Display Name/Alias Name" shows up on the blog you are commenting on. I record the locations, dates and times of your comments. Please keep record of your posts and comments in case there I have questions about where they are located.

Grades have been updated in D2L

Hello Fabulous Students,

I just updated grades in D2L.  Please take a look at the most recent discussion week grade.

There will be no instructor wrap up this week, as I am slammed with end of the semester papers from all of my classes. 


Have a great day!
:)
The Blogging Prof.

Week of July 30 - August 5

Hello Folks!

Here is what is listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages from D2L for this week.  The schedule for the entire semester, and the discussion questions for the entire semester are listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages, respectively.  In case you do not want to wait for the "Monday Post", you are more than welcome to get started by looking at those two pages on D2L.

Due this week:
*Read Chapter 2, Definitions, Models and Perspectives (review this chapter)

*Participate in the discussion (see questions below)



Class Discussion:
Answer one question in its entirety in each of your three separate posts, at least 12 hours apart. Please make sure you are creating a NEW POST for each question on your blog. You MUST WAIT at least 12 hours from the first post in order to create a second post. The same is true for the second and third post. I will record dates and time of your posts, so make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. EACH POST MUST BE 150 WORDS OR MORE.

1). Consider the social constructionist perspective.  How do we "build worlds" through communication?  Think of some ideas we talk about in our culture that may not exist in other cultures.  How do these concepts contribute to our happiness or success (or the lack of these) in our culture?

2). Consider the pragmatic perspective.  Does it make sense to think of communication as patterned interaction?  How is communication like a game?  How is it different from a game?

3). Pick one concept from Chapter 2, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs.  (As a reminder, comments will only be counted for the current discussion week. I do not go back to past discussion weeks to look for comments.  Once a discussion week is over, it's over.  So please make sure you are commenting on a relevant blog post.  In other words, pay close attention to the post, and date.
 

Comments - Remember to post ONE comment ON THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS between 12:01am on Monday and 11:59pm on Sunday. This means that you will log onto MY BLOG at: http://comm105p.blogspot.com/ and look under "Student Blogs" to see a list of your colleagues blogs. Click on those blogs, read what was posted for this week and respond. You need to make sure you are responding to only what was discussed THIS WEEK (starting Monday and ending Sunday of the current week). Comments posted to blogs that were NOT within this week will not be counted for points. Each comment must be a minimum of 100 words.

Note about comments: When you leave a comment on another blog, make sure you are logged into your blogspot account. In other words, you will need to make sure your "Display Name/Alias Name" shows up on the blog you are commenting on. I record the locations, dates and times of your comments. Please keep record of your posts and comments in case there I have questions about where they are located.

Grades have been updated in D2L

Hello Fabulous Students,

I just updated grades in D2L.  Please take a look at the most recent discussion week grade, among the other grades, and email me if you have any questions.

Have a great day!
:)
The Blogging Prof.

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 11

NOTE:  From last week's reading.

Communication and the Media

In a media culture, it is sometimes hard to distinguish fictional from factual reality.

Goal: To understand how living in a media culture affects the ways we communicate; to explore the extent to which media messages have power over our lives and to consider ethical responsibilities of media communicators; to examine the uses and formats of traditional media and to explore how new media are affecting our lives.

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

1). Identify the four characteristics of traditional media messages.

2). List and explain the four classic functions of mass media.

3). Give examples of ways in which the traditional media set agendas, create hegemonic messages, cultivate world views, and change expectations.  Give examples of ways audiences resist media influence.

4). Describe how consumers use newspapers, magazines, radio, and television and understand how the formats used by these media affect information processing.

5). Identify the characteristics of new media.

6). Be able to discuss the ways old and new media are converging and how convergence is making audiences more active.

7). Understand how computer mediated communication is used and how it enhances social interaction.

8). Discuss how advances in cell phone technology are changing face-to-face communication.

9). Be aware of ethical issues associated with computer mediated communication. 

There are many great sections to this chapter.  As some of you may or may not know, I teach Comm 131P - New Media/You Media at SJSU.  It is a wonderful class focusing on how New Media has evolved over the last century, but mainly focuses on New Media of today.  

Chapter 11 in our text opens with a few definitions (page 283).  Trenholm notes:

Old Media: refers to traditional one-to-many forms of mediated communication such as TV, radio, newspapers, and books.

New Media: is used to describe digital information and telecommunication systems, including networked computing and mobile telecommunication. 

Trenholm also notes that, '...old media and new media are rapidly converging, and that it won't take long for what we now consider new media to become old and for old media to take on new forms."  In this same chapter, Trenholm offers a brief introduction to the organization of the chapter, which includes starting with traditional media of mass communication, the chapter then moves onto the ways computer mediated communication and mobile technologies are altering lives, and finally the chapter focuses on how old media and new media are already converging.  

As always, there is a chapter outline uploaded to D2L if you'd like that.  However, I would strongly encourage you to skip the uploaded chapter outline, and focus on reading the text itself.  Now, I may be a communication geek, admittedly so, but this chapter is f.a.b.u.l.o.u.s.!  Here is a brief outline to whet your appetite: 

1). Traditional mass media have unique characteristics that make them powerful communicative sources.

2). Each of the traditional mass media has its own uses, formats, and logics.

3). Networked computing and mobile telecommunication, referred to as new media, are joining traditional mass media as influential forms of communication. 

4). Whether media are traditional or new, their production and consumption raise ethical questions. 

In case you are interested, I uploaded Marshall McLuhan's piece titled The Medium Is the Message to D2L under "Content", then under "Optional Readings".  Since one of our discussion questions pertains to this very piece, I thought it would be interesting for you to skim, and/or read the entire piece. 

You are more than welcome to stop reading here, but below, I have included a post about Marshall McLuhan.  This part of the post relates directly to the 'optional reading' from McLuhan. It's also a copy of a post I use for Comm 131P.  So if you've taken that class with me, it will look familiar:

Although I am not a big fan of Wikipedia because of it's current lack of internal and external control, THIS page talks a bit about McLuhan, and may help to clarify the reading.

First off, let me mention that McLuhan was criticized a bit for his ideas.  You can easily search the internet for some opinions about McLuhan, but let's skip over the for now, and focus on who McLuhan was, and his ideas as presented in the present piece.

