Week 1: What Is Communication? Concepts and Misconceptions (outline pending)
Week of Mon, Aug 17 · week closes Sun, Aug 23
This week's items
- Week 1 reading — Communication Foundationspoints in Canvas
- Discussion: Communication misconceptionspoints in Canvas
Exact due times are in Canvas.
Read this week
Know these cold
- Identify the key elements in the communication process: sender, receiver, message, channel, feedback, noise, context.
- Distinguish between the linear, interactional, and transactional models of communication.
- List and explain at least five common misconceptions about communication (e.g., 'communication is natural,' 'more communication is always better').
- Define intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, public, and mass communication.
- Understand why communication is irreversible and unrepeatable.
- Recognize the difference between content meaning and relational meaning in a message.
- Explain the role of shared meaning in effective communication.
- Review Chapter 1 in the LibreTexts OER before attempting the knowledge gate.
Meerk's quiz — open the Week 1 gate
10 questions, no time limit. 85% on your first attempt in a 24-hour window opens the gate. Retakes inside the window are practice — they help you learn, they don't count. Work alone; the point is to know it, not to have seen it.
Stuck?
Raise your hand. Mr. James gets a message right away and can help you remotely. Nothing else is stored — just your last name, grade, and where you're stuck.
Dinner Table Question
Ask at home: Think of a recent misunderstanding you had with someone. Which part of the communication process broke down — the sender, the message, the channel, or the receiver?
En español: Piensa en un malentendido reciente. ¿Qué parte del proceso de comunicación falló: el emisor, el mensaje, el canal o el receptor?