English 5573: Theories of Communication

Fall 1999
Dr. Thomas L. Warren
Office: Morrill 302B
Phone: 744-9470
Office Hours: MW 3:30-4:30, T 3:00-4:30
Email: twarren@okstate.edu

Texts

Littlejohn, Stephen W. Theories of Human Communication, 6th edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1999.

Littlejohn, Stephen W. And Roberta Gray. Learning and Using Communication Theories: A Student Guide to Accompany "Theories of Human Communication," 6th edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1999.

Prerequisite: graduate standing; no specific background in technical communication is required. Students may select projects and topics based on their experiences with technical documents (defined as any document that presents information to a user who needs it). These could include typical technical communication documents (manuals, proposals, etc.) as well as scientific articles, package inserts or instructions, forms to be completed, etc. Also, students in Teaching English as a Second Language could use situations typical to their discipline as examples, and students majoring in literature could use literary examples.

Grading scale: 90-100=A; 80-89=B; 70-79=C; 60-69=D

• Book Report (15%)
• Panel (15%)
• Literature Review (15%)
• Final Paper (40%)
• Final Examination (15%)

Late work: : Penalized one letter grade every 24 hours late. No paper accepted more than 48 hours late.

Calendar

• Introduction to the Course; Theory
  
• Systems Theory
  
• Signs and Symbols
  
• HOLIDAY
  
• Discourse
  
• Message Production
  
• Message Reception
  
• Symbolic Discourse
  
• Book Reports
  
• Social/Cultural/Reality
  
• Experience/Interpretation
  
• Critical Themes
  
• Group Decisions
  
• Present papers
• Present papers
  
• Present papers
  
• FINAL EXAMINATION

Procedures: This course is a seminar course and discusses theory. That means that there will be a lot of discussion and presentations culminating in a "term" paper that should be of publishable quality. Students from this course frequently use their paper as a presentation at the STC Annual Conference as well as submitting it for publication. Lectures are at a minimum--usually the first session, if that. Each class period will open with two students selecting and leading a discussion on "The Questions of the Day." You will know the period before when you will be answering the question and leading the discussion, so you will have the week to prepare. The actual questions, however, will be available at the class period and you will have a few minutes to choose the one you would like to answer. Of course, all this is open book/notes, and your colleagues will help by also being prepared to discuss.

We will have the ubiquitous Final Examination that will be a miniature version of what you will find when you take your Comprehensive Examinations. One major difference is that you are not responsible in the Final for the Reading List. Procedures will be similar but scaled down to fit our time (1 hour 50 minutes).

Details of assignments

Book Report (15%–October 11)
Students will select one of the following books (no duplicates) or an alternate that I approve for an oral report. The only written work will be for you to prepare a one-page (maximum) synopsis of the book, hitting the high points in order to give your colleagues a taste of what is in it. As many of these are new, the library may not have them, so use your library skills to find a copy. I do not expect you to buy a copy. Suggested Books for the Report:

• Daniel C. Dennett. Consciousness Explained.
  
• Jeremy Campbell. Grammatical Man.
  
• Julian Jaynes. The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind.
  
• Howard Gardner. The Mind’s New Science.
  
• Anthony Smith. The Mind.
  
• George N. Gordon. The Languages of Communication.
  
• Barry Sanders. A is for Ox.
  
• Stephen Pinker. The Language Instinct
  
• Morton Hunt. The Universe Within.
  
• Susan Greenfield. Journey to the Center of Consciousness.
  
• Erik Davis TechGnosis: Myth, Magic, & Mysticism in the Age of Information.
  
• Edward O. Wilson. Consilence: The Unity of Knowledge.

Suggested Outline for Presentation

• Something about publishing history (brief--no more than 1 minute)
  
• Something about the author (certainly what the author’s qualifications are--no more than one minute)
  
• Something about the critical reception of the book (see book reviews in appropriate journals--about 2 minutes)
  
• Main points the book makes (about 4 minutes)
  
• Relation to what we have been studying so far in the course--agree/disagree/amplify, etc. (about 1 minute)
  
• Relation to communication in your discipline (about 1 minute)
• Recommendation to your colleagues to read/not read the book and why (about 1 minute).

