Dr. Gass
HCOM 332
Fall 2009
Processes
of Social Influence
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General
Information
Office:
Office Hours: Tues, 1:00-2:20 pm &
4:00-4:30 pm; Thur 1:00-2:20 pm & 4:00-4:30 pm, or at other times by pr=
ior
appointment
Phone: 657-278-3269
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.
Course
Aims and Goals
The primary goal of this course is to provide students with a
solid grounding in theories, principles, and strategies of social influence=
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.
Assignments
& Requirements
Y=
ou may
take 3 tests and write 1 paper or you may take 2 tests and write 2
papers. Each test or paper represents 25% of your course grade.
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1.
Tests: three tests will be given, each covering roughly one-third of=
the
material introduced during the semester. The format of the tests will be
objective and the tests will be non-cumulative. (25% of course grade per te=
st)
2.
Application paper: explanation, analysis, and application of a specific construc=
t,
principle, process, strategy, or theory 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 develop one specific applica=
tion
in depth and detail. You should conduct outside research to supplement your
analysis. I need a “hard” copy of your paper, not just an
electronic copy (5-7 pages, typed, double-spaced, not counting references) =
(25%
of course grade per paper)
Writing
Style
Your paper should demonstrate upper division writing skills. Y=
our
writing also should display your critical thinking ability; your ability to
understand theories, grasp concepts, discover interrelationships, and gener=
ate
your own insights. You should write clearly and succinctly and proofread yo=
ur
paper carefully for grammatical and syntactical errors. The format of your paper should co=
nform
to the guidelines set forth in the A.P.A. style manual, 5th edit=
ion.
Attendance
and Participation
You should be prepared to ask and answer questions, provide
thoughtful commentary, and engage in meaningful discussions. This will requ=
ire
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 three class meetings
without penalty. Late arrivals and early departures also count as
absences. Additional absences=
will
result in a one letter-grade reduction in your course grade, per absence.
Absences do not excuse you from assignments that are due on the date=
of
an absence. Your degree of participation and enthusiasm in class discussion=
s,
exercises, and homework 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, and=
verifiable
cause (such as an acute medical emergency) can be demonstrated, and the stu=
dent
has made every reasonable effort to contact the instructor beforehand. Make=
-up
exams will not be given for reasons such as car trouble, work schedu=
ling
conflicts, family or relationship crises, or non-school related travel plan=
s.
All assignments will be announced sufficiently in advance to allow for thor=
ough
preparation and timely completion. All assignments should be submitted in
class, on their scheduled due dates. Assignments that are submitted one cla=
ss
meeting late will be docked one letter grade. Assignments that are submitted
two class meetings late will be accepted for half-credit. Assignments will =
not
be accepted two class meetings beyond their due date.
Grading
System
You
will receive a letter grade on all assignments. Plus
and minus grades will be given on individual assignments. Letter gra=
des
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, the
weighted value would be 3.0 X .25 =3D .75. A grade of C+ (2.3 on a paper th=
at was
worth 25% of your grade) would be: 2.3 X .25 =3D .575.
A hypothetical
student’s grade might work out as follows:
Test
#1: &nbs=
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nbsp; C+ &=
nbsp; (2.0) =
X &=
nbsp; 25%
=3D &nbs=
p; =
.50
Te=
st #2: &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; B-
Te=
st #3: &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; A-
<=
span
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Application P=
aper: &=
nbsp; C+ &=
nbsp; (2.3) =
X &=
nbsp; 25%
=3D &nbs=
p; =
.575
<=
span
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Semester Grad=
e: &=
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nbsp; Total
=3D &nbs=
p; 2.675
(B-)
Academic
Integrity Policy:
The department is committed to the highest standards of ethical
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 cata=
log
statement on academic misconduct). A complete reference must be prov=
ided
whenever you refer to the words, ideas, statistics or other information
provided by an author. All direct quotations must be in quotation marks wit=
h a
page number (for Websites, the paragraph number). Failure to do so constitu=
tes
an act of plagiarism.
Students
with Special Needs
I’m happy to make reasonable accommodations for any student w=
ith
special needs. A student making 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 (714-278-3112).
Emergency Information
See the link below to access informatio=
n on
what to do in the event of a campus emergency
ht=
tp://www.fullerton.edu/emergencypreparedness/ep_students.html
Emergency calls: dial 911
Non-emergency calls: (657) 278-2515
24 Hr. recorded emergency information:
(657) 278-0911
(657) 278-4444