Course Syllabus: COMM 3330

**See all 3 tabs for all syllabus information**

Instructor and About the Course

Contact Information

Name: Nathan H. Bedsole

Email: nathan.bedsole@colorado.edu

Virtual Office Hours: by email and appointment

Instructor Bio

Nathan is a doctoral candidate in the department of Communication at the University of Colorado Boulder. Hailing from the American South, Nathan took his Bachelor's and his Master's from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Nathan's teaching covers a variety of topics from ancient rhetorics and public speaking to argumentation and contemporary rhetorical theory. His scholarship draws from Lacanian psychoanalysis, sound studies, poststructuralism and political theory. Find his work published by Parlor Press and Intermezzo, Argumentation & Advocacy, and Journal of Communication.

 

Course description

This course investigates communication’s role in seeking social change, focusing on how rhetoric functions in contemporary social movements. This class is not a “history of social movements,” or “history of social movement rhetoric,” although we will learn about both. Through a lens of communication – discourse between people and in society – we will make sense of common aspects of social movements (formation, life cycle, leaders and constituents, strategies and tactics, public response), using academic and non-academic examples to demonstrate the theories and concepts we discuss.

Course Objectives

  • Discuss in detail the goals, history, membership, and strategies of several contemporary social issues/movements across the political spectrum, with a focus on issues related to social justice.
  • Describe how theories and concepts of communication apply to contemporary social movements, including, for example, how social movements function through a rhetorical lens.
  • Examine and explain how rhetorical forces affect public ideas and discourse, such as through assessing the role of a social movement’s communication in creating and resisting social change.
  • Evaluate a social movement organization’s rhetorical strategy, articulate your critique for a non-academic audience, and propose recommendations to their strategies, including creating examples to demonstrate your suggestions.
  • Explore, express, debate, and evaluate ideas and issues which matter to you personally, professionally, publicly, and ethically, for a variety of audiences.
  • Draw informed conclusions that reflect an understanding of multiple (and sometimes conflicting) sources of information.
  • Demonstrate ethical awareness and empathy in dealing with differences and resolving conflict

Course Outline

Our course is 14 weeks long and consists of 5 units. See the Schedule tab for a more complete outline.

Required Texts

All readings for this course will be posted to or linked to on Canvas.

Class Time Expectations

Online courses require engaging with materials and one another on a regular basis. Expect to log in to the course at minimum 3 days a week (likely more), for long enough to read discussions, make substantive comments, and ensure you are engaging with the course and peers.   

Online students should expect to spend the same number of hours actively participating online as in an in-person course. For example, a course that is 3 credit hours during a 15 week semester expects students to spend 3 hours “in class” each week and an additional 6 hours of course work each week, a total of 9 hours a week—135 hours for the semester. In shorter semesters, students are expected to complete the same amount of work (135 hours) for the same number of credits (3), requiring more hours/week to meet the standard.

  • 14 weeks: 9.75 hours/week
  • 10 weeks: 13.5 hours/week
  • 7 week: 19.25 hours/week

Assignments and Grading

Submission Policies

Please format your submissions with 1" margins and 12pt Times New Roman font. Please put your name and the due date in the header. All assignments should be submitted online via Canvas. Submission or technological difficulties are not acceptable excuses for late work. Discussion posts are not accepted after the posting period has ended, no exceptions. You must take part in the discussion when others are in order for it to be a discussion. With prior notice I am happy to adjust your timeline for other assignments. Because all due dates and assignments are posted at the start of our course, I do not otherwise accept late work. 

Assignments and Point Breakdown

  • Reading Responses (10 x 10pts each, drop lowest 2) 80
  • Unit Discussions (8 x 25pts each, drop lowest 1) 175
  • Op-Ed peer review 40
  • Op-Ed assignment 50
  • Project Proposal Discussion 25
  • Project Check-In Meeting 10
  • Project Draft Peer Review Discussion 20
  • Social Movement Organization Consultant Project 200
  • Total: 600


Grading Criteria

Assignments are graded with an eye toward correctness, clarity, creativity, consideration, credibility, and, of course, timeliness. Points are earned, with the expectation that A’s take significant work above and beyond the basic requirements of the assignment.
• TIMELINESS: Discussion posts are not accepted after the posting period has ended, no exceptions. You must take part in the discussion when others are in order for it to be a discussion. With prior notice I am happy to adjust your timeline for other assignments. Because all due dates and assignments are posted at the start of our course, I do not otherwise accept late work.
• CORRECTNESS: Are you using course concepts correctly? Have you met all aspects of the assignment and followed directions?
• CLARITY: Are you stating your work clearly and concisely? Is it well organized, and uses headings and transition sentences to help guide the reader? Does it have clear spelling and grammar (even if not standardized English grammar), understandable by the reader? Have you explicitly explained how that example you used demonstrates course concepts in action, showing the reader your thinking?
• CREATIVITY: Are you going beyond the minimum of the assignment to bring fresh and insightful perspective and examples to the conversation? If you believe an assignment can be done in a different way that draws on your talents, suggest it, explaining how you believe it still meets the requirements and learning objectives of the assignment.
• CONSIDERATION: Have you considered information from multiple perspectives and sources? Have you paid attention to what’s already been said in this conversation and are striving to go further? Are you being intentional and respectful in your language use? Have you taken into account how concepts from earlier or other classes apply?
• CREDIBILITY: Are you making credible arguments to support your points, backed by valid evidence? Have you clearly and correctly cited all your sources? Remember, ALL information that is not general knowledge should be cited, and specific concepts and theories developed by people who are not you need to be cited.
o Required Citation Format: Chicago Manual of Style, preferably Notes-Bibliography (NB/footnote) version when possible. In online formats such as discussion posts and quiz answers, (Author, Date) format with the complete citation at the end works.
o Don’t know Chicago style at all? Start here: https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2018/04/359754/social-movements-new-power-structure
o Save this link to check formatting details throughout the semester: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html