The article starts on page 203 with an explanation of how and why McLuhan thinks the medium really IS the message.  The rest of the article goes on to support this idea by bringing up a number of examples.  He also throws in some other ideas here and there, but he is pretty succinct in asserting his idea throughout the writing.  Here are some excerpts that stood out to me:

*pg. 203 - "This is merely to say that the persona and social consequence of any medium - that is, of any extension of ourselves - result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology".  After this statement, the author goes on to explain job elimination and a creation of roles, etc.... After this, McLuhan states, "Many people would be disposed to say that it was not the machine, but what one did with the machine, that was its meaning or message".

*pg. 203 - "For the "message" of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or pattern that it introduces into human affairs".

(I'm backtracking a bit here)
McLuhan is brilliant in explaining the electric light.  You might be thinking, "I already read that, and he lost me pretty quickly".  that is understandable.  Go back and read the parts on page 203 about the electric light - just those parts, and see what you can extrapolate from his explanation.  This short description of the meaning of the electric light, or lack thereof, is the essence of the reading.  McLuhan states, "The instance of the electric light may prove illuminating in this connection.  The electric light is pure information.  It is a medium without a message, as it were, unless it is used to spell out some verbal ad or name.  This fact, characteristic of all media, means that the 'content' of any medium is always another medium".  Brilliant!  (am I geeking out again - sorry!).  :)  But then if you keep reading he comes back to the electric light and explains, "Let us return to the electric light.  Whether the light is being used for brain surgery or night baseball is a matter of indifference.  It could be argued that these activities are in some way the "content" of the electric light, since they could not exist without the electric light.  This fact merely underlines the point that "the medium is the message" because it is the medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action".  If you keep reading a couple of sentences beyond this excerpt, it says, "...it is only too typical that the "content" of any medium blinds us to the character of the medium".

As an aside - I am looking through my notes on the McLuhan article, and if you can get past some of the wording, the meaning is incredible! 

Here are some other brief quotes.  I will try to limit my commentary so that you can simply absorb what McLuhan is saying, and the implications it has for us today in our current 'media state'.  I suggest that you read these in context, that is, have your book/the reading close by so that you can follow along and really absorb what is being said and implied.  It may take a second to simply sit there and think about the concept for a few seconds before the light bulb (pun intended) flashes on and you 'get' what he is saying.

*pg. 205 "In other words, cubism, by giving the inside and outside, the top, bottom, back, and front and the rest, in two dimensions, drops the illusion of perspectives in favor of instant sensory awareness of the whole.  Cubism, by seizing on instant total awareness, suddenly announced that the medium is the message."

*pg. 205 "Before the electric speed and total field, it was not obvious that the medium is the message.  The message, it seemed, was the "content", as people used to as what a painting was about. Yet they never thought to ask what a melody was about, nor what a house or a dress was about.  In such matters, people retained some sense of the whole pattern, of form and function as a unity".

*pg. 205 "...He understood the grammar of gunpowder".  Think about this for a second.  I mean, really think about this statement.  What does this statement say to you?  Does it not explain in 6 words what McLuhan is trying to convey?

*pg. 206-207 "But with electric media Western man himself experiences exactly the same inundation as the remote native. We are no more prepared to encounter radio and TV in our literate milieu than the native of Ghana is able to cope with the literacy that takes him out of his collective tribal world and beaches him in individual isolation.  We are as numb to our new electric world as the native involved in our literate and mechanical culture".

*pg. 207 "Our conventional response to all media, namely that is how they are used that counts, is the numb stance of the technological idiot.  For the "content" of a medium is like the juicy piece of mean carried by the burglar to distract the watchdog of the mind".

*pg. 208 "Today when we want to get our bearings in our own culture, and have need to stand aside from the bias and pressure exerted by any technical form of human expression, we have only to visit a society where that particular form has not been felt, or a historical period in which it was unknown".

I can go on with quotes from this piece that would be great conversation starters, especially the last couple of pages, but I will stop here.  As I mentioned earlier in the post, many folks did not agree with McLuhan's assertions, and if you do not agree, explain your position in your post.  You certainly do not have to agree with the folks who have written the articles we will be reading throughout the semester.  I simply ask that if you do not agree, or even if you do agree for that matter, that you state your position clearly. 


I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did, and I hope this post helped to clarify some of the ideas from McLuhan.

Week of July 23 - 29

Hello Folks!

Here is what is listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages from D2L for this week.  The schedule for the entire semester, and the discussion questions for the entire semester are listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages, respectively.  In case you do not want to wait for the "Monday Post", you are more than welcome to get started by looking at those two pages on D2L.

Due this week:
*Read Chapter 13, Methods of Discovery
*Participate in the discussion (see questions below)
*Quiz on D2L on Chapters 11 & 13.  Please log onto D2L before Saturday to take the quiz.
*Entire Journal Due by Sunday, July 29th!  Please email me all 5 entries in ONE  single document.  This is the culminating project in this course, so please edit your journal this week, and make sure it's your best possible writing! 


Class Discussion:
Answer one question in its entirety in each of your three separate posts, at least 12 hours apart. Please make sure you are creating a NEW POST for each question on your blog. You MUST WAIT at least 12 hours from the first post in order to create a second post. The same is true for the second and third post. I will record dates and time of your posts, so make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. EACH POST MUST BE 150 WORDS OR MORE.

1). Which of the research methods listed in Table 13.3 seem the most interesting?  Assume you want to study some aspect of deception.  Frame a research questions.  Which method would you choose to answer the question?  Why?

2). What are some of the moral dilemmas that face ethnographers?  How would you resolve them?

3). Pick one concept from Chapter 13, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs.  (As a reminder, comments will only be counted for the current discussion week. I do not go back to past discussion weeks to look for comments.  Once a discussion week is over, it's over.  So please make sure you are commenting on a relevant blog post.  In other words, pay close attention to the post, and date.
 

Comments - Remember to post ONE comment ON THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS between 12:01am on Monday and 11:59pm on Sunday. This means that you will log onto MY BLOG at: http://comm131p.blogspot.com/ and look under "Student Blogs" to see a list of your colleagues blogs. Click on those blogs, read what was posted for this week and respond. You need to make sure you are responding to only what was discussed THIS WEEK (starting Monday and ending Sunday of the current week). Comments posted to blogs that were NOT within this week will not be counted for points. Each comment must be a minimum of 100 words.

