COMMUNICATION STUDIES 344
RELATIONAL COMMUNICATION
INSTRUCTOR: JIMMIE MANNING
Course Description (from KU Undergraduate Catalog)
This course studies communication issues, theories, research and skills applicable to sustaining and enriching long-term relationships and close workplace collaborations. Emphasis is given on applying course concepts to students’ own relationships and interaction in class.
Text and Materials
Course Goals
Elaboration upon Course Goals
In this course you will learn about communication between people involved in
close personal relationships (family members, friends, co-workers, roommates,
etc.), where the most important, most frequent, and most challenging
interactions in our lives occur.
People in close relationships interact frequently and in a multitude of ways, so
relational partners must collaborate effectively. But every individual is
unique. No two people want to handle every situation they encounter in the same
or compatible ways. Relational partners inevitably view many situations and
behaviors differently, and each wants the other partner to think or act as they
would prefer. How they think about and deal with such differences greatly
influences the quality of their relationships. The better relational partners
communicate when they differ, the better their relationship is.
Consequently, in this course, we will explore: a) the ways people often differ
and b) the ways they can communicate effectively about these differences. You
will increase your insight and skill in handling the major relational
communication challenges that influence the quality of personal relationships in
your everyday life.
You also will apply the same relational communication concepts and skills to
your interactions within our class, as you communicate within a group of peers.
So you will practice relational communication every time we meet.
By the end of this course you should be better able to:
A) Describe yourself--know what your own relational communication beliefs and
behavioral patterns are.
B) Understand your relational partners--know better how your relational partners
(rps) view themselves and what you say and do, and how you differ.
C) Strengthen your relationships--have the perspective and attitudes needed to
value and do what will enhance good will between you and your rps.
D) Know and use more strategies and specific messages for handling relational
communication when differences with rps occur.
E) Help your relational partners to better understand and to improve their
relationships with other people.
Course Agreements – This course
presents challenges that differ from most others. In this course, the learning
process is concerned with relational communication phenomena that people deal
with every day. In this class they will be discussed in everyday terms.
This course asks for more of
two kinds of work than most college courses require: writing and talking.
First, you will regularly be putting down on paper your thoughts about the
topics addressed in this course. Written assignments provide opportunities to
think through and apply to your own life ideas about relational communication.
Doing them will help make course ideas your own, provide a record of your
thinking to refer back to when you're talking in your group (and later when
you're on your own in the years ahead), bring new ideas to mind as you write,
raise new questions you hadn't considered before, clarify what you believe and
value about relationships, and compare your beliefs with what others in your
group think and what you actually do when dealing with people.
Second, you also will be pursuing much learning through oral communication with
the other students enrolled in this class. You will be sharing your opinions and
personal experiences, hearing what other people have to say about the same
matters, and checking out your assumptions about how other people think about
relational communication. So you are not just on your own here, nor are you in
competition with anyone else. Instead everyone is interdependent.
What you say and do makes a big difference to what others get out of this class;
what they say and do affects you. You can't do well without them, nor can they
without you. You need each other, and with mutual support you will learn much
more than you could by yourself.
Interdependence works best when people share some common values and abide by
some agreements. A value essential to your own and others' learning is
"wholehearted participation," or willingness to engage to the best of your
ability in the learning experiences of this course. I hope you will be
open-minded and risk-taking when reading the course material, attending class
sessions, interacting in your group, and contributing to others' efforts to
learn. This course cannot be "given" to you. It can only provide opportunities
for learning. You must reach out and work with them. You must ask for and give
assistance to others. We are all connected here. We are involved in a
communication network that needs every individual in it to function.
Participation in this course involves choosing to make the following agreements.
