Welcome Message
Welcome to the course
Introduction
Welcome to the course COMM 115 Fundamentals of Communication.
In this welcome message, I will discuss the contents of the course, the readings and the grading elements.
1 – Personal introduction
My name is José Carlos del Ama.
Although I originally come from Spain, I have spent the most important part of my life and academic career in Germany. I received my PhD from the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz.
Before I came to the United States in 2003, I had been teaching and researching in Spain at the Universidad de Navarra (Pamplona) and in Germany at the above mentioned university.
My emphasis areas of teaching and research are
public opinion,
research methods,
mass communication,
new technologies and
filmic narrative.
More information about the instructor, you can become in this link:
2 – Literature
We will not use any textbook in this course. All the information you need will be available in the corresponding learning units.
The exams will cover the contents of the learning modules.
3 – About the Contents
The first week of the course we will try to define what communication is. Furthermore, we will analyze two relevant concepts that determine the process of communication: listening and perception. The rest two weeks, we will deal with the different communication contexts:
- Interpersonal Communication
- Small Group Communication
- Intercultural Communication
- Mass Communication
This course will be reading intensive. In order to success in it, you will need to know the contents on the different leaning modules. I am perfectly aware of the challenges that becoming familiar with such an overwhelming amount of information in three weeks may present. Thus, I tried hard to include in the learning modules only the indispensable information.
4- Grading Elements:
- 1st Quiz 25%
- 2nd Quiz 25%
- Final Exam 40%
- Participation 10%
The three quizzes and the final exam will have the same format: Multiple choice and short answer questions. The quizzes will cover the contents of the learning modules for every week and the corresponding chapters in the textbook. The final exam includes the contents of the whole course.
You will have 90 minutes to complete each quiz and 3 hours for the final exam.
I will post the examinations following dates:
- 1st Quiz – August 9
- 2nd Quiz – August 16
- Final Exam – August 23
The participation grade will be based on the discussions forums and the quality and quantity of your entries. Every week, I will post a discussion subject related to the contents of the corresponding learning modules. The link to the discussion forum will appear in the discussions’ folder you can find in the home page of the course.
5 – Interaction with the Instructor
Please, use the “Contact the Instructor” area in the course’s main menu to ask questions related to this course. I am in Blackboard Learn several hours every day and check regularly your messages.
I will also schedule individual virtual meetings for those students who want a more personal interaction with the instructor. Please contact me through the Blackboard Learn message system to make an appointment.
Good luck!