University of Maryland, College Park Department of Communication COMM 475: Persuasion Spring 2012 Instructor: Office: Phone: E-mail:

Office Hours: Section 0101: Section 0201: Sanja Sipek Novitsky 0109 Skinner 301-405-0759 ssipek@umd.edu (preferred contact) By appointment Tuesday & Thursday 2:00 3:15 Tuesday & Thursday 3:30 4:45 PHY 1402 SYM 0200

Course Description The primary objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding of persuasion and social influence research and practice. We will examine how some of the characteristics of the sender (e.g., credibility, similarity), the message (e.g., arguments, emotions), the receiver (e.g., need for cognition) and the channel (e.g., aural vs. visual) influence the effect of persuasive messages on beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. Required Materials Cialdini, R. B. (2001). Influence: Science and Practice. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon. (4th or 5th ed.) Gass, R. H., & Seiter, J. S. (2011). Persuasion, Social Influence, and Compliance Gaining (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education. Additional readings may be assigned in class or posted on Blackboard. Course Policies Attendance The University expects each student to take full responsibility for his or her academic work and academic progress. Students are expected to attend class regularly because consistent attendance offers the most effective opportunity open to all students to gain command of the concepts and materials of this course. Except as described below (see examinations, participation, and written assignments), absences will not be used in the computation of grades. It is the policy of the University to excuse the absence of a student that results from the following causes: (1) illness of the student or illness of a dependent as defined by Board of Regents policy on family and medical leave; (2) religious observance (where the nature of the observance prevents the student from being present during the class period); (3) participation in University activities at the request of University authorities; and (4) compelling circumstances beyond the student's control. Students claiming an excused absence must demonstrate to the instructor that their failure to attend class was on account of one of these four causes. Such demonstration shall take the form of appropriate documentation (e.g., hospitalization records) and a letter signed by a person in a position to make an authoritative determination as to the validity of the cause of absence claimed by the student. Letters related to any absence must: (1) include the phone number of the individual who signs the letter; and (2) be presented to the instructor within five calendar days of the student's return to school. The instructor reserves the right to verify the content and authority of letters. The campus Health Center note stating that the student visited the Center is not sufficient to excuse missing an examination.

Please note that exams, the group project, and participation assignments are considered major grading events in this course. Per University policy, self-signed note does not excuse the student from completing these assignments as scheduled. Some participation assignments can be made up in case of a University excused absence, and in case that the given assignment does not require students presence in class. However, assignments that are completed in class (e.g., a report on an exercise students do in class, or a report written at home based on the exercise done in class) cannot be made up under any circumstances. Tardiness: If you are late, please enter quietly and unobtrusively so as not to disrupt the attention of your classmates and the instructor. In other words, please be polite. The same applies to leaving early. Classroom policies: NO CELL PHONES, NEWSPAPER READING OR COMPUTER USE during the class time. If you use your computer to take notes, please notify the instructor the first week of the class and sit in the front row. The only case when the use of cell phones in class is acceptable is an emergency that requires you to dial 911 or campus police. Please note that the instructor will warn you about cell phone use once. After the first warning, the use of cell phones is considered disruptive classroom behavior. Academic Integrity It is expected that each student will uphold academic integrity in this course and that, with the exception of group projects, each student will complete assignments on her/his own. The Universitys approved Code of Academic Integrity is available on the web at: http://www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Departments/JPO/code_acinteg.html and should be read. The Code defines academic dishonesty as cheating (intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise); fabrication (intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise); facilitating academic dishonesty (intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another student to violate any provision of this Code); and plagiarism (intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise). The Code prohibits students from cheating on exams; plagiarizing papers; submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization; buying papers; submitting fraudulent documents; and forging signatures. Academic dishonesty of any sort will not be tolerated. Academic dishonesty constitutes grounds for failure on the relevant assignment and potential failure of the entire course. If you have any questions about what practices are, and are not, acceptable, direct them to the instructor before the assignment is due. University of Maryland Honor Pledge The University of Maryland has a nationally recognized Honor Code, administered by the Student Honor Council. The Student Honor Council proposed, and the University Senate approved, an Honor Pledge. The University of Maryland Honor Pledge reads: I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination. Unless you are specifically advised to the contrary, the Pledge statement should be handwritten and signed on the front cover of all papers, exams, projects, or other academic assignments submitted for evaluation in this course. Students who fail to write and sign the Pledge will be asked to confer with the instructor. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities The University of Maryland is committed to making appropriate accommodations to individuals with disabilities that have been documented by the Disability Support Services (0126 Shoemaker Hall). If you wish to discuss academic accommodations for this class, please contact the instructor as soon as possible, and no later than the 3rd

week of the semester. Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment of any sort will not be tolerated during or in association with the activities of this class. The University of Maryland Policy and Procedures on Sexual Harassment defines sexual harassment as "(1) unwanted sexual advances; or (2) unwelcome requests for sexual favors; and (3) other behavior of a sexual nature where: Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment or participation in a University-sponsored educational program or activity; or Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for academic or decision affecting that individual; or employment work

Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's academic or performance, or of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational or working environment." Conduct which may constitute sexual harassment is characterized by the campus policy in this way:

Sexual harassment may, for example, be as undisguised as a direct solicitation of sexual favors, or solicitation accompanied by overt threats. Harassment may also be implied, arising from the relative situation of the parties. In this regard, the following types of acts are more likely-than-not to result in allegations of sexual harassment: unwelcome physical contact; sexual remarks about a person's clothing, body, or sexual relations; conversation of a sexual nature or similar jokes and stories; and the display of sexually explicit materials in the workplace or used in the classroom which are without defensible educational purpose. Students who wish to obtain further information regarding the campus sexual harassment policy and its procedures should consult the University of Maryland Policy and Procedures on Sexual Harassment. Questions about assignment or exam grades: All questions about graded assignments or exams must be brought to the instructor within 7 calendar days from the day the grade is posted or the class session in which the assignment/exam is returned to the class (whichever is earlier). After this time, the instructor will provide information, but we will not engage in any discussion of a grade. Consultations: Please do not wait until the night before an assignment is due to realize that you are unsure of what is expected. Uncertainties can always exist. It is my intention to do everything I can to help you learn the material of the course. If you do not understand an assignment, ask. The excuse, "I didn't know what was expected," will not be accepted as justification of poor performance. There are no "do-overs" allowed. Email policy Email is the preferred medium for contacting the instructor. It should be used to set up appointments and ask short questions. The instructor will respond to your inquiry within 36 hours, excluding the hours from Friday 5pm to Monday 9 am. If you need a response that in my judgment requires more than a paragraph, I will ask you to set up an appointment. Policy on Incomplete The grade of incomplete (I) is given only to a student whose work in a course has been qualitatively satisfactory, when, because of illness or other circumstances beyond his/her control, he/she has been unable to complete some small portion of the course work. In no case will an incomplete be given to a student who has not completed major course assignments. If you miss the final exam and have a university approved excuse (see Attendance above), you must contact the instructor within 24 hours or as soon as possible and sign an incomplete contract. Without the contract your course grade will be calculated based on zero points (an F) for the missed assignment. It is the students responsibility to request arrangements for completion of the course work.

Syllabus Changes The class schedule is tentative although it is the instructor's goal to follow it as closely as possible. Course requirements There are two exams, one group project, and five participation assignments used to compute the students final grade. Reading assignments are to be completed by the first class for which they are assigned. Late assignments will not be accepted unless the instructor has given prior consent and except as described in Attendance above. All assignments should be typed in 12 point font, double spaced, with one inch margins on all sides. Make sure the assignment is legible. Use black ink and white paper to print the assignments. Please staple all multi-page assignments in the upper left hand corner of the page. Unstapled assignments will receive a 5% deduction in total assignment points. Proofread your work! Typos and grammatical errors may result in the lower grade on the assignment. All assignments should follow the APA guide. Keep a copy of all submitted assignments for your record. Assignments cannot be emailed to the instructor. If your printer does not work, please locate one of the numerous printing facilities on campus. For every day that the assignment is late without instructors approval, the assignment grade will drop by one full grade. 1. Exams There are two exams in this course: one mid-term and one final exam. The final exam is cumulative. Material for exams will come from lectures, reading assignments, audiovisual presentations, class discussions and exercises. The instructor considers all the required readings to be fair game for examination whether or not discussed in class. The format of the exams may include multiple choice, true/false questions, fill in the blanks, and/or matching questions and short answers. Missed examinations may be made up only if the student demonstrates that the absence from the examination was due to an excused absence (as defined above under Attendance). Students claiming an excused absence for a missed exam must contact the instructor within 24 hours of their absence or as soon as physically possible. If a student knows he or she will miss an exam due to a University excused absence, that student must inform the instructor of their intended absence (and provide the appropriate documentation) within five calendar days prior to the intended absence. All make-up exams must be completed within five calendar days of the students return to school. Graded examinations will be returned to students for review during a regular class period. Upon completion of this review, examinations will be collected and retained by the instructor. Students must ensure that graded examinations are returned to the instructor after review because examinations not returned will receive 0 points on this assignment. Students who are absent when the examinations are returned may review their examination during office hours. 2. Group Project There will be one group project in the course. Specific instructions and details will be given at the time the project is assigned in class. A brief description of the assignment is provided below: Group project: Students will work in groups to develop and critically analyze their own persuasion campaign. The culmination of this effort will be a group paper and a group presentation. The group project is mandatory. No individual projects will be accepted. Furthermore, it is every students responsibility to make sure he or she is a contributing member of a group. Students have 1 week to be placed in a group. After that time, any students who

