SSK 1205 Interpersonal Skills and Social Interaction

Syllabus

Instructor: B. Richardson
(Course Coordinator)
Sections: 01, 03
Office: bldg 10, rm 06
Office hours: see office door
Phone: 2324
Email: b.richardson@aui.ma

Instructor: Dr. C. Mobasheri
Sections: 02
Office: bldg 6, rm 108
Office hours: see office door
Phone: 2034
E-mail: c.mobasheri@aui.ma

Instructor: B. Mittan

Sections: 04, 05
Office: bldg 10, rm 103
Office hours: see office door
Phone: 2468
E-mail: r.mittan@aui.ma

Course Description

This course is designed to introduce the principles and areas of human communication. Individuals grow and develop within a social context, making effective interaction skills a necessary part of everyday life. This course will emphasize interpersonal communication and conflict resolution skills. Interactive exercises will be utilized to help students master both the theory and the practice of these skills.

<back to top

Course Structure

The course will follow a lecture and discussion format. Students are expected to participate in class discussions, small group activities, and in-class exercises. Students are also responsible for reading all assigned course materials outside of class.

<back to top

Attendance, Class Participation and Academic Integrity

As a condition for completing the course, university regulations state that no student may miss more than 3 classes. Excused absences must be reported to the professor no later than the student's return to class. BOTH excused and unexcused absences will be recorded and BOTH will affect students' class participation scores.

Students are required to be in class on time and not leave prior to the end of the class period. Being late is unacceptable-it will affect your grade. Each student is accountable for ALL work missed due to absence. Should an absence from class be unavoidable, the student is expected to obtain lecture notes from a classmate and to contact the instructor about any projects missed.

Participation is very important. Students learn more as they practice expressing their thoughts and interacting with classmates and the professor. Therefore contribution to class and group discussions is strongly encouraged.

The topic of academic integrity includes cheating, and is clearly defined by University policy. Cheating will not be tolerated in any form. If there is any evidence that a student is participating in cheating the student will receive a failing grade in the course.

<back to top

Course Outline

Students are responsible for taking notes during class. The course will generally progress in the following way:

Unit 1	Concepts and Principles of Communication
Unit 2	Effective Listening and Empathy
Unit 3	Interpersonal Conflict and Conflict Management Strategies
Unit 4	The Self in Communication

<back to top

Evaluation

The student's course grade will be determined by the following: class attendance and participation, class projects, unit exams, and a final exam.

Class attendance and participation

Class attendance and participation have already been defined above and constitute 20% of the course grade.

Class Projects & Homework

During the semester students are expected to complete a number of individual and group projects. The purpose of these assignments is to provide opportunities to work actively with the concepts discussed in class. Additional details regarding this requirement will be provided during the course. These projects will constitute 20% of the course grade.

Unit Examinations

There will be four unit exams. The lowest exam grade will be dropped. Each examination will account for 15% of the course grade, for a total of 45%.

Final Exam

The final exam will consist of a presentation in which students demonstrate their knowledge and application of the skills studied in the course.

The final course grade will be weighted as follows:

Class Attendance and Participation	20 points
Class Projects	20 points
Unit Examinations (3)	45 points
Final Exam	15 points
Total	100 points

Grading Scale

90-100 = A 80-89 = B 70-79 = C 60-69 = D < 60 = F

Students earning D or F must repeat the course.

<back to top