Week 1 Assignment 1: Communication Behavior Analysis
Instructions Prove for yourself that communication is both frequent and important by observing your interactions for a one-day period. Record every occasion in which you are involved in some sort of human communication.
Based on your findings, answer the following questions:
1. What percentage of your working day is involved in communication?
2. What percentage of time do you spend communicating in the following contexts: interpersonal, dyadic, small group, and public?
3. What percentage of your communication is devoted to satisfying each of the following types of needs: physical, identity, social, and practical? (Note: you might try to satisfy more than one type at a time.)
4. Based on your analysis, describe at least 5 ways you would like to communicate more effectively. For each item on your list, describe the following:
· Who is involved (e.g., my boss, my co-workers, my friends, etc.)?
· How you would like to communicate differently (e.g., act less defensive, speak up more, etc.)?
Writing Requirements (APA format)
· Length: 1.5-2 pages
· 1-inch margins
· Double spaced
· 12-point Times New Roman font
Week 2 Assignment 1: Nonverbal Communication Analysis
Instructions Analyze the nonverbal communication codes demonstrated in the images located on the following 5 slides by answering the following questions for each image:
1. What nonverbal messages are being sent in this image?
2. What type of nonverbal communication codes are being used to deliver the message(s)?
3. What effect does each message have on the other people in the image?
4. What nonverbal communication skills and strategies could be used to communicate effectively in this situation?
Incorporate outside sources and terminology from the textbook in your responses. Make sure to identify the slide number you are addressing.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
· Length: 1.5-2 pages (not including references page)
· 1-inch margins
· Double spaced
· 12-point Times New Roman font
· References page (minimum of 2 scholarly sources)
Week 3 Assignment 1: Conflict Analysis
Instructions This assignment has two parts: analysis and reflection.
Part 1 Analysis: Observe an instance where conflict is present, one in which you are not personally involved. (You will need to be a bit of a covert operator to accomplish this.) Answer all of the following:
1. Describe the conflict scene.
· Who was involved in the conflict? What was the relationship between the participants prior to the conflict? Did it appear as if the relationship between the participants had any impact on how either person responded to the conflict?
· When and where did it take place? Was it formal or informal? Planned or unplanned? What impact did the location and time have on the outcome?
· What transpired? (Be specific.)
· What was the surface problem?
2. Many times when we face conflict, there is a surface-level problem and an underlying problem. The surface-level problem acts only as a symptom of the real problem. Consider both.
· What was the surface problem?
· What was the underlying problem, or the real problem? If this is unclear, what might you speculate the real problem to be?
3. There are many conflict management strategies that can be employed when dealing with conflict. Consider which were present in this conflict.
· Which conflict management strategies were employed by each of the participants? Did the conflict management strategies change during the course of the conversation? How do you know?
· What was the outcome? Was there a winner? A loser? Did there appear to be an impact on the relationship? If so, what was that impact?
· Looking back, describe at least two variables that could be changed in this scene to alter the outcome.
Part 2 Reflection of Analysis: Much of the learning in this course requires you to draw conclusions about your experiences and observations based on the concepts we have read about and discussed. For the reflection, address the following:
· List two specific things you learned about conflict as a result of this exercise.
Use reference material from the text, discussions, lesson, course objectives, and so forth to support your statement. Answers that demonstrate application of the course material and effective critical thinking will earn the greatest number of points.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
· Part 1 Analysis Length: 1 page
· Part 1 Reflection Length: 1-1.5 pages
· 1-inch margins
· Double spaced
· 12-point Times New Roman font
· References page (as needed)
Week 7 Assignment: Reflection – Self-Disclosure and Social Media
Introduction Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook are undoubtedly dominating the world of online social networking, and the willingness of many users to self-disclose personal information ranging from moods to religious affiliation, relationship status, and personal contact information has led to an increase in privacy concerns. They offer convenient opportunities to stay in touch with friends, family, and coworkers, but are people using them responsibly? Some argue that there are fundamental differences between today’s digital natives, whose private and public selves are intertwined through these technologies, and older generations (Kornblum, 2007).
Even though some colleges are offering seminars on managing privacy online, we still hear stories of self-disclosure gone wrong, such as the football player from the University of Texas who was kicked off the team for posting racist comments about the president or the student who was kicked out of his private, Christian college after a picture of him dressed in drag surfaced on Facebook. However, social media experts say these cases are rare and that most students are aware of who can see what they are posting and the potential consequences (Nealy, 2009). The issue of privacy management on Facebook is affecting parent-child relationships as well. As the website “Oh Crap. My Parents Joined Facebook.” shows, the results can sometimes be embarrassing for the college student and the parent as they balance the dialectic between openness and closeness once the child has moved away.
Instructions For this assignment, address the following:
1. How do you manage your privacy and self-disclosures online?
2. Do you think it is ethical for school officials or potential employers to make admission or hiring decisions based on what they can learn about you online? Why or why not?
3. Are you or would you be friends with a parent on Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook? Why or why not? If you already are friends with a parent, did you change your posting habits or privacy settings once they joined? Why or why not?
Writing Requirements (APA format)
· Length: 1.5-2 pages (not including title page or references page)
· 1-inch margins
· Double spaced
· 12-point Times New Roman font
· Title page
· References page (as needed)
