Instructor: Dr. Robert M. Seiler
Office: SS 308 / 220-4842
Office hours: by appointment

This course was designed as a seminar for senior communications studies students. This section offers students the opportunity to view communications studies through the prism of a particular concept, namely, Persuasion. Thus, this course explores the major theories of Persuasion, as they operate in the five primary modes of communication (the linguistic, the iconic, the musical, the social/gestural, and the logical/mathematical), and gives students an opportunity to apply the knowledge they have already acquired to practical situations. Accordingly, the assignments assist students in the process of bringing together theory and practice.

• To provide students with an opportunity to co-ordinate and use the various kinds of knowledge and skills they have acquired in the course of the programme.
  
• To encourage students to think across disciplinary boundaries.
  
• To give students the opportunity to learn from one another in class discussions and presentations.

Cialdini, Robert B. 2001. Influence: Science and Practice. 4th edn. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Book of Readings for Communications Studies 591.03 (Winter 2006). Additional course materials will be posted on the COMS 591 Web site, available at http://www.ucalgary.ca/~rseiler/coms591.htm

1. Class Presentation, worth 30%, broken down thus:

   Proposal and preliminary bibliography, worth 10% Due: No earlier than January 18th
   Presentation in class, worth 20%; Variable: TBA

2. Term Paper, worth 35%. This paper is due March 29th

3. Class Participation, worth 10%

   Students must be prepared to make a significant contribution to class discussion, based on the readings assigned for the day. They are also expected to participate in the question period following each student's presentation.

4. Take-home final exam, worth 25%

   Students must receive a passing grade on the final exam in order to pass the course.

• All assignments must be completed to receive a passing grade.
  
• Assignments submitted after the due date may be penalized one grade point (A- to B+) for each day late.
  
• I factor the quality of students' writing into my grading of assignments and exams. Writing in the active voice is the best way of preventing ambiguity. Students who have trouble with sentence structure and so on should visit the Effective Writing Centre (SS 301).
  
• If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to: register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237), and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of this course.
• Plagiarism:
  Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. (For details see 2005-06 Calendar, pp. 53-56,
  http://www.ucalgary.ca/pubs/calendar/current/How/HOW_LB.htm) Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.
  You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such formats.
  Please consult your instructor if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.
  
• The Faculty of Communication and Culture uses the following equivalencies in its grading system:
  A (92-100); A- (86-91); B+ (81-85); B (77-80); B- (71-76); C+ (65-70); C (62-64); C- (59-61); D+ (55-58); D (50-54); F (0-49)
  
• Instructors can no longer post grades, either alphabetically or numerically by ID number, now that the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) has taken effect. Students can contact the Registrar's Office to obtain their grades.