This course will serve as an introduction to the department and to the field of Communication, by familiarizing you with a range of questions, perspectives, and ideas that inform our research. The course has a broad reach, from understanding the intricate dynamics of face-to-face interactions to examining the most profound changes in modern society. Always, the practices, processes, and implications of communication serve as the lens for understanding human sociality. The course uses a "case studies" approach, drawing on real and pressing issues and controversies from the world around you, as examples, or at least excuses, for thinking through fundamental elements of Communication study and research. By the end, you should have not only a map of the kind of work done in this department, and a set of fundamental tools for thinking about communication challenges in your own lives, but also a real sense of what it means to be a social scientist - how and why to examine deep and pressing challenges in our world by approaching them with an analytical mind, posing and testing specific questions, and connecting what you find to broader theoretical thinking about why things work as they do.

requirements

This course is designed for courteous, motivated students who attend all class sessions, do all the reading, and ask questions when they don't understand something. I go on the assumption that you have chosen this course for a good reason, and have made a personal commitment to getting the most out of it that you can. This means not just completing the assignments and doing what is expected, but bringing your curiosity and insight to the class as you do so.

reading: the most important assignment is to complete all of the reading assigned, thoughtfully and on time; comprehension of the materials is crucial to your success in this course. You should come to every class prepared to discuss the readings due that day; by prepared, I mean that you could explain the major concepts (without having to flip back through the reading) and link them to other perspectives from that section of the course and the sections previous. Take notes as you read, write down questions that arise. Read outside the course, and jot down interesting examples and connections that you come across.

participation: Although this is a large lecture course, your participation is essential. Listen carefully. Take lots of notes on lectures and readings - not to transcribe what I have to say (I post the lecture slides after class precisely so you don't have to do this), but to digest and make sense of it. Take advantage of opportunities to participate. Ask questions in lecture or over email. Use my office hours, or go see your TA with questions.

exams: There will be three short take-home exams, as the schedule indicates. They will consist largely of short answer questions, that ask you not to regurgitate what you've read and heard in the class, but to reflect on, assess, connect, and contrast the important ideas and theories you encounter in the course. These exams are not cumulative; each focuses only on the materials covered since the exam that preceded it. (30% each)

attendance: attendance will be taken in the form of "1-minute reading response papers" in class, and other mini-assignments, scattered throughout the course. When these happen will be at my discretion. Attendance counts towards your overall grade, and cannot be made up - but you do get two "freebies," to account for unavoidable absences. If you miss class, you are responsible to get notes from a classmate, download and make sure you understand the lecture slides. (10%)

materials

book: This course has one text book: Stephen Littlejohn and Karen Foss, eds., Theories of Human Communication, 9th ed. (2007). If you're buying used, be sure to check that you have the latest version, the 9th edition. Print copies are available at the Cornell Bookstore, or from online retailers; the book can also be "leased" as an ebook at CengageBrain. (For Comm majors especially, I recommend investing in the print copy, so you can refer back to it throughout the major.)

online: many of the readings are available online; this is indicated by a link on the syllabus. The online readings are often of a scholarly nature, and should be treated as just as important as the book chapters.

Blackboard: The remainder of the readings posted in the Blackboard course space. On the syllabus they're marked with a B on the syllabus. Be sure to go to Blackboard during the first week of class, sign up for a Blackboard account if you do not already have one, and then "enroll" in Comm1101-Gillespie-Fall2010. The Blackboard space will include readings, in the "Readings" folder, and the course syllabus; I will also use the Blackboard space to post my lecture slides after each class, and to record your grades and communicate them to you.

office hours, availability

My office hours are Thursdays, 10-12 in 315 Kennedy. The TAs will announce their office hours on Blackboard soon. Office hours are set aside for you - feel free to stop by office hours without an appointment. The rest of our time is set aside for meetings, class prep, writing, etc. If you want to see us outside regular office hours, please make an appointment by email. We are happy to answer simple questions over email or after class, but office hours are the best way to get your questions answered.

guest lecturers

We have several guest lecturers joining our class, Communication faculty whose research expertise offers a unique addition to the discussion. These are key moments to sample other professors and perspectives in our department. Guest lectures should be treated with the same seriousness as regular lectures, meaning: [1] You must attend guest lectures. (I will take attendance on those days.) [2] You should take notes, and participate thoughtfully. [3] Material from the guest lectures will be on exams.

extra credit

There are two ways to earn extra credit for this course. You may do any combination of the two, but can earn a maximum of 3.0 extra credit points.

1. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the research process, you're encouraged to participate as a subject in faculty or graduate student research studies on campus. To do this, [1] sign up through the Susan (http://susan.psych.cornell.edu/) research system run by the Psychology department, [2] select Communication 1101 as the course you want to receive extra credit for, and then [3] sign up for one of the listed research projects available at that time. Once you sign up for a study, Susan will give you instructions on how and when you will participate. Please, if you sign up for research, be diligent about actually going, being on time, etc. (Participating in research that is not approved for this course through Susan cannot be used to earn this extra credit.)

Susan gives out points based on 30-minute time intervals. (In other words, a research project that requires an hour of your time will give you 2 Susan points.) Earning one Susan point will earn you 0.5 extra credit point on top of your course grade.

2. You can also receive extra credit by attending an academic lecture on campus that is broadly related to the topics covered in this class. I will announce talks I hear about; if you know of a talk you think is relevant that I haven't mentioned, please ask me before you attend so I can give the OK, and potentially announce it in class for the benefit of others). After attending the lecture, write a 2-paragraph email to me discussing how the lecture connected to issues covered in 1101. Attending a lecture earns 1.0 extra credit point on top of your course grade.

academic intergirty

From the Cornell Code of Academic Integrity:

"Absolute integrity is expected of every Cornell student in all academic undertakings. Integrity entails a firm adherence to a set of values, and the values most essential to an academic community are grounded on the concept of honesty with respect to the intellectual efforts of oneself and othersÉ A Cornell student's submission of work for academic credit indicates that the work is the student's own. All outside assistance should be acknowledged, and the student's academic position truthfully reported at all times. In addition, Cornell students have a right to expect academic integrity from each of their peers.

1. A student shall in no way misrepresent his or her work.
2. A student shall in no way fraudulently or unfairly advance his or her academic position.
3. A student shall refuse to be a party to another student's failure to maintain academic integrity.
4. A student shall not in any other manner violate the principle of academic integrity."

additional resources

The University has some additional resources to help you out. These are not remedial programs, and often the best and most advanced students use them:

The Writing Walk-In program, part of the Knight Institute, has tutors who can answer questions about writing or look over drafts of written work. They can help if you're struggling with writing, if English is not your first language, or if you're an excellent writer trying to get even better. http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute/walkin/walkin.htm.

The Learning Strategies Center provides specific help with Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Math, and Physics courses, but also offer workshops and advice for better study skills more generally, including advice on managing your time, preparing for exams, reducing academic stress, and making you a more effective student. http://lsc.sas.cornell.edu/.

The Office of Students Disabilities Services (SDS) provides a broad range of support and services to assist students with disabilities. They are located in room 420 of the Computing & Communications Center building, 607-254-4545 and online at http://sds.cornell.edu/.

Students who require special accommodations for attending class or taking exams should register with the SDS Office now, and bring me the letter they provide explaining what accommodations best suit your learning.

Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS), part of the Gannett Health Center on Ho Plaza, provide an array of counseling to undergraduates experiencing stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, or challenges in adjusting to college life. You can make an appointment by calling them at 607-255-5155 or online at http://www.gannett.cornell.edu/gannett/services/counseling/caps/.

Aug 25 -- introduce the course

Aug 27 -- communication as a question, as a department, as a field

LITTLEJOHN & FOSS, Chapter 1 (Chapter 1 is available online)
David Morley, "Communication" in Bennett, Grossberg, and Morris, eds., New Keywords: A Revised Vocabulary for Culture and Society

LITTLEJOHN & FOSS, Chapter 2

LITTLEJOHN & FOSS, Chapter 3

Sept 3 -- Unit 1: communication and the everyday / arriving at college (setup)

Cornell University, "Profile of the Class of 2014"
David Skorton, Cornell University, "2010 New Student Convocation Address"
Gannett Health Services, Cornell University, "Relationship Stress"
Joe Smydo, "First year college students often fail as 'life intervenes'," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 9.2.2008<>

Sept 8 -- the character of conversation
Special guest: Prof. Jeff Hancock

Sept 10 -- communication in its social context

LITTLEJOHN & FOSS, Chapter 6

[go back and read one reading you "missed" the first time]

LITTLEJOHN & FOSS, part of Chapter 4 [82-98]
"Facebook Is 'Social Glue' for University Freshmen" ScienceDaily 10.14.2008

James Carey, "A Cultural Approach to Communication" from Communication as Culture http://www3.niu.edu/acad/gunkel/coms465/carey.html

Sept 20 -- influence / the obesity epidemic (setup)

