C205 Introduction to Communication & Culture

[note: this description is for general information only; students enrolled in the course should download a revised and updated syllabus from Oncourse]

Description:  Many of us tend to think of the process of communication as going something like this:  (1) we get an idea, (2) we put that idea into words or images or actions, (3) we send those words or images or actions to another person, and (4) that other person decodes the words or images or actions to find the idea that we put into them.  In this view, "communication" is a sort of container for ideas, or a handy way to transmit data from one place to another.  This way of thinking focuses our attention not on the "communication" but on the ideas it contains.  The words or images or actions that are used to transport the information are of no particular interest.  In fact, from this point of view, the very best or ideal form of communication would not call attention to itself at all.  In this view, communication should be transparent -- a clear, concise, and simple conduit through which ideas and data travel from one human brain to another.

This course is designed to challenge these assumptions.  This course urges you to see that communication is never merely a neutral container for data and ideas that are created somewhere else.  Rather, data and ideas cannot exist outside of communication.  Communication constructs ideas.  Human communication does not make data and ideas portable -- it makes them possible.

The purpose of this course is three-fold.  First, it is intended to introduce you to the unique perspective provided by the combined interests and talents of the Communication & Culture faculty.  Our department brings together scholars with interests in Rhetoric and Public Culture, Performance and Ethnographic Studies, and Film and Media, and this course emphasizes some of the ways that these fields of study are interrelated.  Second, this course is intended to prepare you for the work that will be expected in higher-level courses in the department by beginning to acquaint you with some of the habits of thought and methods of study that will characterize those courses.  Finally, and most importantly, I believe strongly that citizens who learn to understand communication in the way presented in this course are infinitely better equipped for contemporary life than those who think of communication as merely a way to transport data.

Course Materials:  All required readings for this course are available on E-Reserves <www.ereserves.indiana.edu>.  The password will be given to you on the first day of class.  It is highly recommended that you print these materials and bring them with you to lectures.  If you wish, you may purchase a printed packet containing all of the assigned readings.  To do so, purchase a voucher at the IU Bookstore and your printed packet will be available for pick-up the following day.

Discussion Sections:  All students in C205 are required to attend a weekly Friday discussion section.  Attendance in these discussion sections is required, and failure to attend your discussion section will lower your overall grade in C205.  Be sure that you understand the attendance policy for your individual discussion section.

Assignments:  Student grades are based upon two Midterm Exams, one Final Exam, several short Writing Assignments, and Participation in Discussion Sections.  The dates of the exams are listed on the syllabus; the writing assignments will be announced in class and posted to E-Reserves.  The final exam will be worth 30% of the course grade and the two midterms each will be worth 20% of the course grade.  The writing assignments and participation in discussion sections collectively account for the remaining 30% of the course grade.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, all written assignments are to be typed, double-spaced, printed on paper, with one-inch margins all around, in some standard 12-point serif font (Times, Schoolbook, Courier, etc.).  Please do not attempt to submit your work as an e-mail attachment, or on any media other than paper, or at any other time other than the start of class on the due date, unless an explicit prior agreement has been reached, either between you and me or between you and one of the Associate Instructors.  Never use a cover page or a folder of any kind.  Do not use paperclips.  Staple your pages together before coming to class.

You are expected to consult the "Flight Check" document on my WWW site before turning in any written work in this class.

Late Assignments:  Late assignments are not accepted.  Whether or not you are present in class, any and all assignments must be turned in at the beginning of the period on the day that they are due.  There are no "make-ups," there is no "extra credit," and I do not discriminate between "excused" and "unexcused" absences (except in the case of university-sanctioned events or religious holidays).  It is your responsibility to contact me regarding any special circumstances that may affect your ability to complete an assignment on the day it is due.  I will respond to these circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

Final Exam:  The final exam will be given on the date and at the time listed for this class according to the final exam schedule posted on the registrar's WWW page <http://registrar.indiana.edu/>.  The final exam will not be given on any other date or at any other time.

Academic Integrity:  All graded work in this course must represent your own, personal, inventive endeavor.  There are no opportunities in this course for you to "work together" on any graded assignment.  All references to ideas that are not your own invention must be clearly cited, whether they are direct quotations, paraphrases, or "in your own words."  If you have any doubt about whether things you are planning to do constitute academic dishonesty, contact me immediately.  It is often easier, and always much more pleasant, to ameliorate these issues before the offense has been committed.  All students are expected to be familiar with the IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct: <http://dsa.indiana.edu/Code/>.

Grading:  Most assignments will be assigned "whole" letter grades (no plusses or minuses).  Discussions regarding grades must take place face-to-face, in person, during office hours or at a meeting mutually arranged.  No grades will be discussed within 24 hours after the graded assignment is returned to the class; no grades will be discussed more than one week after the graded assignment is returned to the class.

Technology:  It is assumed that each student enrolled in this course owns a personal computer, complete with printer and high-speed access to the Internet.  For those students unable to obtain their own computer, it is assumed that they possess a level of computer literacy sufficient to allow frequent use of the computers provided in "labs" throughout the campus.  We all depend on machines to get our work done.  We all know that machines break down.  When they do, it does not constitute an "excuse" or an "emergency."  I expect that you will prepare your assignments far enough in advance so that when your computer malfunctions you will be able to rectify the problem and turn in the assignment on time.

Incompletes:  Grades of incomplete in C205 cannot be assigned by Associate Instructors.  A grade of incomplete can be assigned only after the student and the professor have mutually agreed that this is the best course of action under the circumstances.

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