Syllabus

Students are expected to work independently to complete a significant research project, media production, or communication training program. This project, a culmination of the student’s baccalaureate program, should demonstrate significant mastery of the communications program objectives as agreed on by the student and his/her advisor. Satisfactory completion of the a comprehensive examination covering the student’s course of study may also be required by the instructor. One goal of this course is to assist the student in completing a portfolio and project which will benefit him/her in gaining acceptance to graduate programs or employment in the communications field.

Requirements

E-mail & NetLearn

Students MUST activate their campus e-mail accounts with our college no later than one week into the semester. The instructor will distribute course materials and assignments via campus e-mail and NetLearn. Likewise, students will submit work via campus e-mail and NetLearn. Basic e-mail and NetLearn operations will be reviewed in class by the instructor as needed.

Readings

Because the nature of this course is determined largely by the student’s chosen career path and academic preparation, some readings or research will be assigned as needed by the instructor and will reflect the unique goals and experience of each student.

Students who plan to attend graduate school typically choose to write a research paper instead of producing a senior project. The following texts are good resources for research.

Rubin, R.B, Rubin, A.M., & Piele, L.J. (2005). Communication Research: Strategies and Sources (6th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. ISBN 978-0534564865.

"This text presents strategies for selecting, refining, and researching communication topics, placing special emphasis on using library resources to search for literature and demystifying the research process by teaching students library skills, scholarly writing, and acquainting them with the latest research technology tools" ( http://www.communication.wadsworth.com/rubin ).

Reinard, John C. (2001). Introduction to Communication Research (3rd ed). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Course Goals

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to showcase themselves in one comprehensive research or production project that best demonstrates a well-rounded representation of their communication skills to graduate programs or prospective employers as well as demonstrating sensitivity in preparing or delivering messages to varied cultures in interpersonal, small group and audience situations. This is a reflection of a senior's learning experience primarily in EC's communication program and while in college.

Course Procedures

Attendance Policy
Class participation is vital. Significant portions of course material will be presented through in-class interactive assignments and discussions; therefore, attendance will directly affect your success and course grade. Each absence is a one-point deduction from the final course grade, and each tardy is a 1/2-point deduction from the final course grade. Attendance is recorded by the instructor in NetLearn. If absences or tardies are because of college-sanctioned events, then the absence will be recorded but the absence or tardy will not carry a penalty.

Responsibility Grade
Ten percent of the course grade will be a direct reflection of the student's attendance, conduct in the classroom, participation in class discussions, group work, interaction with peers, instructors and guests. This reflects issues of attitude, effort, attentiveness, timeliness, participation, the ability to work well with others, meeting deadlines, etc.

Automatic Grade Reductions
1. Reading a Speech
Presentations require extemporaneous speaking style, not manuscript. Students who read or appear to read will receive zeroes on those assignments.
2. Missed Deadlines
Because of the nature of the business industry, timely communication, and the importance of time management skills in any field, this instructor does not give full credit for any assignment or in-class exercise after the deadline/due date. Late submissions result in a deduction of 20 points per each day after the deadline for the assignment or exercise.
Each deadline for each assignment and exercise is clearly outlined in the course schedule of this syllabus, and the instructor usually reminds students frequently about upcoming deadlines. However, it is the responsibility of the student to keep up with deadlines and plan accordingly.
If the student foresees a problem with meeting a deadline, for example an absence on that particular deadline date, then that student should plan to submit that assignment before the deadline and should talk to instructor to arrange that. Early submissions are always welcome.
3. Failure to Cite Sources
Assignments which intentionally or unintentionally omit sources will receive a grade of zero. The instructor may or may not give one warning, but do not expect two. This refers to written, visual, and audio sources. "In plain language, plagiarism is taking someone else’s work and passing it off as one’s own without proper acknowledgment or documentation" (www.ala.org, July 3, 2003).
4. Copyrighted Works
Unless the artists or their representatives have granted permission to use a copyrighted works, students will NOT be allowed to use copyrighted works in their projects. This includes--but is not limited to--music, film, images, etc. Violations will result in a grade of zero.