Elizabeth Kolbert, "Why Are We So Fat?" The New Yorker 7.20.2009
Bryan Walsh, "It's Not Just Genetics" Time 6.12.2008

LITTLEJOHN & FOSS, part of Chapter 5 [119-132] and part of Chapter 4 [69-81]

Stephen Hilgartner, Chapter 2 of Science on Stage: Expert Advice as Public Drama

[go back and read one reading you "missed" the first time]

LITTLEJOHN & FOSS, part of Chapter 5 [132-141]

Brian Wilcox, et al, "Report of the APA Task Force on Advertising and Children" (2004)
required: pp 1-43; optional: 55-63
Michael Schudson "Advertising: Hit or Myth?" Media Values (1986)

Oct 4 -- the ethics of the communicator

National Communication Association (NCA) "Credo for Ethical Communication"
Randy Cohen, "Properly Speaking the Improper" New York Times 7.2.2010
David Barstow and Robin Stein, "Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News," The New York Times 3.13.2005

assignment: complete the Cornell "Recognizing and Avoiding Plagiarism" tutorial; print the "Thank You" page at the end that indicates your score, and turn that in to me in class.

Trip Gabriel, "Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age," New York Times 8.1.2010

The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, "Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research" ("The Belmont Report") 1979.

Oct 11 -- No class: Fall Break

Oct 13 -- groups, networks, organizations / peer collaboration in the information industry (setup)

Thomas Malone, Chapters 1 and 4 from The Future of Work

LITTLEJOHN & FOSS, Chapter 8

[go back and read one reading you "missed" the first time]

Anabel Quan-Haase, Joseph Cothrel, and Barry Wellman, "Instant Messaging for Collaboration: A Case Study of a High-Tech Firm" Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

Stacey Schiff, "Know it All: Can Wikipedia Conquer Expertise?" The New Yorker 7.31.2006
Shaun Slattery, "Edit This Page: The Socio-technological Infrastructure of a Wikipedia Article," Proceedings of the 27th ACM International Conference on Design of Communication

LITTLEJOHN & FOSS, Chapter 9

Malcolm Gladwell, "Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg," The New Yorker Jan 1999
Adam Kleinbaum and Michael Tushman, "Managing Corporate Social Networks," Harvard Business Review Jul-Aug 2008

Oct 29 -- media and the individual (setup)

The Project for Excellence in Journalism, "Return to Normalcy? How the Media Have Covered the War on Terrorism: CNN v. FOX"
Steven Kull, Clay Ramsey, and Evan Lewis, "Misperceptions, the Media, and the Iraq War" (summary)
Jane Mayer, "Whatever it Takes: The politics of the man behind 24" The New Yorker 2.19.2007

LITTLEJOHN & FOSS, Chapter 10

[go back and read one reading you "missed" the first time]

Glenn Sparks, Cheri Sparks, and Erin Sparks, "Media Violence," in Bryant and Oliver, Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research, 3rd ed.

Walter Lippmann, Public Opinion, "The World Outside and the Pictures in Our Heads"
Michael Schudson, "What's Unusual about Covering Politics as Usual," in Zelizer and Allan, eds., Journalism after September 11

Russell Frank, "When the going gets tough, the tough go photoshopping: September 11 and the newslore of vengeance and victimization." New Media & Society (2004)
Henry Jenkins, "From Participatory Culture to Participatory Democracy" 3.5.2007

Eric Alterman, "Out of Print: The death and life of the American newspaper" The New Yorker 3.31.2008
Michael Massing, "The News about the internet," New York Review of Books 8.13.2009

Nov 15 -- immersion in a media universe (from case 4)

David Altheide, "Consuming Terrorism," Symbolic Interaction (2004)

Carolyn Marvin, Chapter 1 of When Old Technologies Were New

Paul DiMaggio, Eszter Hargittai, W. Russ Neuman, and John Robinson, "Social Implications of the Internet," Annual Review of Sociology (2001)
"And Then There Were Eight" Mother Jones 3.2007

James Curran, "What Democracy Requires of the Media," in Overholser and Jamieson, eds., The Institutions of American Democracy: The Press

Nov 26 -- No class: Thanksgiving

Nov 29 -- citizen journalism and social media

Alfred Hermida, "Twittering the News" Journalism Practice (2010)

Zizi Papacharissi, "The Virtual Public Sphere 2.0" in Chadwick and Howard, eds., The Handbook of Internet Politics

Dec 3 -- conclusion

LITTLEJOHN & FOSS, Afterword