Communication 302



Communication 302

Persuasion

Spring 2017

Number of Units: 4

Tues, Thurs – 2:00 pm to 3:20 pm

Section: 20465R

Location: ASC G-26

Ken Sereno

Office: ASC 202-C

(213) 740-3952 (work)

sereno@usc.edu

Office Hours:

Tuesdays: 10:00-12:30

Wednesdays: 10:00-12:30; 2:00-3:20

Thursdays: 10:00-12:30

Drop by and say hello. I’d like to get to know each of you. If you can’t make my office hours, we can arrange some other time.

Larry Xu (Head TA)

ASC G-6

Office Hours: By appointment

zhimingx@usc.edu

Larry’s students: TBA by Jan. 28

Sophie Sun (TA)

ASC G-6

Office Hours: By appointment

yaosun@usc.edu

Sophie’s students: TBA by Jan. 28

Yomna Elsayed (TA)

ASC G-6

Office Hours: By appointment

yelsayed@usc.edu

Yomna’s students: TBA by Jan. 28

Texts:

Cialdini, R.B. (2009) Influence: Science and practice. New York: Harper

and Collins.

Gass, R.H. and Seiter, J.S. (2013) Persuasion, social influence, and compliance gaining. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Available in the USC Bookstore

Also available at in Kindle and Paperback versions.

Top Hat:

Top Hat is a web application that allows me to record attendance and that allows you to respond to Multiple Choice questions that I put on the screen using your laptop, tablet or smart phone. You must purchase a Top Hat account, which

you obtain from the Top Hat website. To obtain an account, go to . Click on “Student Signup” and follow directions. Register for “Comm 302 Spring 2017.” Join code: 724073. Please check out Student Quick Start PDF. If you have any problems in purchasing an account or in using Top Hat during the semester, contact support@.

I will take roll using Top Hat on the first day of the class. Attendance is worth 20 points (5 percent of course grade).

Course Description:

This course focuses on the social scientific literature on persuasion. It looks at theories, variables, and research studies that explain persuasion processes and effects.

Course Objectives:

1. To have you gain an understanding of major theories, variables, and findings in the persuasion literature.

2. To have you consider ways in which you can apply the knowledge you’re

gaining to real-life situations.

Grading:

Examination 1 100 points

Examination 2 100 points

Final Examination 100 points

Term Paper 100 points (To be assigned about midterm)

Examinations:

Each examination will consist of the following parts:

True-False 10-15 questions (1 point each)

Multiple Choice 20-25 questions (2 points each)

Short Answer 3-4 questions (9 points each)

Essay 1 question (20 points)

Final Examination:

The Final Examination will not be cumulative.

Make-up Examinations:

All make-up exams will be given on the next class day after the exam was given (e.g., if the exam was given on Tuesday, the make-up exam will be on Thursday during the same time period as the class). Please go to Blackboard/Announcements to see what room you should go to. There is no make-up exam for the Final Examination.

Term Paper:

The term paper assignment will be given to you in the middle of the semester. You will be asked to select a student-relevant problem from a given list and propose a solution using a strategy from Cialdini. The paper should be 8-10 pages long.

Attendance:

The total number of classes you attend in which attendance is recorded by Top Hat will determine attendance. You have 20 points already awarded (5 percent of your course grade). You are allowed 2 unexcused absences. Starting with the 3rd unexcused absence, you will lose 4 points for every absence. If you attend class but arrive after attendance has been recorded or if you have trouble submitting your attendance response because of connection difficulties, contact your TA at the end of class and send her/him a confirming email right away. Attendance points will be added to your total points at the end of the semester.

If you are absent because of an illness or other justifiable reason you must provide an official excuse to your TA.

If you have a justifiable reason for missing an examination, you may take the make-up exam without a penalty (10 points for each school day after the scheduled exam). If you know in advance that you will have to miss an examination (e.g., because of a religious holy day), let your TA know ahead of time so that a time for the make-up exam can be arranged.

Participation:

Your participation can raise your grade if your average is at the borderline between two grades (e.g., an 89 average).

