Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies (IIC)

1. Introduction 1. Human beings are social animals. We meet people and make friends throughout our life. However, building a positive relationship is not an accident; it requires understanding and efforts, and is an art to be learned and practiced. Learning, developing, expanding, and improving interpersonal skills and competencies are essential for future success. This course prepares students for their future by helping them improve themselves and their relationships with family members, friends, classmates, co-workers and even people who may be perceived as difficult.

Aims & Objectives

2 This course aims at increasing students’ knowledge and understanding of basic human communication principles, identifying their strengths and weaknesses in intrapersonal and interpersonal communication, developing skills to achieve positive relationships with significant others and people around them.

2.2 By the end of the course, students should be able to: 2.2.1 understand the concept of self; 2.2.2 know themselves throughout the life span and personality types; 2.2.3 identify emotion and feelings and develop appropriate skills to express them; 2.2.4 clarify values and understand moral development; 2.2.5 develop better listening skills and master basic skills of giving and receiving responses; 2.2.6 understand features of healthy relationship and identify skills for managing conflicts; 2.2.7 strengthen family relationship; 2.2.8 develop ways to enhance intimate relationships.

General approach

2. Mini lectures, role-plays, case discussions, psychological tests and other creative methods will be used as necessary. 3. Each meeting is 3 hours per session, 12 meetings per term.

References

5 Compulsory text

Wood, J.T. (2013). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters (7th ed.). US: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

7 Suggested references

Adler, R.B., & Proctor II, R.F. (2011). Looking out, looking in (13th ed.). US: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Baker, L. L., & Gaut, D.A. (2002). Communication (8th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

DeVito, J. A. (2002). The interpersonal communication reader. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

DeVito, J. A. (2012). The Interpersonal communication book (13th ed.). NY: Addison Wesley Longman.

Erber, R., & Erber, M.W. (2010). Intimate relationships: Issues, theories and research (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Hanna, S. L., Suggett, R., & Radtke, D. (2010). Person to person: Positive relationships don’t just happen (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, F. P. (2008). Joining together: Group therapy and group skills (10th ed). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Knapp, M.L. (2002). Handbook of interpersonal communication (3rd ed.). London: Sage. Ratliffe, S. A., & Hudson, D. D. (1988). Skills building for interpersonal competence. U.S.: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Squirrell, G. (1998). Developing life skills. Lyme Regis: Russell House. Weiten, W., Hammer, E.Y., & Dunn, D.S. (2012). Psychology and contemporary life (10th ed.). US: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 鄭佩芬 (2000)：《人際關係與溝通技巧》 (臺北市：心理學叢書)。

蔡秀珍、楊智馨 (1999)：《情緒管理》 (台北市：揚智文化)。

內山辰美、福田健 (2002)：《說話的技巧180則》 (臺北市：笛藤出版圖書公司)。

Assessment

100% course work ➢ Attendance 10% ➢ Participation 10% ➢ Quiz 10% ➢ Group presentation 25% ➢ Oral presentation 20% ➢ Written assignment 25%

6.1 Attendance 10% 6.1.1 Compulsory Attendance Students’ full attendance is required. Prior approval should be sought from the lecturer for any leave of absence. Formal letter and medical certificate are required to prove students’ absence. Students must be punctual for their lessons. Three ‘late come-ins’ will be counted as one absence. Absence of any three sessions without reasonable written explanation and prior approval from the lecturer will lead to failure of the whole course. Such students are not allowed to take the quiz and do the oral presentation, and their written assignment will not be graded.

6.2 Participation 10% 6.2.1 To facilitate students’ contribution to class learning, they are expected to: 6.2.1.1 prepare and present mini-lectures, take a leading role in class discussion, group activities and presentations; 6.2.1.2 share own experiences and thoughts with the group; 6.2.1.3 reflect on and learn from experiences and feedback; 6.2.1.4 provide fruitful, concrete and constructive feedback to classmates.