EC's Distance Education Policy
Because some of this course is handled in an online format, please be aware of Emmanuel College's policy:
"Because of the nature of online courses, if a faculty member has any concerns that a student’s work might not be his/her own, the College reserves the right to require any distance education student to take or re-take any quizzes or exams in a supervised setting. Furthermore, under such circumstances, the College reserves the right to base the entire course grade upon the results of a supervised comprehensive exam. Students refusing to take supervised quizzes/exams will be subject to administrative withdrawal from the course(s). Attempts by any student to buy, borrow, or steal work from another individual for the purpose of submitting that work as one’s own will be treated as the equivalent of actually having submitted the work and may result in failure of assignment, failure of course, and/or expulsion from the College."

Dress Code
Students are expected to comply with the dress code of modesty in the Student Handbook.

Examinations

One written test is required. This is a comprehensive exit examination to assess each senior's learning experience in EC's communication program. The format is multiple choice and questions are based on the learning objectives for the communication program listed in the current Catalog. More details will be discussed in class. Dates/times to take the exam will be scheduled during the semester.

Weekly Timesheets & Bi-Weekly Meetings

Each student is required to upload weekly timesheets each Friday to NetLearn in order to monitor and document time and progress. Late submissions result in a grade of zero.

Each student is required to meet at least every two weeks with his/her supervising faculty member to demonstrate progress and discuss the project or paper. A grade of zero will be given for failing to meet at least every two weeks with the supervising faculty member. No later than the first week of classes, the student must schedule those meetings for the semester.

Research Paper or Production Project

Under the supervision of a project advisor, which will be one of the communication faculty, students will prepare and complete either a research paper or production project. Topics are chosen by the students and must be approved by the instructor in collaboration with all communication faculty.

Research Paper

This is an example of how the 50-page research paper may be organized:

Abstract,

Part I (why and who/what),

Part II (literature review of your research),

Part III (how, when and why of your research),

Part IV (present your findings),

Part V (conclusions),

Works Cited and

Appendices.

Further information regarding the research paper will be given to those who chose this project. A final15-minute presentation (see below) to all communication faculty is required. See the Requirements webpage on this site for more information.

Production Project

Students who choose to do projects should plan to invest about 100 hours into this process. If a video, desktop or Web site production would better showcase the skills of the student, he/she may chose the production project. An important requirement is a narrative or abstract of the project as well as a final 15-minutes presentation (see below). For more information about actual projects and requirements, see the Requirements webpage on this site.

The sprit of the senior project is for students develop videos, graphic design projects, and the like to showcase a student's communication skills while focusing on a topic the college or another organization might be able use for classroom instruction, recruitment, development, etc. All video production work from a student's own video classes is owned and may be used freely by the school. The student and all participants must sign video and performance rights release forms so the college is protected. These forms are distributed in video production classes. If students instead wish to do a project focusing outside the college, the product may still not be sold or distributed and all material is still be owned by the college.

Presentations

In April all seniors will make a professional, formal 15-minute presentation to all communication faculty, fellow class members and invited guests. Requirements for this will be discussed in greater detail in class meetings. In addition, the annual department banquet at the end of the term may feature one presentation of a paper or project selected by the communication faculty. It is an honor to be invited to be a presenter at this banquet. See your supervising faculty member for dates, which will be e-mailed early Spring Semester.

All finished projects and papers will include multimedia presentations in PowerPoint or Keynote. Students should follow the speech checklist. Other details will be discussed in class, including dates for required practice presentation dates.

Presentations should include details about the history behind the project/paper, inspiration for the project/paper, and the production or research process.

Calculation of Course Grade

Grading Scale

A = 93-100, A- = 90-92, B+ = 87-89, B = 83-86, B- = 80-82, C+ = 77-79, C = 73-76, C- = 70-72, D+ = 67-69, D = 63-66, D- = 60-62, F = 0-59

Production Project

70%

OR

Research Paper

70%

Production

50

Abstract

5

Presentation

20

Part I

5

Part II

10

Part III

10

Part IV

10

Part V

5

Works Cited

2.5

Appendices

2.5

Presentation

20

Weekly Timesheets...10%

Biweekly Meetings...10%

Responsibility Grade...10%

NOTE: Students must receive a minimum grade of C- in this course—no exceptions. If a student receives a grade of D or lower, he or she must take this course again. For more information, please refer to your College Catalog.

Writing Across Curriculum Policy

This instructor grades all assignments for correct grammar, spelling, etc. Any written work containing spelling or grammatical errors will not receive an A regardless of the content. For assistance, visit EC's Student Success Center on the second floor of Aaron. Click here to visit Writing Centers at other colleges.

Multicultural Objective

Students are expected to show respect for all, regardless of gender, ethnicity, cultural background, disability, or religious viewpoint.