Dr. Gass
HCOM 332
Spring 2009
Processes of =
Social
Influence
=
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Gene=
ral
Information
Office:
Office Hours: Tues, 10:00-11:15 am & 2:30-3:30 pm=
; Wed
1:30-2:30 pm; Thur 10:00-11:15 am &: 2:30-3:30 pm, or at other times b=
y prior
appointment
Phone: 714-278-3269
Email: rgass@fullerton.edu
Website: http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/rgass
Text=
and
Assigned
Gass, R. H., & Seiter, J. S. (2007). Persuasion, social
influence and compliance gaining, 3rd ed.
Cour=
se Aims
and Goals
The primary goal of this course is to provide students with a
solid grounding in theories, principles, and strategies of social influenc=
e as
they relate to everyday life. Students will gain familiarity with findings=
from
empirical investigations on persuasion, social influence, and
compliance-gaining, and will learn about strategies and techniques of
persuasion relating to a wide variety of real-life communication contexts,
situations and settings.
Assi=
gnments
& Requirements
You will be tak=
ing 3
tests and writing 2 papers. Each test or paper represents 20% of your cour=
se grade.
1. Tests: three tests wi=
ll be
given, each covering roughly one-third of the material introduced during t=
he
semester. The format of the tests will be objective and the tests will be
non-cumulative. (20% of course grade per test)
2. Application =
papers: two papers (5-=
7 pages
each, typed, double spaced, not counting references) examining a specific
concept, principle, process, or strategy of persuasion and how it applies =
to a
specific real-world setting. The goal of the application paper is to build=
a
bridge between theory and practice. You should conduct outside research to
supplement your analysis. I need a “hard” copy of your paper, =
not
just an electronic copy. (20% of course grade per paper)
Writ=
ing
Style
Your paper should demonstrate upper division writing skills. =
Your
writing also should display your critical thinking ability; your ability to
understand theories, grasp concepts, discover interrelationships, and gene=
rate
your own insights. You should write clearly and succinctly and proofread y=
our
paper carefully for grammatical and syntactical errors. The format of your paper should c=
onform
to the guidelines set forth in the A.P.A. style manual, 5th edi=
tion.
Atte=
ndance
and Participation
You should be prepared to ask and answer questions, provide
thoughtful commentary, and engage in meaningful discussions. This will req=
uire
that you do more than “skim” the reading material. A pattern of
lack of preparation to discuss assigned readings may result in a reduction=
in
your course grade. You may miss a maximum of four class meetings wi=
thout
penalty. Late arrivals and early departures also count as absences. Additional absences will result i=
n a one
letter-grade reduction in your course grade, per absence. Absences do n=
ot
excuse you from assignments that are due on the date of an absence. Your d=
egree
of participation and enthusiasm in class discussions, exercises, and homew=
ork
assignments will be taken into account if you are between grades at
semester’s end.
Late
Assignments and Make-Up Exams
Make-up exams will be given only if a serious, compelling, an=
d verifiable
cause (such as an acute medical emergency) can be demonstrated, and the st=
udent
has made every reasonable effort to contact the instructor beforehand. Mak=
e-up
exams will not be given for reasons such as car trouble, work sched=
uling
conflicts, family or relationship crises, or non-school related travel pla=
ns.
All assignments will be announced sufficiently in advance to allow for tho=
rough
preparation and timely completion. All assignments should be submitted in
class, on their scheduled due dates. Assignments that are submitted one cl=
ass
meeting late will be docked one letter grade. Assignments that are submitt=
ed
two class meetings late will be accepted for half-credit. Assignments will=
not
be accepted two class meetings beyond their due date.
Grad=
ing
System
=
You will
receive a letter grade on all assignments. Plu=
s and
minus grades will be given on individual assignments. Letter grades
correspond to a “4.0” point scale (A =3D 4.0; A- =3D 3.7; B+ =
=3D 3.3; B =3D
3.0; B- =3D 2.7; C+ =3D 2.3; C =3D 2.0; C- =3D 1.7; D+ =3D 1.3; D =3D 1.0;=
D- =3D 0.7; F =3D
0.0. Your overall semester grade is based on the combined, weighted letter
grades you receive on all assignments. For example, if you received a
“B” (3.0) on a test that was worth 20% of your course grade, t=
he
weighted value would be 3.0 X .20 =3D .60. A grade of C+ (2.3 on a paper t=
hat was
worth 20% of your grade would be: 2.3 X .20 =3D .43
A hypothetical student̵=
7;s
grade might work out as follows:
Application paper #1: =
=
C+ =
(2.3) X
Application paper #2: =
B =
(3.0) X
Test #1: =
; &=
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sp; C =
(2.0) X
Test #2: =
; &=
nbsp; &nb=
sp; B- =
(2.7) X
Test #3: =
; &=
nbsp; &nb=
sp; A- =
(3.7) X
Semester Grade: =
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p; Total
=3D =
;
2.74 (B-)
Acad=
emic
Integrity Policy:
The department is committed to the highest standards of ethic=
al
conduct and academic excellence. Any student found guilty of plagiarism,
fabrication, cheating on exams, purchasing or downloading papers or other
assignments will receive a failing grade in the course (see University cat=
alog
statement on academic misconduct). A complete reference must be pro=
vided
whenever you refer to the words, ideas, statistics or other information
provided by an author. All direct quotations must be in quotation marks wi=
th a
page number (for Websites, the paragraph number). Failure to do so constit=
utes
an act of plagiarism.
Stud=
ents
with Special Needs
I’m happy to =
make
reasonable accommodations for any student with special needs. A student ma=
king
such a request should inform me during the first week of classes about any
disability or special need that may require
specific arrangements/accommodations related to attending class sessions,
completing course assignments, writing papers or
quizzes/tests/examinations. =
Please
note that for special arrangements to be made, a student with disabilities=
must
register with the Office of Disabled Student Services (DSS), located in UH=
-101 and at (714-27=
8-3112).