WHAT THE COURSE IS ABOUT: This course examines intrapersonal processes of communication. It looks at our ability to use what we know and feel in order to send, receive, and store information. Whether stimuli come from an external source or from within the self, the focus of intrapersonal communication is on the ways in which we process those stimuli, our ability to make sense out of our experiences, to remember, to retrieve information from memory, and to create messages--at whatever level of consciousness, and no matter how many people are involved, face-to-face or mediated communication. This course is about how our "minds" work in communication.

We will communicate entirely over the Internet, with our course web page at: Blackboard

Some Objectives

1. To describe and understand intrapersonal communication--to study

encoding & decoding, storing and retrieving information; language use;
self-perception; brain function; modes of representation and their implications
for interpersonal communication;
 
2. To self-consciously experience intrapersonal processes;
 
3. To improve intrapersonal communication skills;
 
4. To consider the relationship between intrapersonal communication and other levels of communication;
 
5. To read and report on research on intrapersonal communication.

What We'll Do:

The course is based on readings, discussion of the readings, essay writing (Position Papers), experiential exercises or demonstrations, a journal, and a Final Essay. Please be prepared to describe the main points in the reading and to raise questions. You're asked to keep a journal in which you'll do assigned exercises, as well as free and spontaneous writing about your intrapersonal communication --e.g., listening, day dreaming, forgetting, using selective attention, having a strong emotion, stress or physiological reaction, and so on. We will work off of a course home page. It is my hope that as you become familiar with the Internet and with the course content, that you will "surf the net" and find interesting and valuable sites for this course. And when you do find these sites, you will write about them to our discussion group. I would like to add your findings of valuable Internet sites to our home page, so please do write about them and e-mail me your findings and addresses.

GRADING:

Text Aitken, J., and Shedletsky, L. (1997). (Eds.) Intrapersonal Communication

Processes. The Speech Communication Association and Hayden-McNeil.

POSITION PAPERS

You are asked to write (at least) a one page

position paper for five of our meetings.  Position papers are

used for  discussion in your  electronic group meetings.  Position

papers are handed in each week they are due (by Sunday of the week)

and make up part of the grade.  The lowest 2 grades of the five position 

papers will be dropped (hence, you can write 3 of the 5). You will be expected to read

the assigned reading for each week, to review carefully

the main points in the reading, and to arrive at the group discussion prepared to comment on

the reading.  During the week prior to when position papers are due, you will be asked

to present your position paper in your electronic group, and to respond to others'

views.







 

Position Papers: At least one page, submitted via the Assignments Tool. 






What I have in mind for position papers is simply taking a position on

a topic relevant to the course reading. The reading for a given week is the 

starting point for your position papers. You do not need to comment on the 

whole of the reading, just some idea in the reading.   But feel free to connect

to our  discussions,  your reading outside of the required reading,  your  experiences,

or your reflections  on your intrapersonal experiences.   You will have ideas that

you can elaborate on for the group discussions.  The position paper is an opportunity to

think out loud about issues that interest you and that are connected to the course readings.

Use the position paper to get on paper ideas that benefit you.  You may wish to use the 

position paper to ponder what confuses you in the reading (or discussion); to be creative

about your views on intrapersonal communication, etc.; to show where the reading

is not consistent or accurate; to defend an idea represented in our book; to offer an

alternative view; to elaborate on something said in the group discussion.


Position papers are intended to keep us all engaged with the material

and to generate discussion in the group meetings.  Position papers should be

submitted at the end of each week they are due.  Position papers may build

ideas for you that culminate in your final essay.



Please date and number each position paper and  hand it in during the week

it is due.

THE JOURNAL:

THE FINAL ESSAY: