This document provides the syllabus for a Communication Studies 5 course. It outlines the course objectives, which include identifying communication models, understanding the symbolic nature of communication, and improving public speaking skills. The syllabus details required readings, contact information for the instructor, policies on attendance and late work, assignments including speeches and papers, and the grading breakdown. The course aims to provide students with fundamental communication concepts and practical experience through group activities and presentations.

1. Running Head: COMS 5 SYLLABUS Lash 1
ComS 5: The Communication Experience
COURSE SYLLABUS
Spring 2015
Instructor: Amanda Lash Email: amanda_lash1@yahoo.com
Office Hours: W/F: 11:00 am – 12:15 pm Mailbox: COMS Office, MND 5014
Office: Mendocino 5033
Class Times: Class Location:
14: M/W/F 9:00 am – 9:50 am 14: Mendocino Hall 1026
15: M/W/F 10:00 am – 10:50 am 15: Mendocino Hall 1026
Catalog Description:
Communication Studies 5: The Communication Experience. Basic skills and introductory
concepts necessary for effective communication in a variety of settings. Special emphasis on
practical experiences within groups, facilitation of interpersonal relationships, and methods of
conflict resolution. Note: Not recommended for COMS majors in General, Organizational or
Public Relations concentrations. Graded: Graded Student. Units: 3.0.
Course Objectives:
1) Identify and describe models of communication and understand their application in your
personal life and society.
2) Understand the symbolic nature of communication.
3) Understand the characteristics of language and their effects on the communication
process.
4) Improve comfort level with public speaking.
Required Reading
Wood, J. T. (2014). Communication mosaics: An introduction to the field of communication (7th
ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth. ISBN: 9780840028181 0840028180 9781285088396
1285088395
The book is available in both print and electronic forms through the Hornet Bookstore as well as
from a variety of online vendors. You are welcome to purchase either form of the text, but please
understand that technical difficulties are NOT an excuse for failing to complete readings or
assignments on time.
How to Contact Me:
I am more than happy to meet with you outside of class to discuss any questions, comments or
concerns. If you cannot attend my weekly office hours (stated above) please make sure to make
an appointment with me. Unfortunately, due to tight scheduling, there will be limited opportunity
for discussion before or after class. As such, please make sure to email me
(amanda_lash1@yahoo.com) to schedule a meeting time.
I am also more than happy to answer short queries via email. I will do my best to respond within
48 hours. That being said, things do come up. The bottom line is, if you have a pressing question
regarding an assignment or speech, make sure to plan ahead! I am also more than willing to

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review an assignment or critique a speech during my office hours (or an alternatively scheduled
appointment, not via email) before the final presentation or due date. There have been many
instances of great improvement resulting in a better grade, so take advantage of this! For
questions regarding scheduling, assignments, and other course related questions please make
sure to refer to the course syllabus or relevant assignment sheets PRIOR to emailing me.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is worth one point per day and worth 45 points total. If you are not here when your
name is called, you will not receive attendance credit. No exceptions. If you are legitimately
sick, please do not come to class.
Sometimes life happens and things come up last minute. There are three free absences built into
the attendance grade, please use them wisely. If these absences are not used then the excess
attendance points will be counted as extra credit.
If you are absent on a day you present you will receive a 0 on the assignment. If you are severely
ill or there is an emergency, you MUST send me an email BEFORE class time with your outline
as proof that you were prepared to present. The earlier you send this the better. If you miss your
original presentation date you may give the presentation the following class period, however you
will receive a 50% deduction. YOU MUST GIVE ALL PRESENTATIONS IN ORDER TO
PASS THIS CLASS.
Participation and Attitude will also be an important component of this class. Since this a public
speaking course there will also be many impromptu speaking activities; every day is a speech
day!
Quizzes and Exams
There will be eight quizzes, one midterm, and a final paper in lieu of a final exam. Quizzes will
be held in class on a weekly basis, however the day of the quiz will change weekly. You will be
accountable for all material covered since the previous quiz. These quizzes will focus on the
reading material from assigned readings.
The midterm will be an in-class comprehensive exam of the material covered thus far in the
course.
There will be a final group project and paper in lieu of a formal final exam. This group project
will be assigned during the last half of the semester and is to be turned in during the scheduled
final exam date set by the university. YOU MUST COMPLETE THIS PROJECT IN FULL TO
PASS THE CLASS. Unless you have some pressing emergency (severe illness, death in the
family, car accident, etc.) and can supply me with documentation to that effect, you must turn in
the paper during the scheduled time. Failure to do so will result in a “0” on the exam and no
higher than a D+ in the class.
Personal Reflections
Throughout the semester there will be five opportunities to write personal reflections on the
material covered in the course. You will be required to write THREE of these reflections (60

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points per reflection); however you may complete FOUR and receive extra credit for the fourth
(up to 60 points extra credit). Prompts for these reflections will be provided on SacCT and will
be due on the assigned days in the course schedule.
February 11: Symbolic Nature of Communication
February 18: Perception
February 27: Intrapersonal Communication
April 6: Mass Communication
April 15: Gender Communication
These reflections are to be turned in during the first five minutes of class; no handwritten work
will be accepted. All personal reflections are to follow correct APA format, reference the book,
use correct grammar and spelling, and be 800 to 1000 words. A personal reflection grade rubric
will be made available on SacCT. NO late work will be accepted (barring documented
emergencies).
Speeches
There will be two formal speeches in this class; one individual speech and one group
speech (10 groups of three). Do not worry, there will be assignment sheets with instructions
and grading rubrics for all speeches. Speech requirements will also be discussed in class. In
order to pass the class you must give ALL required speeches. If at any time you have a question
regarding the assignment sheets, please do not hesitate to send me an email or meet me in my
regularly scheduled office hours. That is what those hours are intended for!
Formatting Requirements
Barring in-class written exercises, I do not accept handwritten work. All homework assignments
(including your references pages) must adhere to APA format. Additionally, each page of written
work that you submit must have a header that includes your last name as well as a page number.
You may purchase an APA manual at the bookstore. Purdue OWL also provides free guides at:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/07/
Please remember that I expect you to perform at a college level in your written work. Excessive
misspellings and obvious typographical errors will lower your grade. So plan ahead, proofread,
and pay attention to detail – it can only play in your favor. Remember, you may come to me
before an assignment is due for help.
Grade Disputes
If you feel that you should have received a better grade on an assignment, I will gladly go over
the assignment with you, but I ask that you wait at least 24 hours after the assignment was
returned before contacting me with a grade dispute. This policy serves two purposes. First, it
allows you to spend some time going over the comments I have written on the assignment. This
feedback may explain why you received the grade that you did. Second, it prevents me from
being bombarded with questions every time assignments are returned. I want to address all of
your concerns as thoroughly as possible. That being said, you will have two weeks after each

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assignment is returned to dispute a grade. If you have not met with me or scheduled an
appointment to do so then all grades are final.
Classroom Etiquette
Coffee and other beverages will be permitted. Small snacks are also allowed, so long as they do
not pose a distraction or cause litter. Please make sure to throw away all trash after class, as we
share this room with many other students.
As far as technology goes, there will be none allowed during class time unless otherwise
indicated. That means no cell phones, no tablets, and no laptops. If you would like to take notes
during class, please do so the old fashioned way with a pen and paper. If I see your cell phone or
laptop in use during class without permission, I will ask you to leave and you will forfeit your
attendance grade for the day.
Helpful Resources
For free, one-on-one help with writing in any class, visit the University Reading and Writing
Center in Calaveras 128. To make an appointment or a series of appointments, visit the Reading
and Writing Center in CLV 128 or call 278-6356. The Writing Center also offers tutoring for one
unit of academic credit through ENGL121. For current Writing Center hours and more
information, visit the website at http://www.csus.edu/writingcenter.
Campus academic resources available to you:
 Learning skills: http://www.csus.edu/learningskills/
 Writing center: http://www.csus.edu/writingcenter/
 Writing across the curriculum (WAC) student resources:
http://www.csus.edu/wac/student_resources.stm
 Library instruction http://library.csus.edu/services/inst/#liw
 Academic Advising: http://www.csus.edu/acad/
 Services to students with disabilities (SSWD): http://www.csus.edu/sswd/
How to succeed as a university student: http://www.studygs.net/
Disabilities
If you have a disability and require accommodation, you need to provide documentation from
SSWD in Room 1008 of Lassen Hall. Please discuss your accommodation needs with me during
office hours early in the semester.

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Grade Breakdown
Quizzes/Exams
Quiz 1 10 points ________________
Quiz 2 10 points ________________
Quiz 3 10 points ________________
Quiz 4 10 points ________________
Quiz 5 10 points ________________
Midterm 150 points ________________
Quiz 6 10 points ________________
Quiz 7 10 points ________________
Quiz 8 10 points ________________
Personal Responses (Choose 3)
Symbolic Nature of Communication 60 points ________________
Perception 60 points ________________
Intrapersonal Communication 60 points ________________
Mass/Digital Communication 60 points ________________
Political or Gender Communication 60 points ________________
Campus Organization Speech
Preparation Worksheet 50 points ________________
Outline 50 points ________________
Presentation 100 points ________________
Group Project
Group Project Proposal 50 points ________________
Group Annotated Bibliography 75 points ________________
Group Paper Presentation 75 points ________________
Group Final Paper 100 points ________________
Other
Course Contract 10 points ________________
Attendance 45 points ________________
Attitude & Participation 35 points ________________
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 1000 points ________________
Please use the lines above to log your assignment scores throughout the semester. That way, you
and I will be on the same page in terms of how you are doing in the class. I will award
participation grades at the semester’s end, but if you would like to have a rough idea of what
your participation grade will be, feel free come to my office hours.

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Grades in this class will follow a 1000-point scale. There will be no curve. I will determine your
class grade using the following scale:
1000-930 A
929-900 A–
899-870 B+
869-830 B
829-800 B-
799-770 C+
769-730 C
729-700 C-
699-670 D+
669-630 D
630-600 D-
599-0 F
* I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE ANY CHANGES OR ADDITIONS TO THIS
DOCUMENT AT ANY TIME DURING THE SEMESTER

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ComS 5 Course Contract
NAME:
MAJOR:
MINOR:
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN FROM THIS CLASS?:
WHAT PREVIOUS PUBLIC SPEAKING EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE?:
I have read and agree to the terms addressed in the course syllabus
for ComS 5.
By signing this document I agree to complete all of the required components of the class to the
best of my ability. I agree to not plagiarize and follow all university rules of academic honesty.
Print Name Date
Sign Name Date