Note about comments: When you leave a comment on another blog, make sure you are logged into your blogspot account. In other words, you will need to make sure your "Display Name/Alias Name" shows up on the blog you are commenting on. I record the locations, dates and times of your comments. Please keep record of your posts and comments in case there I have questions about where they are located.

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 8

Organizational Communication 

For this instructor wrap-up, I would like to do something a bit different.  I know that there is some great information in your course text, heck, I've read the text countless times at this point in my career.  However, for this instructor wrap-up, I will provide you with some outside information that you can read through at your leisure.  

What is Organizational Communication?  I'm glad you asked.  You can read about it by clicking HERE.

What are other instructors/professionals saying about Organizational Communication?  Again, I'm glad you are inquisitive enough to pose this question.  You can read a fun website HERE. 

If you want to read about the Communication Process for Virtual Organizations, click HERE. 

And finally, if the thought of majoring in Organizational Communication has crossed your mind at all, Middle Tennessee State University has a cool website dedicated to Organizational Comm.  If you scroll down, there is a list of career pertaining to those that have majored in Org. Comm.  Click HERE to read through it. 

It is my hope, that by providing these websites, you can see a very brief and limited overview of the field of Organizational Communication.  While it is a subset of the field of Communication Studies, it is an incredibly useful one.  

Email me if anything in this chapter, or these websites needs further explanation.

Grades have been updated in D2L

Hello Fabulous Students,

I just updated grades in D2L.  Please take a look at the most recent discussion week grade, among the other grades, and email me if you have any questions.

Have a great night!
:)
The Blogging Prof.

Week of July 16-22

Hello Folks!

Here is what is listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages from D2L for this week.  The schedule for the entire semester, and the discussion questions for the entire semester are listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages, respectively.  In case you do not want to wait for the "Monday Post", you are more than welcome to get started by looking at those two pages on D2L.

Due this week:
*Read Chapter 8, Organizational Communication
*Read Chapter 11, Communication and the Mass Media
*QUIZ:  Chapters 6 & 8 (D2L)
*Participate in the discussion (see questions below)
*Start working on Journal #5. See D2L for the assignment sheet for Journal #5.
(NOTE:  The journal entries should be completed as I assign them, however, the entire journal will not be due until Saturday, July 29th.)

Class Discussion:
Answer one question in its entirety in each of your three separate posts, at least 12 hours apart. Please make sure you are creating a NEW POST for each question on your blog. You MUST WAIT at least 12 hours from the first post in order to create a second post. The same is true for the second and third post. I will record dates and time of your posts, so make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. EACH POST MUST BE 150 WORDS OR MORE.

1). Have you made friendships that exist exclusively in cyberspace?  If so, how are they different from f2f relationships?  If you have no formed cyber relationships, why not?

2). Do you agree with Marshall McLuhand that the medium is the message, i.e. that the format or logic of a medium is as important as its content, and, in fact, determines what content will be broadcast through that channel?  Evaluate his idea that television is a cool medium.

3). Pick one concept from Chapter 8, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs.  (As a reminder, comments will only be counted for the current discussion week. I do not go back to past discussion weeks to look for comments.  Once a discussion week is over, it's over.  So please make sure you are commenting on a relevant blog post.  In other words, pay close attention to the post, and date.
 

Comments - Remember to post ONE comment ON THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS between 12:01am on Monday and 11:59pm on Sunday. This means that you will log onto MY BLOG at: http://comm131p.blogspot.com/ and look under "Student Blogs" to see a list of your colleagues blogs. Click on those blogs, read what was posted for this week and respond. You need to make sure you are responding to only what was discussed THIS WEEK (starting Monday and ending Sunday of the current week). Comments posted to blogs that were NOT within this week will not be counted for points. Each comment must be a minimum of 100 words.

Note about comments: When you leave a comment on another blog, make sure you are logged into your blogspot account. In other words, you will need to make sure your "Display Name/Alias Name" shows up on the blog you are commenting on. I record the locations, dates and times of your comments. Please keep record of your posts and comments in case there I have questions about where they are located.

Study Abroad Summer 2013 - Beijing

The Blogging Prof. is leading a study abroad trip to Beijing during the summer of 2013!!!!!!      So if you want to study abroad with yours truly, please read the post below, then contact me so you can be placed on my 'interested students' list.  

Visit Beijing and earn four upper division units in communication studies!

During the summer of 2013 I will be leading an intercultural communication study abroad program to China, with a special emphasis on tourism, modernity, and urban life.

Students will stay at Communication University of China, which provides comfortable dormitory housing, low-cost meals, and easy access to the sights of Beijing.  Classes focus on conversation and real-life exploration, and you will have lots of free time.  That means opportunities to climb the Great Wall, wander the Forbidden City, experience the Peking Opera, and more.

Great Wall

Forbidden City

Peking Opera

Pricing (excluding airfare and visa fees) is about $2,500, which covers housing, course fees, food, and several local tours.  Cost for airfare and visa fees is estimated at an additional $1,500.  The course meets COMM 161F requirements, but course substitutions can be made if you've already taken that class.  If you a communication major, you should apply for this terrific opportunity.  However, this opportunity is open to all SJSU students.

Want to learn more:

Please contact me for more information.  I am currently putting together a list of students who are interested in traveling with me to Beijing for the Study Abroad Program during Summer 2013.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 6

"Our survival as social beings depends in large part on our interpersonal communication skills"

Interpersonal Communication theory is one of my favorite aspects of communication studies. When I was at school in the Midwest (for merely a semester), we conducted an experiment that went against interpersonal norms. For instance, we got in an elevator and faced the wrong direction to see how people would react. We also had 2 students go into a swanky department store, one dressed in sweats and the other dressed nicely, to see how the store attendants would treat each 'customer'. The results were as you would expect. The elevator riders became very uncomfortable when someone was facing the wrong direction, and the department store associates ignored the student dressed in sweats and offered help to the person dressed nicely.