Handout

• Prepare a one-page (maximum) synopsis of the book. Include--
  
• Bibliographic reference (that way all you need do is indicate page numbers for quotes and paraphrases).
  
• Major and two or three minor points.
  
• Relation to communication in your discipline.
  
• If you find any critical articles on the book or author, list them on a second page.
  
• Prepare enough copies for all members of the class.

Literature Review (15%–10/25)
Prepare a literature review of the topic you have selected for your final paper. The length should not exceed 5 double-spaced pages plus works cited page. Your review should be just that: a review of the literature on your topic that you have found in the research you are doing for the paper. One place to begin is with the citations Littlejohn provides in his footnotes and bibliography. Also use PsychLit, ERIC, and other appropriate electronic databases. The presentations of your colleagues can also supply references. Browse the Web for information on the theory (and its originators/defenders/attackers).

Final Paper (40%–11/15 to 11/29)
Select one theory from the many we have studied this semester and write a "term" paper of publishable quality. The paper should run 15-20 pages plus works cited. Select one of the technical writing/communication journals (or a major journal in your field) to use as (1) a possible publication source and (2) proper citation form for references. Generally, the paper will start with a working title of "Communication Theory and [Name of discipline]: [Name of theory] and its Value to [Name of discipline]." The paper should present the essential points about the theory (developer, history, current status, criticism, etc.) and show why communicators in your discipline should be aware if it. Avoid the "salvation" approach--i.e., there are massive problems in written communication that will be eliminated only if communicators adopt [name of theory] for their documents. No single theory is going to solve all those problems. Knowing theories can help writers improve communication, so be very specific about how your theory will do that and why it is valuable.

You will present a summary of the paper to the class (see Calendar) in a class session. You should plan on about 30 minutes or so to include presenting the paper (but not reading it to us) and fielding questions from your colleagues. It would be very helpful if you presented the class members with a copy of your paper--single-spaced copied back-to-front--for their reference.

Final Examination (15%–12/7/99; 10:30am-12:20pm M106)
We will have a final examination at the time and day listed in the Calendar. It will be traditional in that you will need to bring paper (Blue Books OK but not required) and no books/notes/etc. The exam will imitate the Comprehensive Examinations in that you will be offered three questions and asked to write essays on two of them. Be sure to come around spring semester and collect your exam as it will prove most useful in preparing for the Comprehensives. NOTE: As I write the syllabus, I plan to arrange to have M 106 and the computers for you to use. I will let you know before the Final if my plan will work.

One major difference between the Final and the Comprehensives is that you are not responsible for the Reading List. Rather, you will demonstrate your knowledge of the body of material we developed for this class--viz., the textbook, your book report (but not the reports of others), additional readings you did, and your paper. The general instructions for the Final, like those for the Comprehensive, will be to demonstrate that you have an understanding of the materials assigned.

I would strongly suggest that you get a copy of the Reading list for the Comprehensive Examinations and use materials from it whenever possible for class discussion, papers, and reports. See Dale in the Graduate Coordinator’s Office for that list.

Panel (15%–9/20; 11/1; 11/8)
Select 4 references from Littlejohn’s footnotes in the chapter assigned for the day you make your presentation. These references should come from the comment/critique section of the chapter and should relate to the general chapter theme. Two should be positive and two not. Find these sources and read the articles. For your notes, prepare a summary of the main points of each article. Then, find four more references not listed by Littlejohn. Again, two that are positive and two that are not. Find the articles and read them, making notes on the key points in each article. You will now have 4 articles that are positive and 4 that are not.

In your presentation, summarize the key points for all articles and then evaluate the articles. Your key criterion should be, "Should my colleagues read these articles?" Indicate why or why not.

A handout to the class with the citations would be useful. Plan to present for about 60 minutes.