are not members of a group will receive a zero on the assignment. Check the class schedule for dates when groups will be assigned. As part of the group process, students will complete peer evaluations. As part of the group work, students will complete peer evaluations, which will be used as the basis to modify final paper grades of group members who do not fully contribute to the group work. If a student receives 0 from all other members of the group, the resulting grade for that student may be 0 on the group project.. 3. Participation Discussion and exercises are a critical part of this course. During the semester, you will earn your participation points by completing in-class exercises and take-home assignments. These assignments are usually a brief response or report on an activity that takes place in class. You may earn up to 20 points per assignment that will count towards your participation grade. Please note that these assignments cannot be made up, and there is no substitute assignment if the assignment is based on an activity done in class. You may miss one participation assignment without penalty. We will have five assignments during the semester, but you only need to complete four. In case you complete all five, your best four will count towards the participation grade. Assignment Grades Each item will be weighted as follows: Midterm Exam Final Exam Group project Participation Total possible points for the semester 100 points 130 points 150 points 80 points 460

Grading The following symbols are used on the student's permanent record for all courses in which he or she is enrolled after the initial registration and schedule adjustment period: A+ (98-100%), A (93%97%), A- (90%92%), B+(89%), B (83%88%), B- (80%82%), C+(79%), C (73%78%), C- (70%72%), D+(69%), D (63%68%), D-(60% 62%), F (less than 60%), XF, I, P, S, and W. These marks remain part of the student's permanent record and may be changed only by the original instructor on certification, approved by the Department Chair and the Dean, that an actual mistake was made in determining or recording the grade. Extra credit This class participates in the Department of Communication participant pool. It is important to your education that you experience the kinds of events and research that are critical to our department's research mission. You are allowed to earn extra credit by participating in research. For each hour, the student will be awarded 5 points. The duration of the study is determined by the researcher and it does not necessarily correspond to how long it takes you to complete the study. The credit is granted based on the researchers estimate of the study duration. You can earn up to 10 points of extra credit. These opportunities will be posted online, using the SONA system (http://umcommunication.sona-systems.com). If you used SONA in previous semesters, you still need to open a new account. A handout with instructions on how to open an account is posted on Blackboard. Extra credit points will be added to the students final exam grade. Tentative Schedule Please note: All readings should be completed before the day on which they are listed.

Date Jan 26 & 31 Feb 2 & 7 Feb 9 & 14 Feb 16 & 21 Feb 23 & 28 Mar 1 & 6 Mar 8 & 13 Mar 15 Mar 19-23 Mar 27 & 29 Apr 3 & 5

Topic/Important dates Syllabus; What is persuasion? But you promised! Commitment and consistency Are some people just gullible? Communicator characteristics Feb 9: Assigning groups & project Monkey see monkey do: Influence in groups Feb 21: Last day to join a group Language Its not what you say, its how you say it: Beyond the language Give a little, take a lot: Reciprocation March 8: Midterm exam When do we say what? Structure and order Do actions always speak louder than words? Compliance gaining March 29: Group project outline due Because I say so! & We have only 6 left Authority & Reciprocity

Readings / Assignments G&S, 1 and 2 C, 1 G&S, 3 C, 3 G&S, 4 and 5 G&S, 6; C 4 G&S, 7 G&S, 8 C, 2 G&S, 9 and 10 G&S 11 C5 C6&7

G&S 13, C8 Apr 10 & 12 Apr 17 & 19 Apr 24 Apr 26 May 1 & 3 May 8 & 10 May 10 May 16 May 18 If you loved me Emotions and moods Deception & Ethics A picture is worth a thousand words; Other senses Group presentations Group presentations Group presentations Catch up day and review for the final Final exam section 0101, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm Final exam section 0201, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm G&S 12 and 16 G&S 14 & 15

G&S = Gass & Seiter; C = Cialdini