You can participate by answering substantive questions about content covered in the assigned readings. You should be able to describe the research studies that are discussed in the texts, define and explain theoretic variables, and demonstrate how theoretic variables or strategies can be applied to real-life situations. Saying, “Slow down, you’re going too fast,” “Go back, I didn’t get what you said,” “Speak louder, I can’t hear you,” “What do you mean?” etc. do not count as participation. Participation involves describing, explaining, comparing, applying and critically questioning course content. When you participate in a class, send an email after class to your TA describing the nature of your participation. Your TA will keep a record of your participation.

I realize that many of you are reluctant to speak in a large class. You don’t want to say something that might embarrass yourself. You don’t have to worry about embarrassing yourself. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t intelligent.

If you are an international student you may not want to speak because you don’t speak English as fluently as your classmates. I admire all international students very much. It takes courage to take classes and compete with students in your second language. Most of your fellow students who speak English would not have the courage to attend a major university and take classes in a language other than English. Your experience and perspective will enrich the class. You’ll also be able to comment on the extent to which strategies that work in this culture work in other cultures. Please do not worry about pronunciation or grammatical errors. They are trivial. And the more you speak, the more fluent you will become.

When you leave USC your ability to express yourself in public will be essential for your professional success. Studies have shown that organizations promote people to leadership positions who articulately express their ideas orally far beyond those who are equally competent but who do not. This is your chance to become skilled in expressing yourself orally and to become comfortable doing so.

Your performance on Top Hat questions will provide additional information about your preparation for each class, which will help me in determining if I should raise your course grade.

Students with Learning Disabilities

Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to your assigned TA as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in GFS 201 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Website and contact information for DSP: ,

(213) 740-0776 (Phone), (213) 740-6948 (TDD only), (213) 740-8216 (FAX) ability@usc.edu.

Academic Integrity Policy:

The following is the USC Annenberg School of Communication’s policy on academic integrity and repeated in the syllabus for every course in the school:

USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook, (usc.edu/scampus or ) contains the University Student Conduct Code (see University Governance, Section 11.00), while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A.

All academic integrity violations will be reported to the office of Student Judicial Affairs & Community Standards (SJACS), as per university policy, as well as Communication school administrators.

In addition, it is assumed that the work you submit for this course is work you have produced entirely by yourself, and has not been previously produced by you for submission in another course or Learning Lab, without approval of the instructor.

Add/Drop Dates:

Jan. 27 Last day to register and add classes for Session 001

Jan. 27 Last day to drop a class without a mark of “W,” except for Monday- only classes and receive a refund for Session 001

Feb. 24 Last day to drop a course without a mark of “W” on the transcript

Apr. 7 Last day to drop a class with a mark of “W” for Session 001.

Class Schedule

Jan. 10 Orientation

12 Ch. 1 Weapons of Influence

17 Ch. 2 Reciprocation

19 Ch. 3 Consistency & Commitment

24 Continued

26 Ch. 4 Social Proof

31 Continued

Feb. 2 Ch. 5 Liking

7 Continued

9 Ch. 6 Authority

14 Examination 1 (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6)

16 Ch. 7 Scarcity

21 Ch. 8 Instant Influence (Return Exam 1)

23 Ch. 1 Why Study Persuasion?

28 TBA

Mar. 2 Ch. 2 What Constitutes Persuasion?

7 Ch. 3 Attitudes and Consistency

9 Continued

14 Spring Break

16 Spring Break

21 Ch. 4 Credibility

23 TBA

28 Examination 2 (Chapters 7, 8, 1, 2, 3 and 4)

30 Ch. 5 Communicator Characteristics

Apr. 4 Continued (Return Exam 2)

6 Ch. 7 Language and Persuasion

11 Ch. 9 Structuring and Ordering Messages

13 Ch. 13 Motivational Appeals

18 Ch. 14 Visual Persuasion

20 Continued

Term Paper Due

25 TBA

27 Ch. 15 Esoteric Forms of Persuasion

May 4 Final Examination (2 to 4 pm) (Chapts. 5, 7, 9, 13, 14 & 15)

NOTE: The schedule may have to be changed.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download