Interpersonal communication has many facets. Your book covers dyadic communication, managing interpersonal communication, relational development (stages in intimate dyad's) which also includes Duck's Relational Dissolution Model (quite an interesting section), increasing relational skills (disclosure - always a great topic to study), managing interpersonal conflict, and becoming a more responsible communicator.

This chapter is, by far, one of my favorites in the book. Each of us engages in dyadic communication on a continual basis, and understanding some of these concepts might help to improve those relationships.

Personal Note: You all can probably see my passion when it comes to communication, but there is something special about interpersonal communication that draws me in. These are the weeks I wish that we were able to meet in person. Discussing personal experiences with interpersonal communication, conflict, etc... can really draw a class together.

When I was a graduate student at SJSU a number of years ago, I took Shawn Spano's graduate seminar on interpersonal communication. We studied many theories, covered many topics and shared many personal experiences. One of the major course assignments was about mediation (yet another facet of interpersonal communication). We had to mediate a disagreement between two people, and write a research paper about it. That assignment was one of the most interesting assignments I had completed in graduate school. It really showed the inner workings of a close, intimate relationship between two people, and it helped them to workout some issues they were encountering.

As you can see, interpersonal communication has many different facets. I hope that you all enjoy reading and discussing this week. I can't wait to read your posts and comments.

Week of July 9 - 15

Hello Folks!

Here is what is listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages from D2L for this week.  The schedule for the entire semester, and the discussion questions for the entire semester are listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages, respectively.  In case you do not want to wait for the "Monday Post", you are more than welcome to get started by looking at those two pages on D2L.

Due this week:
*Read Chapter 7, Group Communication
*Read Chapter 6, Interpersonal Communication
*Participate in the discussion (see questions below)
*Start working on Journal #4. See D2L for the assignment sheet for Journal #4.
(NOTE:  The journal entries should be completed as I assign them, however, the entire journal will not be due until Sunday, July 29th.)
*Quiz on D2L on Chapters 7 & 12.  Please log onto D2L before Saturday to take the quiz.
*Turn in the Concept Application Paper - due by Sunday night at 11:59pm.  Please follow the instructions for submission on the assignment sheet. 

Class Discussion:
Answer one question in its entirety in each of your three separate posts, at least 12 hours apart. Please make sure you are creating a NEW POST for each question on your blog. You MUST WAIT at least 12 hours from the first post in order to create a second post. The same is true for the second and third post. I will record dates and time of your posts, so make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. EACH POST MUST BE 150 WORDS OR MORE.

1). Which pattern (rigid complementarity, competitive symmetry, or submissive symmetry) do you think would be the most difficult to change? Why? Which would be the most damaging to a relationship? Which would be the most potentially damaging to the self-esteem of the individuals involved?

2). Think about the filters you use to eliminate people from consideration as potential romantic partners. What characteristics or behaviors lead you to judge others as unattractive? Does Duck’s theory make sense to you? Have you ever eliminated someone by using a sociological or pre-interaction cue only to reconsider them based on interaction and cognitive cues?

3). Pick one concept from Chapter 7, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs.  (As a reminder, comments will only be counted for the current discussion week. I do not go back to past discussion weeks to look for comments.  Once a discussion week is over, it's over.  So please make sure you are commenting on a relevant blog post.  In other words, pay close attention to the post, and date.
 

Comments - Remember to post ONE comment ON THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS between 12:01am on Monday and 11:59pm on Sunday. This means that you will log onto MY BLOG at: http://comm131p.blogspot.com/ and look under "Student Blogs" to see a list of your colleagues blogs. Click on those blogs, read what was posted for this week and respond. You need to make sure you are responding to only what was discussed THIS WEEK (starting Monday and ending Sunday of the current week). Comments posted to blogs that were NOT within this week will not be counted for points. Each comment must be a minimum of 100 words.

Note about comments: When you leave a comment on another blog, make sure you are logged into your blogspot account. In other words, you will need to make sure your "Display Name/Alias Name" shows up on the blog you are commenting on. I record the locations, dates and times of your comments. Please keep record of your posts and comments in case there I have questions about where they are located.

Grades have been updated in D2L

Hello Fabulous Students,

I just updated grades in D2L.  Please take a look at the most recent discussion week grade, among the other grades, and email me if you have any questions.

Have a great 4th of July everyone!
:)
The Blogging Prof.

Week of July 2-8

Hello Folks!

The only thing due this week is the Midterm Exam on D2L.  Please log onto D2L to take the exam.  It is open book, open notes and it covers Chapters 1-5, 9 & 10.  Remember that the midterm is timed, and it needs to be submitted by 11:59pm on Sunday night.  Please do not share answers or test questions with fellow classmates.

If you look on the schedule and syllabus, it notes that the Concept Application Paper is due by Sunday, July 8th.  However, I will extend the deadline to Sunday, July 15th.  Please continue to work on the Concept Application Paper.   It is downloadable on D2L.  If you have issues downloading the assignment sheet, please email me immediately.  I hope the extension helps you out a bit.  :)

Have a good week everyone!
:)
The Blogging Prof.

Grades have been updated in D2L

Hello Fabulous Students,

At the beginning of the week I updated grades in D2L.  Please take a look at the most recent discussion week grade, among the other grades, and email me if you have any questions.

Starting last week I will no longer email you individually regarding your grade in the class.  It is your responsibility to check grades at least once a week and email me if there are any discrepancies or issues.

Have a great weekend everyone!
:)
The Blogging Prof.

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 12

Usually during my Comm 105P classes I assign a paper called the Cultural Event Paper. The assignment requires students to find and attend a cultural event in the area and write a paper about their experience. I have found that over the years students have had a difficult time finding cultural events depending on the time in the semester the paper falls.

The Cultural Event Paper is one that I love. The richness of our discussions in class easily highlight the diversity we have in our virtual classroom. The Cultural Event Paper takes this a step further by focusing on culture outside of the classroom.

As you can probably tell by this point, I absolutely love when students take concepts from the course outside the classroom. Thus the journal assignment and the Movie Analysis (Concept Application Paper). I require students to observe and participate outside the classroom because communication is not simply a 'classroom concept'. We engage in communication concepts every single day, and I want my students to make the connection between concept and application.

Comm 105P is an experiential course which requires.....well, experience! How do we do that? We go out and put communication concepts into action. Intercultural Communication is one of those concepts that we should put into action because we engage in IC quite often. Especially being in California, IC is quite important.

I can't wait to read your posts from this week - it's one of my favorites!

Week of June 25 - July 1

Hello Folks!

Here is what is listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages from D2L for this week.  The schedule for the entire semester, and the discussion questions for the entire semester are listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages, respectively.  In case you do not want to wait for the "Monday Post", you are more than welcome to get started by looking at those two pages on D2L.

Due this week:
*Read Chapter 12, Intercultural Communication
*Participate in the discussion (see questions below)
*Work on Concept Application Paper - assignment sheet downloadable from D2L.  This assignment is scheduled to be due on July 8th. Be sure to use your book as "evidence". 
*Start working on Journal #3. See D2L for the assignment sheet for Journal #3.
(NOTE:  The journal entries should be completed as I assign them, however, the entire journal will not be due until Saturday, July 29th.)
*Study for the Midterm Exam next week.

Class Discussion:
Answer one question in its entirety in each of your three separate posts, at least 12 hours apart. Please make sure you are creating a NEW POST for each question on your blog. You MUST WAIT at least 12 hours from the first post in order to create a second post. The same is true for the second and third post. I will record dates and time of your posts, so make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. EACH POST MUST BE 150 WORDS OR MORE.

1). Do you agree with anthropologist Ruth Benedict that we are "creatures of our culture" and that our habits, beliefs, and impossibilities are shaped by our culture? If so, how can we break through the limits of our cultures?

2). Do you believe in the rationality, perfectability, and mutability premises? What social institutions and practices are based on these beliefs?

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs.  (As a reminder, comments will only be counted for the current discussion week. I do not go back to past discussion weeks to look for comments.  Once a discussion week is over, it's over.  So please make sure you are commenting on a relevant blog post.  In other words, pay close attention to the post, and date.
 

Comments - Remember to post ONE comment ON THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS between 12:01am on Monday and 11:59pm on Sunday. This means that you will log onto MY BLOG at: http://comm105p.blogspot.com/ and look under "Student Blogs" to see a list of your colleagues blogs. Click on those blogs, read what was posted for this week and respond. You need to make sure you are responding to only what was discussed THIS WEEK (starting Monday and ending Sunday of the current week). Comments posted to blogs that were NOT within this week will not be counted for points. Each comment must be a minimum of 100 words.

Note about comments: When you leave a comment on another blog, make sure you are logged into your blogspot account. In other words, you will need to make sure your "Display Name/Alias Name" shows up on the blog you are commenting on. I record the locations, dates and times of your comments. Please keep record of your posts and comments in case there I have questions about where they are located.

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 5

I am very excited about this week's discussion. These are the weeks I wish I could talk to you all face to face so we could really get into a deep discussion about nonverbal communication and share what we have learned through our reading, and of course through our life experiences. While I was in school I participated in a Nonverbal Research Study as a research assistant, which was quite interesting. Although the statistics in that particular research study did not prove to be significant, my conjecture was that the sample size was too small.

Now that you are probably asking, "What was the study about?"....I'll tell you briefly in case you are interested.

Dr. Tim Hegstrom, was is the Dean of Social Sciences at San Jose State University (recently retired), videotaped dyads to see if their body positioning matched each other during the course of their 10 minute conversation. Most of the participants did have matching body language at some point in the discussion (An example of this would be where one person crosses their arm, and the other follows shortly after. This could either be matching or mirroring with body positioning with legs, arms, etc...). I analyzed the videos one by one (I think there were 50 or so 10 minute videos) and recorded their body positioning to reflect matching, mirroring, or no correlation at all. I stopped the video every minute and recorded their body positions. Like I said, when we ran the statistics through SPSS (a statistical database), the results were not significant. But, had the research been done a bit differently, it absolutely would have produced statistically significant results. Had it proved significant, we probably would have been published in a Communication Journal, but alas, it was not written in the stars. :)

Needless to say, Nonverbal Communication interests me quite a bit. My husband's family is constantly trying to figure out if I'm analyzing them. A couple of years ago one of his family members looked over to a few people and asked me what their body language was saying. Of course this sparked a very interesting conversation between a few people, myself included.

Have fun with this weeks discussion.

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 4

Encoding Messages: Spoken Language 

Language gives us the power to affect and persuade others.  But language also exerts power over us.

Yesterday we looked at chapter 3 in the course text:  Decoding Messages:  Listening and Perception.  Today we are going to focus on the Spoken Language.  

The goals of this chapter are as follows:

1). Identify four important characteristics of language.

2). Explain what a symbol is.

3). Explain the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and give examples of ways language affects thought.

4).  Identify and describe the four subsystems of language.

5). Explain the four levels of context described in CMM theory.

6). Describe how private discourses differ from one another.

7). Name the functions of conversational closings.

8). Identify differences between men's and women's communication.

9). Explain how ambiguity, abstraction, and metaphor use affects our interactions.

The chapter starts out by defining language.  According to your text, "language can be defined as a rule-governed symbol system that allows its users to generate meaning and, in the process, to define reality."

Page 68 covers the four important characteristics of language:

1). It is made up of symbols

2). It is a kind of knowledge

3). It is rule governed and productive

4). It affects the way we experience the world

Moving onto the second goal of the chapter - symbol..  The book states it best, so I'll skip over this area of the chapter in this post.  However, it's important that you understand the concepts within this section, so don't skip over it.   I'll wait while you go ahead and read that section.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

I'm waiting for you to finish.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Good, are you done now?  Perfect, let's move on.  ;)

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, or the linguistic relativity hypothesis, basically says that thoughts and behavior are determined by language. (Do a simple google search for either or both terms, and see what you find.  It's fascinating!!!).  

In short, the book describes it as two correlating ideas:  1). Linguistic determinism, and 2). Linguistic relativity.  Both are very interesting to read about, especially if you have done a 3 minute google search on the idea.  There are a lot of differing opinions surrounding this idea. 

Next we come to the four subsystems of language.  The four subsystems are:

1). Phonology

2). Semantics

3). Syntactics

4). Pragmatics

Table 4.2 on page 75 briefly describes these ideas.  The text, pages 74-78 has great explanation of these ideas.

