FRS 002EE — Sec. 001 — (2 units) — CRN 55899 — M 2:10-4:00pm — 245 AOB IV
Persuasion in Today’s World

Instructor: Catherine Puckering, Department of Communication, College of Letters and Science

Description: We live in a world in which persuasive messages of various types compete for our attention. Consequently, this course will take a receiver-oriented approach that encourages critical reception of persuasive message. Specifically, we will investigate the power of authority, liking, commitment and consistency and how these strategies are used to shape our belief systems and our behavior in arenas such as economics, politics, business and religion. As a communication-related seminar, focus will be on the style and content of the persuasive messages we encounter on a daily basis. Participants in the proposed seminar will view and analyze real-life examples of persuasive messages. The primary goals of the seminar will be to provide participants with knowledge about persuasive strategies they encounter on a regular basis and strategies to resist unwanted persuasive attempts.

Format: The first seven meetings will include mini-lectures by the instructor, small group exercises designed to provide students with an opportunity to analyze persuasive messages, and brief video presentations. These meetings will be structured around the material presented in Robert Cialdini’s book, Influence: Science and Practice. The remaining three classes will be reserved for discussion of students’ individual research projects. Students will attend a two hour seminar once per week for the ten week duration of the course. In the first seven weeks of the course students will be expected to spend approximately three hours per week reading the assigned material and gathering examples for class discussion and one hour per week gathering materials for their research projects. By the eighth week of the course, it is expected that students, in regular consultation with the instructor, will spend their time researching and preparing either: 1) a portfolio of persuasive messages and accompanying analyses of those messages or 2) an original persuasive message that incorporates an accurate understanding of current research. Grading: There will be three assignments for the course. Twenty-five percent of the grade will be based on participation, which includes regular and meaningful contributions to course activities and discussions. Another 25% will be based on completion of weekly reading logs. The remaining 50% will be based on the research project described above.

About the Instructor: Catherine Puckering earned her M.A. in Communication Studies from CSU, Sacramento in 1999. She is currently working on her Ph.D. from the Communication Department at the University of Washington. Her areas of interest include social influence, instructional communication and interpersonal communication.