Grading Scale

Grades are based on completeness, correctness, coherence, creativity, and timeliness. They are earned, not given. A “C” grade means completing the expectations of the assignment, a “B” signals exemplary work, and an “A” signals excellent work that needs almost no improvement of any element. Letter grades are determined using the following scale:

  • 94% + = A Superior work. Almost flawless. Difficult to improve upon.
  • 90 to 93% = A- Excellent work.
  • 87 to 89% = B+ Very good work. Diligence and attention to detail are evident.
  • 84 to 86% = B Good quality of work.
  • 80 to 83% = B- Might need minor revision and reworking, but conceptually sound.
  • 77 to 79% = C+ Student needs to apply concepts more directly.
  • 70 to 76% = C Meets requirements, but may lack development of elements.
  • 67 to 69% = D+ Requirements fulfilled, but lack of effort is present.
  • 60 to 66% = D Barely fulfills minimum requirements.
  • Below 59% = F Does not fulfill requirements for a passing grade.

See the Class Engagement & Discussion Board Guidelines page for a detailed discussion board rubric.

Course Policies

Communication

My preferred channel of communication is email. Please see the email communication assignment (Unit 1; Week 1) for further details. 

Inclusivity

CMCI strives to be a community whose excellence depends on diversity, equity, and inclusion. We aim to understand and challenge systems of privilege and disadvantage in higher education, such as those based on class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and dis/ability. We seek to reach across social and political divides and to make space for voices historically underrepresented in higher education and marginalized in society. In other words, diversity is not just a future reality for which we try to prepare students. It is a priority we want to put into practice here, now, and together, in order to foster places of learning where all members can thrive. Our question for you is, how are we doing? Please contact the CMCI diversity team (email Karen Ashcraft or visit the CMCI Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Staff page)…

  • if you need support or other resources but don’t know where to turn.
  • if any aspect of your educational experience with CMCI does not reflect the commitment expressed here, or if you want to share a positive instance of this commitment in action.
  • if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas related to diversity.
  • We want to hear from you so that we can do better, and to support you however we can!

Accommodation for Disability:

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit your accommodation letter from Disability Services to your faculty member in a timely manner so that your needs can be addressed.  Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities in the academic environment.  Information on requesting accommodations is located on the Disability Services website. Contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 or dsinfo@colorado.edu for further assistance.  If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see Temporary Medical Conditionsunder the Students tab on the Disability Services website.

Honor Code:

All students enrolled in a University of Colorado Boulder course are responsible for knowing and adhering to the Honor Code. Violations of the policy may include: plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, lying, bribery, threat, unauthorized access to academic materials, clicker fraud, submitting the same or similar work in more than one course without permission from all course instructors involved, and aiding academic dishonesty. All incidents of academic misconduct will be reported to the Honor Code (honor@colorado.edu); 303-492-5550). Students who are found responsible for violating the academic integrity policy will be subject to nonacademic sanctions from the Honor Code as well as academic sanctions from the faculty member. Additional information regarding the Honor Code academic integrity policy can be found at the Honor Code Office website.

Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination, Harassment and/or Related Retaliation:

The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) is committed to fostering a positive and welcoming learning, working, and living environment. CU Boulder will not tolerate acts of sexual misconduct (including sexual assault, exploitation, harassment, dating or domestic violence, and stalking), discrimination, and harassment by members of our community. Individuals who believe they have been subject to misconduct or retaliatory actions for reporting a concern should contact the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) at 303-492-2127 or cureport@colorado.edu. Information about the OIEC, university policies, anonymous reporting, and the campus resources can be found on the OIEC website.

Please know that faculty and instructors have a responsibility to inform OIEC when made aware of incidents of sexual misconduct, discrimination, harassment and/or related retaliation, to ensure that individuals impacted receive information about options for reporting and support resources.

Religious Holidays:

Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. In this class, please let me know by the start of our third week if you anticipate any conflicts with our schedule.

See the campus policy regarding religious observances for full details.

Classroom Behavior

Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation or political philosophy.  Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records.  For more information, see the policies on classroom behavior and the Student Code of Conduct.

Taking Online Classes and Dealing with Technical Difficulties

To be successful in this course, you will need to have a working knowledge of using email, using a word processing program, getting around Canvas, downloading and uploading files, interacting on the Canvas discussion boards, taking quizzes through the site, adjusting Canvas settings such as subscriptions for updates, and researching online with search engines. I will include "how to" resources where applicable. You'll need to learn more about the "netiquette" for class interactions, and the logistics about assignment standards. (All of these files will always be available to you in the "Unit 1 module" under Class Content. I've also come across this quick primer for online interactions that is worth the 2 minutes to help get you started on the right foot!

Please make use of the CANVAS help guides as needed. * Before emailing me that Canvas "isn't working," please try using a different browser, each one interacts with the site differently.* If changing browsers doesn't work, inform me of any problems you have with the course or D2L with a clear description and/or screenshot of the problem. Please see the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) website for troubleshooting, or they can be reached by email at help@colorado.edu. If/when you contact them (or me) about site issues, you will need to be specific about error messages and other information about your usage.