You will be very involved in the learning process--learning is much more enjoyable and effective that way.  By "effective learning," I mean learning that actually makes a long-term, positive change in how you understand your world, and how you behave in it; it means increased competence in whatever area of study you are involved; in this course, it's communication.

Effective learning will have occurred when:
 *  you understand communication in a way that is more sophisticated than when you began the course;
 *  you are conscious of communication choices you are making when communicating interpersonally, in small groups and with public audiences and adjust your behavior based on what you've learned;
 *  you are able to determine and apply appropriate criteria for self-assessment of communication behavior.

You will facilitate those outcomes by:
 * mindfully completing reading assignments before coming to class
 * mindfully preparing  written assignments before coming to class
 * being prepared and willing  to share ideas and argue ideas with colleagues
 * looking for connections between ideas and concepts encountered throughout the course, and building a deep, complex understanding of communication processes.

A TYPICAL CLASS SESSION. . .
will involve a great deal of student to student interaction.  You will talk about your thinking;  developing, presenting and analyzing role plays; writing and "publishing" your writing to colleagues, responding to their ideas, developing conceptual maps and models, etc.  Occasionally, I will talk for 5-10 minutes, and you'll do some note taking and interpreting of my comments.  As a result, there will be ample opportunity to practice relevant communication skills and test concepts presented.  The time will pass very quickly, and, memorably, I think.