6.3 Quiz 10% 6.3.1 A multiple choice short quiz related to the text will be carried out at the beginning of class 12. Students are reminded to read the text regularly.

6.4 Group Presentation 25% 6.4.1 8 groups will be formed in the first class. Starting from class 5, each group will be responsible for presenting and running activities during the session.

6.4.2 The content of presentation is related to the content of chapter/s of the textbook being assigned. Each group has to hand in a Pre-task Form to the lecturer at least one week before their presentation (see p.15-16). Marks may be deducted for late submission. It is highly recommended for groups to discuss with the lecturer before the presentation. 6.4.3 In addition to the textbook, students are encouraged to look for other relevant materials when preparing the presentation, such as newspapers, local statistical reports, personal experiences and other electronic and paper journals etc. 6.4.4 The format of the presentation is flexible and should be creative. Mini-lecture, drama, role-plays and games involving the entire class are recommended. The class activity should be related to everyday life, and as original and stimulating as possible. 6.4.5 Duration of the presentation should be around 40 minutes. 6.4.6 Students are required to use English in the presentation. 6.4.7 After the group presentation, the entire class will assess and provide feedback on the group’s overall performance. Each group will ask one question and give a brief verbal comment on the performance of the presentation group. Each group will also need to fill in an evaluation form and submit it to the lecturer (p.8).

6.5 Oral Presentation 20% 6.5.1 Each student shall prepare a self-reflection speech in about 300 words in English. Self-reflection means anything one believes one has learned or gained from this course that is beneficial in self-understanding and developing positive relations, and would like to share verbally in English. 6.5.2 Each student will have at most 3 minutes to present in the class in class 11 and 12 6.5.3 After the presentation, each group will ask the student a question. Each group will provide written feedback and rate the performance of the student (p.10). 6.5.4 Students are required to hand in their script for reference at the beginning of their presentation. Marks will be deducted if students fail to submit a written script of their presentation.

6.6 Written assignment 25% 6.6.1 Students are required to submit a paper in this course. This paper should be written in English and submitted at the beginning of class 11. The submission deadline of the paper will be strictly enforced. Without prior approval from the lecturer, zero mark or F Grade will be given to any late submission. For security purpose, student is recommended to keep a spare copy of the paper. 6.6.2 Students have to hand in a hard copy of their written assignment in Turnitin report format. 6.6.3 Format of the paper: neatly typed on A4 papers, double-line spacing, font size 12, Times New Roman, 1 inch margin. 6.6.4 Word limits: 1000 words with word count provided. 6.6.5 Proper references should be included in the paper. 6.6.6 Students have to demonstrate their ability to integrate knowledge they learnt from this course to analyze a case. 6.6.7 Assignment questions: There are 2 case studies (see p.11 & 12). Choose 1 case study and analyze the case. 6.6.8 Term paper marking criteria
|Excellent A |Criteria in obtaining a B and |
| |Strong evidence of original thinking |
| |Good capacity to analyze and synthesize |
| |Indication of critical thinking |
| |Superior grasp of subject matter |
| |Evidence of extensive knowledge base |
| |Excellent suggestions that definitely can be used in real life situations. |
|Good B |Criteria in obtaining a C and |
| |Elaborate and illustrate with appropriate examples. |
| |Good grasp of the subject matter. |
| |Some evidence of critical capacity and analytical ability |
| |Reasonable understanding of issues |
| |Good insights and/or practical suggestions. |
|Satisfactory C |Well organized – with introduction, content, conclusion and reference sections. |
| |APA format used |
| |Content is relevant to the question asked. |
| |Indicate basic knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. |
| |With acceptable conclusion and appropriate suggestions or insights. |
|Fair D |Written in understandable English. |
| |Content is somewhat relevant to the question asked. |
| |Unable to use proper APA format. |
|Poor F |Little evidence of familiarity with the concept and subject matter |
| |Poor English |
| |Plagiarism |