COMM 111
Conflict and Communication
Description: Lecture, three hours. Analysis of when and why conflict is prevalent in daily lives (including mass media) and how communication affects reactions to and consequences of conflict. Conflict is part of our evolutionary heritage. How well we handle various conflicts affects, to great degree, our success or failure wherever we interact with others, including intimate relations, school, and workplace. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2017 - Do yourself a favor and take this class!! Chris is hands down one of the best professors I have ever had, and this is one of the most interesting classes I have ever taken- I took it almost 2 years ago and still remember a lot of the material, both because of how great of a lecturer Chris is and because of how applicable the material is to everyday life. His lectures are always interesting, he shows movie clips to illustrate a lot of the topics and he gives extremely light reading (usually one reading per lecture, they take 10-20 minutes to read, and they're usually pretty interesting). One thing to keep in mind with lectures is that even though he posts the Power Points, you're really getting 99% of the information you need in lecture, so you actually have to go and take notes. The good thing is that his lectures are all interesting and he will repeat definitions, important points, etc. multiple times, so you're never struggling to get down what you need (and there's never too much to get down per lecture- I hand wrote my notes and it was maybe 1&1/2 to 2 pages front and back per lecture, if even that much). Also, even though participation isn't part of your grade, you actually do have to participate sometimes, but he lets you know in advance (usually he'll show a movie clip or pass out papers for something you'll do in class and he tells people by rows what to look out for). Don't be afraid to ask questions in lecture if you need to. Grade is broken down as follows: 3 quizzes, 2 short papers and a final (he also gave an extra credit opportunity at the end of the quarter). With the papers, he has about 20 topics to choose from that are due throughout the quarter, just pick the 2 you're most interested in and turn them in before their deadlines. He also breaks down what he's looking for in the papers in the beginning of the quarter, so don't stress them too much, he wants you to do well. Last thing is that it sometimes takes a few days for him to respond to emails because he gets so many, so if you have a question about one of the papers make sure you don't send it last minute. Seriously, TAKE HIS CLASS IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE.
Fall 2017 - Do yourself a favor and take this class!! Chris is hands down one of the best professors I have ever had, and this is one of the most interesting classes I have ever taken- I took it almost 2 years ago and still remember a lot of the material, both because of how great of a lecturer Chris is and because of how applicable the material is to everyday life. His lectures are always interesting, he shows movie clips to illustrate a lot of the topics and he gives extremely light reading (usually one reading per lecture, they take 10-20 minutes to read, and they're usually pretty interesting). One thing to keep in mind with lectures is that even though he posts the Power Points, you're really getting 99% of the information you need in lecture, so you actually have to go and take notes. The good thing is that his lectures are all interesting and he will repeat definitions, important points, etc. multiple times, so you're never struggling to get down what you need (and there's never too much to get down per lecture- I hand wrote my notes and it was maybe 1&1/2 to 2 pages front and back per lecture, if even that much). Also, even though participation isn't part of your grade, you actually do have to participate sometimes, but he lets you know in advance (usually he'll show a movie clip or pass out papers for something you'll do in class and he tells people by rows what to look out for). Don't be afraid to ask questions in lecture if you need to. Grade is broken down as follows: 3 quizzes, 2 short papers and a final (he also gave an extra credit opportunity at the end of the quarter). With the papers, he has about 20 topics to choose from that are due throughout the quarter, just pick the 2 you're most interested in and turn them in before their deadlines. He also breaks down what he's looking for in the papers in the beginning of the quarter, so don't stress them too much, he wants you to do well. Last thing is that it sometimes takes a few days for him to respond to emails because he gets so many, so if you have a question about one of the papers make sure you don't send it last minute. Seriously, TAKE HIS CLASS IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - This class was interesting especially because it was so applicable to everyday life. I learned a lot about how to manage conflict across different people and settings so in that sense, what I learned was useful. The tests really do measure your understanding of the readings and lecture, so office hours are an especially great resource to take advantage of. However, I will say that the lectures themselves can sometimes go off topic, leaving us behind in the syllabus and with a lack of clarity regarding the actual material (the Professor likes to rant). The course breakdown was on a points-based system and exams and a final project were your entire grade. Extra credit was offered here and there as 1-point assignments, but these do not make a significant difference. Exams are graded harshly. The final paper grade depends on the TA for that quarter. The textbook readings are assigned weekly to match lecture but they are not the most engaging content. I understand that this class is a practicum course, so if this is the requirement you want to fill, I would recommend other courses but overall this class was a generally positive experience and easily manageable if you are taking 3+ classes.
Fall 2023 - This class was interesting especially because it was so applicable to everyday life. I learned a lot about how to manage conflict across different people and settings so in that sense, what I learned was useful. The tests really do measure your understanding of the readings and lecture, so office hours are an especially great resource to take advantage of. However, I will say that the lectures themselves can sometimes go off topic, leaving us behind in the syllabus and with a lack of clarity regarding the actual material (the Professor likes to rant). The course breakdown was on a points-based system and exams and a final project were your entire grade. Extra credit was offered here and there as 1-point assignments, but these do not make a significant difference. Exams are graded harshly. The final paper grade depends on the TA for that quarter. The textbook readings are assigned weekly to match lecture but they are not the most engaging content. I understand that this class is a practicum course, so if this is the requirement you want to fill, I would recommend other courses but overall this class was a generally positive experience and easily manageable if you are taking 3+ classes.
AD
Most Helpful Review
Great teacher. Lectures were interesting, material was clear and relevant, he had an open mind, and he was good about class participation/comments. The tests were very straight forward and exactly what the readings and lectures taught. I loved this class and would take another with him anytime. A bonus is that this class will give you very relevant skills that you can use after graduation.
Great teacher. Lectures were interesting, material was clear and relevant, he had an open mind, and he was good about class participation/comments. The tests were very straight forward and exactly what the readings and lectures taught. I loved this class and would take another with him anytime. A bonus is that this class will give you very relevant skills that you can use after graduation.
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