These really are important principles for making this course successful. So
examine them and consider how willing you are to commit to fulfilling them.
a. I agree to be responsible for creating value for myself in this course. I
will do my very best to find or create something of value in every class session
and homework assignment.
b. I genuinely want to talk and learn about this course's approach to relational
communication for the time I will be in this class. So I will stick with the
course ideas as best I can, welcome them being brought to my attention when I
stray, help others to consider them, and be willing to apply them when that
makes sense even if that takes effort.
c. I agree to support my classmates' efforts to learn. I accept that I am a
major source of their learning in this course, and I will do my best to
contribute to group activities and to react to others honestly and openly.
d. I agree to attend all class sessions meetings on time and to stay until they
end, unless an emergency comes up. I agree to let a group member know as soon as
I know I cannot attend or must be late.
e. I agree to do the written assignments as scheduled. I understand that how
well I do these assignments affects the quality of my group's experience, as
well as my own.
f. I agree to handle any complaints I may have by communicating them to someone
who can do something about them. I won't gossip about people or whine about them
behind their back. I will work things out with the person involved, whether
that's a group member, my facilitator, or the course professor.
g. I want to keep my agreements for this course, so I want others to tell me
when they believe I am not doing so fully and for us to discuss those matters
frankly with each other.
h. I will keep confidential what people share in my group.
i. I will refrain from talking, doing other
classwork, or being disruptive during the course lectures.
If you cannot adhere to these guidelines, please drop this course immediately.
It is not fair to the other students to have someone in this type of course who
cannot adhere to this code of respect.
Course Structure
For the most part, this course will follow a unique structure. Mondays will regularly serve as lecture days. The lecture will begin promptly at the beginning of class and will last throughout the entire class period. Please do not ask questions about assignments or other activities on the Monday lecture days. Wednesdays will serve as either a media day or an activity day. These days will involve participating in an activity or exploring various media and discussing these as they relate to course material. Then, on Fridays, we will come together for group discussion days. Each Friday you will break into your relational discussion groups that are led by an undergraduate teaching assistant. In these groups, you will discuss experiences related to your own life regarding the topic of the week that was lectured upon in the Monday lecture and enhanced by the Wednesday discussion. To assist in discussion, worksheets will be provided. These worksheets are to be filled out in advance of the discussion periods, and the worksheets must be turned in to your undergraduate teaching assistant at the end of the discussion period. Before each discussion period begins, the class will be given an opportunity to ask questions about any upcoming assignments or any other class policies about which they are confused.
Also structured into the course are various assignments. These are detailed as follow:
WEEKLY WORKSHEETS (150 points, or 15%)
Success in this course is dependent upon completing class readings and understanding the material presented in lectures. Because so much of the learning is dependent upon your having read and comprehended the information presented, the instructor will provide weekly worksheets via Blackboard containing questions and activities related to the content of the particular chapter or unit. You must provide an appropriate and concise (yet clear and competent) answer for each question and have each week’s worksheet ready to turn in on the discussion day for each week. Since you will have exactly fifteen question sheets to read and return, and since each question sheet is worth ten points, you must turn in every question sheet to be eligible for the full 150 points. Please realize, too, that simply filling in a question sheet is not earning points. You must provide an acceptable answer. Late worksheets will not be accepted under any circumstance.
ATTENDANCE (400 points, or 40%)
Because just about all of the learning in this course comes from interaction presented in the lectures, discussion groups, and activities or media discussions, simply attending class will aid in learning the material. With that in mind, 400 points are allotted to each student simply for showing up to class on time. In order to receive all 400 points, students should arrive to class on time, have all work completed, and be active in class discussion and activity. Students may miss three class periods without having any points deducted from the 400 point total; however, each additional class period missed after the three initially missed periods will result in ten points being deducted from the total for each class period missed. Missing a class will be defined as not being present when the instructor takes attendance or if a student does not have a worksheet ready to turn in on the discussion day. The instructor also reserves the right to deduct up to fifty points from this grade total if you are not adequately participating in classroom discussion.
MIDTERM AND FINAL PROJECT (400 points, or 40%)
Students will be provided with a list of projects that explore issues in relational communication. From this list of projects, students will select two and have one completed by the middle of the semester and one completed by the close of the semester. Each project will be worth up to 200 points, and completion of the projects should demonstrate an exploration of a relational communication issue or issues. More details will be provided about the projects at a later date.
ARTICLE REPORT (50 points, or 5%)
Each student will read an article related to relational communication. This article will be assigned by the instructor. Students must locate a copy of the article, create an original and informative annotated bibliography for the article, and provide a copy of both for the instructor. More information about this assignment will be provided on a future date.
Tentative Class Schedule
Aug 20 Course review (Syllabus distributed and discussed)
Aug 23 Lecture: How do we study relationships and social support?
Readings: The Dialectic Approach (BB); Social Support in Relationships (E)
Aug 25 Activity: Mock interviews
Aug 27 Discussion: What, personally, do you want from this course?
