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COURSE NUMBER: CMNA 201
COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Communication Arts
NAME OF INSTRUCTOR: Dan VanKeeken, BPAC, APR, CFRE
CREDIT WEIGHT AND WEEKLY TIME DISTRIBUTION: credits 3(hrs lect 3 - hrs sem 0 - hrs lab 0)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course introduces contemporary functional models of human communication, and proposes a Christian alternative perspective in which we are called to bless and serve society through a wide diversity of communicative forms. Guest speakers apply this perspective to a broad array of communications disciplines, and students use the model to critique communication exchanges varying from intimate interpersonal communication to mass media products.
REQUIRED TEXTS: Julia T. Wood: Communication Mosaics: An Introduction to the Field of Communication, 8th Edition; Thomson Wadsworth, 2017.
MARK DISTRIBUTION IN PERCENT:
Quizzes10%
Midterm exam15%
Major Group Assignment30%
Attendance and Participation15%
Final Examination 30%
100%
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
  • To become acquainted with the field of Communication Studies;
  • To approach fundamental concepts in a broad range of communication skills and contexts;
  • To learn about interpersonal, group, mediated and mass communication strategies;
  • To learn about the manufacture of meaning and the role of language in communication;
  • To learn about the effects of mediated communication on society and the individual;
  • To learn about various communications professions from those practicing in the field.
COURSE OUTLINE:
  • 1. Tues. Jan. 8: 
    • A First Look at Communication 
    • Communication in Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
    • Introduction to the course, instructor and students get acquainted; read Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 and the Glossary on page 317 
  • 2. Tues. Jan. 15: Perceiving and Understanding – Chapter 3
  • 3. Tue. Jan. 22: Engaging in Verbal Communication - Chapter 4 
  • 4. Tues. Jan. 29: Engaging in Non-Verbal Communication – Chapter 5
  • 5. Tues. Feb. 5: Listening and Responding to Others - Chapter 6  
  • 6. Tues. Feb. 12 :  
    • Creating Communication Climates – Chapter 7
    • Adapting Communication to Cultures & Social Communities - Chapter 8
  • 7. Tues. Feb. 26: MID-TERM EXAM
  • 8. Tues. Mar. 12: Communication and Personal Identity – Chapter 9
  • 9. Tues. Mar. 19: Communication in Personal Relationships – Chapter 10
  • 10. Tues. Mar. 26: Communication in Groups and Teams - Chapter 11 
  • 11. Tues. April 2: Communication in Organizations - Chapter 12
  • 12. Tues. April 9: Mass Media - Chapter 14
  • 13. Tues. April 16: Digital Media & The Online World – Chapter 15
  • 14. TBD Week of April 19 - 26:  FINAL EXAM 


Required texts, assignments, and grade distributions may vary from one offering of this course to the next. Please consult the course instructor for up to date details.

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