The text then moves onto something called CMM theory.  CMM theory means Coordinated Management of Meaning Theory.  Basically, this theory "provides a framework for understanding how individuals use context to assign pragmatic meaning.  CMM theorists believe that to communicate successfully, we must take into account four levels of context: episode, relationship, life script, and cultural pattern."  While this theory is interesting, it's not where I want to camp for a few minutes. Between this theory and where I want to camp is the idea of discourse.

The next section covers different forms of discourse, and covers a number of different topics such as:
*Understanding conversation
*Describing classroom interaction
*Dimensions of discourse
*Interactive discourse
*Coordinating conversational moves
*Conversational closings
Very interesting stuff if you ask me.  But go ahead and read it for yourself.  You'll see.  :)


Where I want to camp for a little while is Language and Social Identity.  This section starts on page 85, and covers Gender and Language.  One of your dicsussion questions this week focuses on this area of the chapter.

The question I posed was this: "Do you agree that men and women use language in different ways?  In what areas?


I'm brilliant for posing that question, aren't I?  ;)  Honestly though, isn't this a fascinating idea?  This section covers an introduction to Gender and Language, then moves onto a discussion of The Development of Gender Differences, Research on Gender and Communication, Problems in Interpreting Gender Differences, and finally, Adapting to Gender Differences.  

Gender and Communication (or language and your book states), is fascinating.  Just look at Table 4.5 on page 89.  How cool is the information presented in this table? 


When you are sitting around with your friends, these are the types of things you can whip out in conversation at any moment. 


"Hey Mike, did you know that women tend to talk more about private matters than men do?"


"No Sabrina, I didn't know that.  I mean, I assumed that was the case, but I wasn't sure that was true."


"Yeah, it's true, and I've got the research to prove it.  Let's look at my Comm 105P book together so I can show you.  And by the way, isn't my Comm 105P instructor the coolest?"


Kidding about that last part, but you see where I'm going with this section.  Gender and language, such a cool idea to study.


I hope you liked this chapter as much as I did.  I'm kind of a geek about ideas like this. 


Until tomorrow......
The Blogging Prof.
 

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 3

Decoding Messages:  Listening and Perception

Listening is the forgotten part of communication, yet being able to listen well is one of the most essential communication-related skills.

Chapter 3 is an interesting chapter.  It's all about listening and perception, as the title states.  Listening is an interesting concept because as Comm majors, we've probably learned about listening numerous times.  But let's look at some of the more useful and interesting points in this chapter.

Page 42 starts out by explaining the definition of listening, which is "the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages".  

Let's break this down a little:

Listening is "...the process of receiving..."......  we receive both verbal and nonverbal messages on a continual basis.  This can be in the form of a conversation, lecture, phone conference, etc....  There are many ways one can receive a message, wouldn't you agree?  But for the sake of this conversation, let's use a dyadic interaction as our basis.  When we have an interaction with another person, listening is a crucial part of the conversation.  Not just 'listening', but 'active listening'.  It is an active process.

Have you ever had a conversation with a person when you know they aren't listening to you?  Or better yet, they don't understand what you are trying to convey. This can be incredibly frustrating.

The next part of the definition is "...constructing meaning...".  What can we extrapolate based on these two words?  We construct, or build meaning based on what the other person in the conversation is saying.  How do we do that?  Through filters, through our personal life experience, and through our past interactions with the person we are having an active conversation with.  We actually construct, or build meaning!  The meaning that we build may, or may not be what was intended.  

Have you ever had someone misinterpret what you were saying?

And finally we come to the last part of the definition:  "...and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages." As we already are aware, communication is not just verbal, rather a combination of verbal and nonverbal messages.  The meaning of a statement can change drastically with tone of voice, facial expression, body language, etc...  So we must take both verbal communication and nonverbal communication into consideration when contemplating the definition of listening.

On page 42, it also talks about the difference between listening and hearing.  The book states that "Hearing is a physiological process that occurs when sound waves are translated into electrical impulses and then processed by the central nervous system.  Listening, on the other hand, is a social cognitive process."

These two are incredibly different. 

I won't reiterate everything the book covers, but there are some great ideas contained within the chapter.

For instance, page 44 starts a conversation about The Listening Process.  It would be incredibly easy to breeze through these pages, but resist the urge to skip through them.  The listening process is easy to grasp, so take some time to really absorb the material that is being given.  

Table 3.1 on page 45 is a great thing to review.  Very useful information.  

The rest of the chapter is fantastic.  It covers ideas like:

Voluntary and Involuntary Attention

Improving Attention

Interpretation

Using Cognitive Schemata

Becoming More Mindful

Improving Interpretation

Evaluation

Just to name a few......

Look out for another post tomorrow.

Until then......

The Blogging Prof.

Week of June 18 - 24

Hello Folks!

Here is what is listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages from D2L for this week.  The schedule for the entire semester, and the discussion questions for the entire semester are listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages, respectively.  In case you do not want to wait for the "Monday Post", you are more than welcome to get started by looking at those two pages on D2L.

Due this week:
*Read Chapter 3, Listening and Perception
*Read Chapter 4, Encoding Messages: Spoken Language
*Read Chapter 5, Encoding Messages: Nonverbal Communication
*Participate in the discussion (see questions below)
*Start working on Journal #2. See D2L for the assignment sheet for Journal #2.
(NOTE:  The journal entries should be completed as I assign them, however, the entire journal will not be due until Saturday, July 29th.)
*Complete Quiz #2 on D2L.  Quiz #2 will cover Chapters 9 & 10.

Class Discussion:
Answer one question in its entirety in each of your three separate posts, at least 12 hours apart. Please make sure you are creating a NEW POST for each question on your blog. You MUST WAIT at least 12 hours from the first post in order to create a second post. The same is true for the second and third post. I will record dates and time of your posts, so make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. EACH POST MUST BE 150 WORDS OR MORE.

1). Is it possible to perceive others without in some way judging or categorizing them? If so, how? If not, how can we make the judgments we do make more fair?

2). Do you agree that men and women use language differently? In what areas?  Give specific examples.