Aug 30 Lecture: Why gender is so important
Readings: The Meaning of Gender in a Transitional Era (E); The Meaning of Personal Relationships (E)
Sept 1 Activities: Playing house; He said/She said
Sept 3 Discussion: What don’t you get about the opposite sex?
Sept 6 No school – Enjoy Labor Day!
Sept 8 Lecture: That’s what friends are for
Readings: Gendered Styles of Friendship (E); The Process of Relationship Development and Deterioration: Turning Points in Friendships that Have Deteriorated (ASAP)
Sept 10 Discussion: What do you value in a friendship?
Sept 13 Lecture: Love!
Readings: Gendered Romantic Relationships (E); Love (BB)
Sept 15 Activity: The Love Survey
Sept 17 Discussion: What do we hide from our romantic partners?
Sept 20 Lecture: This does not compute
Readings: The Good the Bad and the Internet (ASAP); Internet and Face to Face Communication: Not Functional Alternatives (ASAP)
Sept 22 Media: You’ve Got Mail
Sept 24 Discussion: What are the pros and cons of internet relationships?
Sept 27 Lecture: Doing it
Readings: Flirting with Meaning: An Examination of Miscommunication in Flirting Interactions (ASAP); Slut! Insult of Insults (E)
Sept 29 Media: Sex and the City
Oct 1 Discussion: How does sex change how we relate to each other?
Oct 4 Lecture: The scary side of “relationships”
Readings: Jealousy (E); “I Wasn’t Raped, but . . .” (E); Raped: A Male Survivor Breaks His Silence (E); Sexual Harassment (E)
Oct 6 Media: What’s Love Got to Do With It?
Oct 8 Discussion: How do we subtly control each other in relationships?
Oct 11 Lecture: Here comes the bride
Readings: Brideland (E); Pro/Con: Should Same-Sex Marriages be Legalized? (E)
Oct 13 Discussion: What does marriage mean to a relationship?; First project due
Oct 15 FALL BREAK – Enjoy!
Oct 18 Lecture: Family matters
Readings: Oh, Those Family Values (E); Communication Tools Introduction (BB)
Oct 20 Media: Doing Time on Maple Drive
Oct 22 Discussion: Why is it so hard to be honest with our families?
Oct 25 Lecture: D-I-V-O-R-C-E
Readings: Relatively Speaking (E); Communication Tools: My Way (BB)
Oct 27 Media: Once and Again
Oct 29 Discussion: How does a divorce affect other relationships?
Nov 1 Lecture: You won’t believe these people I work with!
Readings: Generation Xers and Their American Dream (E); Measuring Success (E); Masculine Norms in Professional Life (E)
Nov 3 Activities: Gossip tree; Who’s the boss?
Nov 5 Discussion: How personal can we get at work?
Nov 8 Lecture: Oh. My. God.
Readings: The Consequences of Interreligious Hatred: The Case of Bosnia and Its Lessons for World Peace (ASAP); Getting to Know About You and Me (E)
Nov 10 Media: Mermaids
Nov 12 Discussion: How does religion affect our relationships?
Nov 15 Lecture: Far beyond black and white
Readings: Interracial Practices, Interracial Posturing: Myths and Trends (E); Mock Feminism (E)
Nov 17 Activity: Playing detective
Nov 19 Discussion: What are the difficulties or interracial relationships?
Nov 22 Media: Home for the Holidays
Nov 24 & 26 THANKSGIVING BREAK – Enjoy!
Nov 29 Lecture: The extraordinary ordinary
Readings: Communication Tools: The Middle Way (BB); The Other Body: Reflections of Difference, Disability, and Identity Politics (E); Home Interaction of High and Low Antisocial Male Alcoholics and Their Families (ASAP)
Dec 1 Activity: Community corner; Confrontation workshop; Journal article due
Dec 3 Discussion: How does addiction and disorder affect our relationships?
Dec 6 Lecture: Death and Dying
Readings: Coping with Death: Helping Students Grieve (ASAP); Death as Portrayed to Adolescents through Top 40 Rock and Roll Music (ASAP)
Dec 8 Discussion: How do we relate after someone dies?
Dec 14 Final project due – 1 Bailey Hall between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.