Examines the general theories that explain persuasion and one’s ability to influence others. Discusses communication skill, attitudes, and competencies associated with persuasion, influence, and motivation. Enables students to learn and practice powerful persuasion communication skills which will enhance both personal and professional success.
In this course students will:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
The following Materials will be required for this course:
Cialdini, R. (2009). Influence: Science and practice (5th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, ISBN-10: 0205609996 | ISBN-13: 978-0205609994
Electronic Reserve: See course content for accessing Electronic Reserves.
Students are required to access the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) for information about composition strategies, grammar, and punctuation rules, and APA formatting and citation styles. The OWL can be accessed at the following online site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/.
While the OWL is free to access as a reference resource, please note the Fair Use Policy regarding restrictions for using the OWL at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/551/01.
This course is an interactive course. Students are expected to complete reading assignments and to contribute their understanding of the materials to forum discussion, activities, and written assignments. The grading criteria below may be modified by the facilitator of the course, but should serve as a guide for your understanding of the minimum expectations in this 400 level undergraduate course.
Written Work
You written work should follow the guidelines and format given in the assignment or provided by your facilitator in his/her expectations posting. The content should reflect careful thought and attention to the subject matter and should incorporate theories and knowledge you gleaned from the reading. Papers that incorporate research and other material are expected. Papers that read as opinion papers, and do not incorporate research/text do not meet the requirements of this 400 level undergraduate course. Academic honesty is expected of all students. Citations and paraphrasing within papers is required and APA formatting is expected.
Participation
In an online class, discussion Forums are our only forms of communication and our only venue to exchange ideas, thoughts, knowledge and opinions. You will have one or more discussion assignments each week. As a general rule, each of your postings should be at least one well-developed paragraph. (No less than 6 sentences in length). When appropriate you should incorporate the textbook reading into your postings.
Logging into the course does not equate with participation. Participation is evaluated on positive contributions to the functioning of the class in accomplishing its assigned tasks. You can expect to receive a "B" for class participation if you complete participation as required each week within the minimum requirements. You will receive an "A" for participation if you don't miss any opportunities for participation and submit thoughtful answers which demonstrate understanding of the readings and assignments, and constructively participate in Forum activities. Responsiveness to your fellow classmates' is expected, and if you do not read and respond to questions posed to you in the Forum you will not be contributing at an "A" level. Your facilitator may post more details in regards to his/her expectations for participation.
Evaluation Criteria
You will be evaluated on fulfilling the course objectives and meeting the weekly deadlines. Accuracy of information, coherence, clarity of presentation, utilization of research, critical thinking, college level writing skills, comprehensiveness and creativity will be considered when evaluating superior performance. You are responsible for meeting all requirements set out in graded activities and course policies.
The instructor will provide more detailed information about the grading criteria in class, and explanations of the following assignments can be found in the Detailed Assignments section. Be sure to support concepts, theories and terminology from the text. All written assignments will be presented in typed form, double spaced, with significant attention given to punctuation, spelling, paragraphing, and organization. All citations or quotes from beyond the textbook will be in APA format.
The graded assignments have a maximum point value as follows:
| Assignment | Points |
|---|---|
| Weekly Discussion Forum (5 points per week) |
40 points |
| Event Analysis | 10 points |
| Analyzing Public Discourse | 20 points |
| Letter to the Editor | 20 points |
| Interview Paper | 10 points |
| Total | 100 points |
| Letter Grade | Percentage | Grade Point | *Minimum Course Equivalent Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 93–100 | 4.00 | 93 |
| A- | 90–93 | 3.67 | 90 |
| B+ | 88–90 | 3.33 | 88 |
| B | 83–88 | 3.00 | 83 |
| B- | 80–83 | 2.67 | 80 |
| C+ | 78–80 | 2.33 | 78 |
| C | 73–78 | 2.00 | 73 |
| C- | 70–73 | 1.67 | 70 |
| D+ | 68–70 | 1.33 | 68 |
| D | 63–68 | 1.00 | 63 |
| D- | 60–63 | .67 | 60 |
| F | Less than 60 | 0 | Less than 60 |
*See Maximum Points from Course Assignments and Activities Table.
NOTE TO LEARNERS: On occasion, the course facilitator may, at his or her discretion, alter the Learning Activities shown in this Syllabus. The alteration of Learning Activities may not, in any way, change the Learner Outcomes or the grading scale for this course as contained in this syllabus. Examples of circumstances that could justify alterations in Learning Activities could include number of learners in the course; compelling current events; special facilitator experience or expertise; or unanticipated disruptions to class session schedule.