3). Pick one concept from Chapter 5 that you found useful or interesting and discuss it in detail.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs.  (As a reminder, comments will only be counted for the current discussion week. I do not go back to past discussion weeks to look for comments.  Once a discussion week is over, it's over.  So please make sure you are commenting on a relevant blog post.  In other words, pay close attention to the post, and date.
 

Comments - Remember to post ONE comment ON THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS between 12:01am on Monday and 11:59pm on Sunday. This means that you will log onto MY BLOG at: http://comm105p.blogspot.com/ and look under "Student Blogs" to see a list of your colleagues blogs. Click on those blogs, read what was posted for this week and respond. You need to make sure you are responding to only what was discussed THIS WEEK (starting Monday and ending Sunday of the current week). Comments posted to blogs that were NOT within this week will not be counted for points. Each comment must be a minimum of 100 words.

Note about comments: When you leave a comment on another blog, make sure you are logged into your blogspot account. In other words, you will need to make sure your "Display Name/Alias Name" shows up on the blog you are commenting on. I record the locations, dates and times of your comments. Please keep record of your posts and comments in case there I have questions about where they are located.

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 10

Preparing and Presenting Public Speeches

Public speaking offers the opportunity to speak up when it is important to do so, to develop ideas in one's own way, and to make a difference in the public sphere. (p.262)

Most of you have probably already taken Public Speaking, and if you haven't, I highly encourage you to do so.  There are some great instructors in the department who are great public speaking instructors.  I, for one, have been teaching public speaking for about 7 years at various colleges around California.  It always amazes me how anxious folks can get before they have the practice and skills behind them to prepare and present a speech. Then, at the end of the semester, folks tend to push away most of the anxiety and get straight to the point - presenting a speech of social significance prepared for exclusively by them to encourage change.  That is, by far, my favorite part about teaching a public speaking class.

I won't bore you with my opinion about public speaking, and the preparation of a speech, but I will summarize the current chapter for you in the Trenholm text.

After reading chapter 10, you should be able to:

1). Understand how public speeches differ from other forms of discourse.

2). Explain why it is important for speakers to understand audiences, and list some of the demographics that describe audience characteristics.

3). List sources speakers can go to for information about audience motivations and attitudes.

4). Explain the functions of the introduction and conclusion of a speech and describe techniques used in both.

5). Identify stock organizational patterns used to structure material in the body of the speech.

6). Be able to write a formal speech outline.

7). Know the difference between impromptu, extemporaneous and manuscript deliver.

8). Understand ways to manage anxiety.

9). Identify effective and ineffective use of visual aids.

10). Discuss the ethical responsibilities of the public speaker.

Goal of Chapter 10:
To explore ways students can become more effective public speakers; to explain how speakers go about analyzing audiences, organizing speech materials, and delivering public presentations.

I. The public speech is a unique form of communication.
This brief introduction section of the book, pg. 263, introduces the idea of public speaking.  As most of you already know from your public speaking classes, most speeches given in a public setting are usually organized, purposeful, and continuous presentations delivered to a group of receivers.  While in a normal conversation speakers and listeners are usually acquainted with one another, in public communication a speaker is generally presenting to a largely anonymous audience.  

II. In creating public messages, speakers must create a relationship with the audience.
Here's where we start getting into the nitty-gritty aspect of public communication.  When giving a speech, the speaker should always consider their audience, also called audience adaptation (p. 264).  A speaker should take into account the demographics of their audience.  Page 265 talks about demographic analysis, and defines it this way:  "Demographic analysis tells you about the groups to which audience members belong.  Knowing the age, sex, education level, religious affiliation, occupation, economic status, and cultural identification of audience members can help a speaker draw inferences about current beliefs and interests."  Why is this information important?  A speaker should write a speech for their particular audience. 

III. Public communication involves careful preparation and organization.
Public speeches can be divided into separate parts, each with its own function.  Let's start out with the introduction.  In the introduction, a speaker should strive to connect with their audience, and create a desire for an audience to listen to their speech.  Some instructors call this "gaining the attention of the audience".  However, it should be standard function of any speech. The course text goes over other things that can be included in an introduction, such as offering a greet, posing a rhetorical question, etc....  These are ways to connect with your audience, but entice them to listen and engage in what the speaker is saying.

The body of the speech should be organized in a pattern (see p.270-272 in the course text) to aid in the comprehension of the material being presented.  In the body of a speech, a speaker should lay out their major arguments, but also include internal previews, transition statement and internal summaries.  All of these function to help audiences understand and follow the structure of a speech.

A speech conclusion is the last chance a speaker has to gain agreement for their position.  It also serves to conclude the speech, reiterate the significance of the topic, and summarize the main ideas.  Just as the speaker did in the introduction, the speaker should ultimately end the speech strongly by using a quotation, illustration, added inducement or ending with a challenge.  This will allow the speaker to end with a bang instead of trailing off (as we have probably noticed this time and time again with speeches). 

IV. In public contexts, delivery becomes and important concern.
There are a number of ways to present a speech.  The one we focus on a bit more at Sierra College, and a number of other college's around California is the Extemporaneous Speaking Style.   In short, speaking extemporaneously means that a speech is preplanned, but not memorized.  The speech is well researched and outlined, but the speaker has not memorized the exact wording of the speech.  Therefore, while practicing the speech, it will sound different every time a speaker delivers the speech.

There is also Impromptu Speaking, which is a speaking situation where a speaker is confronted with a rhetorical situation, and delivers a speech on the spur of the moment.  This does not mean that the speech is disorganized.  In fact, in impromptu situations, organization is key.

Manuscript Speaking is also covered in the course text.  When precise wording is necessary, manuscript speaking is the preferred method.  However, one should note that speaking from a manuscript can be very difficult because one may not connect with the audience, use facial expressions, or nonverbal communication, and should be used only when necessary.

V. It is not necessary to be a "born speaker" to communicate effectively in the public spheres.
Some folks tend to think that they aren't good at public speaking because they aren't 'born a natural public speaker'.  Well, let's demystify this - no one is a 'born speaker'.  Great public speakers need to work at their interesting introductions, their speech organization, the research that goes into a speech, and their strong conclusions.  It is a learned skill, not a 'natural skill'. 

VI. Public Communicators must strive to communicate responsibly.
Page 277 begins a discussion about being a responsible speaker.  Going back to chapter 1, there are guidelines we talked about when it came to the history of communication.  Those guidelines or ideas are still in effect today.  We can't just throw ethos, pathos and logos out the window.  A speaker must assume the ethical responsibilities of a speaker by presenting the whole truth (not half truths), and speakers should encourage critical thinking and critical evaluation of their messages.

As we can see, communicating in the public sphere is something that requires great responsibility.  Have you already taken a public speaking course?  Is this review information?  Or is this information new to you?

Instructor Wrap Up - Trenholm Chapter 9

Public Communication 

Public communication does not belong to only the famous; - every day, all over the country, average people stand up and speak to audience and, in doing so, make a difference. pg. 234

This phrase is the very basis of the course project you are currently working on.  Public Communication - it's about much more than organizing, writing and presenting a speech.  It is truly about making a difference as the quote about states.  

After reading chapter 9, you should be able to:

1). Explain characteristics and purposes of communication in the public sphere.

2). Know the social functions and personal consequences of public communication.

3). Explain why it is important to understand audience beliefs, attitudes, and values.

4). Understand how credibility, attractiveness, and power enhance speaker effectiveness.

5). Use the Toulmin model to diagram and evaluate an argument.

6). Give examples of authoritative, motivational, and substantive appeals.

7). Distinguish arguments from cause, sign, generalization, and analogy and identify the kinds of fallacies associated with each.

This chapters starts out by defining Public Communication.  It is a one-to-many form of communication wherein a single speaker addresses a large audience.  

The book then moves onto a discussion about Social Functions of Rhetoric.  Here are some examples from the text:

*Discovering Facts

*Testing Ideas

*Persuading Others

*Shaping Knowledge

*Building Community 

*Distributing Power

Page 240 moves onto a discussion about Evaluating Public Communication.  Does this ring a bell?  If not, it certainly should.  This is what your first paper is all about - evaluating, analyzing, critiquing, observing, etc... a public presentation.  Consider the following sub ideas in the text:

Physical setting

Medium 

Occasion

History as context 

Rhetorical Situation

These ideas can greatly affect a public presentation.  If we were in a f2f (that's face-to-face) classroom setting, we would probably have a lengthy discussion about how each of these can influence the message of a speaker.  

The text then moves to a discussion about The Audience-Speaker Relationship (pg 242).  Wow, this is a cool section.  I'm going to geek out about this for a second........

The Audience-Speaker Relationship, as written in your course text is quite important.  There are a number of different facets that are involved in this.  

Audience Attitudes and Change

Beliefs

Attitudes

Values

Source Characteristics and Audience Response (logos, pathos, ethos)

Internalization, credibility, identification, attractiveness, compliance, power

And on and on and on......  But get this - these are things that can greatly influence an audience.  How do these things relate to the public presentation you are going to observe, or have observed for the coming project? 

The book then moves onto the Toulmin Model on pages 250-251.  You can read a bit about Stephen Toulmin by clicking on his name.  Here is a comprehensive explanation of the Toulmin Model as noted by About.com.  In short, this model has a number of different steps.  Your book outlines these steps as:

1). Claim (what the speaker wishes the audience to accept)

2). Qualifier (indicates the strength of the claim)

3). Data (audience members want data to support claims)

4). Warrant (connecting link between data and claim is called the warrant)

5). Backing (additional evidence)

6). Rebuttal or Reservation (this is a statement of the conditions under which the claim does not hold true)

Page 252 does a great job of explaining how to use the Toulmin Model in everyday argumentation.

The text goes on to explain Types of Arguments.  

*Authoritative Argument

*Motivational Argument

*Substantive Argument

What a cool chapter.  I know I'm a bit geeky about this chapter, but I really do love the idea and purpose of Public Communication.  I can't wait to see how y'all critically analyze your respective presentations.

FAQ

Some of you have emailed me with questions and I thought it would be helpful if the entire class saw the answers. Here you go:

1). Q- Do I have to post on 3 different blogs? Or can I post two or three times on the same blog as long as they are different posts?
A- You should comment on 3 different blogs is possible, but will not be deducted points for commenting on the same blog..

2). Q- How do you keep track of our posts and comments?
A- I keep track of every post and comment on a spreadsheet every week we have a discussion. Each post you make on your blog will have a date and time stamp and I keep track of them to make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. Then, I check all comments made for that week. I will record the location of your comments.

3). Q- If I comment on someones post from last week, will I get credit?
A- No, I only check the blog posts for that week. Make sure you are checking the dates of the posts you are commenting on and of course, the content of the question to make sure it is an appropriate post.

4). Q- Do comments have to be at least 100 words?
A- Yes, while posts require 150 words, comments need to be at least 100 words. I do word counts on all posts and comments to make sure you are reaching the word minimum. Of course you can post more than the minimum amount of words required, but please meet the minimum.

5). Q- Should I keep track of the location of my comments?
A- Yes. Please keep track of comments and locations in case there is a discrepancy in recording or grading.  Please use the "Track Posts and Comments" form I have uploaded to D2L.

6). Q- What do I post as a comment?
A- Whatever you'd like as long as it has to do with the content of the post and related to the question I have asked. You can agree, disagree, add to the comment, ask thoughtful questions to the poster,give feedback, etc.... The comment content is up to you as long as it relates to course material, and of course the post itself.

7). Q- If I comment back to someone on my blog, do I get credit for it?
A- In short, no. You will only get credit for your three posts and three comments on other people's blogs. However, when someone asks you a question face to face, do you ignore them or give them the courtesy of an answer?

8). Q- How do you grade posts?
A- Content, answering the question in full, expressed thoughtfulness of course content and of course word count.

9). Q- Can I post to my blog and comment at the same time?
A- Yes. You only need to worry about posting 12 hours apart on YOUR blog. You can comment anytime as long as it is within our discussion week (12:01am on Monday through 11:59pm on Sunday). You can post to your blog and then comment at the same time.....or you can do all three comments at the same time. As long as the posts on your blog are 12 hours apart, go ahead and make three comments on three different blogs at any point during our discussion week. Make sure you comment on a qualifying post on the other persons blog. This means you must comment on a post that was made during the current discussion week.