NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR
ANTHROPOLOGY 105
SOCIOLOGY 105
Fall 2008
COMMUNICATION VIA GESTURE
IT’S ALL IN THE HANDS, BODY & EYES
Anthropology/Sociology 105 Dr. Monica Rothschild-Boros
SYLLABUS
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS IS NOT THE ENTIRE ‘HAND-OUT’ FOR THIS CLASS – THE REST OF THE INFORMATION NEEDED IS IN BLACKBOARD VISTA YOU MUST GO ONLINE TO GET THE REST OF THE MATERIALS.
YOU DO NEED TO BRING THIS ‘BOOKLET’ TO CLASS FOR EACH MEETING.
Text: Nonverbal Communication Behavior in Interpersonal Relations, by V. Richmond & J. McCroskey, 5th edition or 6th edition
WEEK 1 Oct 21 COMMUNICATION & NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR (CHPT. 1)
Oct 23 PHYSICAL APPREARANCE (CHPT. 2)
Assignment #1: Physical Attraction
WEEK 2 Oct 28 GESTURE & MOVEMENT (CHPT. 3)
Assignment #2: Gesture is Natural
Oct 30 FACIAL BEHAVIOR (CHPT. 4) & EYE BEHAVIOR
(CHPT.5)
Assignment # 3: Eye Behavior
WEEK 3 Nov 4 **** TEST 1 ****
Nov 6 VOCAL BEHAVIOR (CHPT. 6)
SPACE & TERRITORIALITY (CHPT. 7)
Assignment #4: You are in my space
WEEK 4 Nov 11 VETERAN’S DAY – NO CLASS
Nov 13 TOUCH & COMMUNICATION (CHPT. 8)
Assignment #5: Touching
WEEK 5 Nov 18 ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS
(CHPT. 9)
Assignment #6: The Communication Environment
Fill out the form on page 6 in the syllabus and hand it in
Nov 20 **** TEST 2 *****
WEEK 6 Nov 25 TIME (CHPT. 10)
IMMEDIACY & COMMUNICATION (CHPT. 11)
Nov 27 TURKEY DAY – NO CLASS
WEEK 7 Dec 2 FEMALE-MALE NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
(CHPT 12) & SUPERVISOR & EMPLOYEE
RELATIONSHIP (CHPT. 13) & TEACHER-STUDENT
NONVERBAL RELATIONSHIP (CHPT. 14)- We will
cover in class Chapter 12 and I will touch on issues
from Chapters 13 & 14 – but the good news for you is
that I will post in Bb the full lectures for Chapters 13 &
14
Dec 4 INTERCULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS (CHPT. 15)
Assignment # 7: Watch what you do with your hands, eyes
& feet! Everyone must be prepared to present to the class
today
WEEK 8 Dec 9 !!!!! FINAL!!!!!
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE:
If you miss 4 classes you will not get more then a C, regardless of the grades on your 7 assignments & 3 tests.
TESTS:
Midterms 2 50 points each
Final 1 50 points
ASSIGNMENTS:
Assignments 1- 4 & 6 20 points each
Assignment 5 30 points
Assignment 7 50 points
Total possible points = 330
HOW TO REACH ME?
You can see me after class or you can E-mail me at
DO NOT leave a voice mail message for me – I NEVER check it since it is not attached to a phone that I can see – it is out there in the ether!
You can always find your syllabus online by clicking http:/occonline.occ.cccd.edu/online/mrboros
Nature of the Course: The course is designed to give you a general overview of the theoretical and practical application of nonverbal communication scholarship as it stands today.
Learning Objectives:
1. Define the general terms related to the academic study of nonverbal communication and behavior.
2. Explain how nonverbal behaviors affect human communication, and how these behaviors can be altered to improve or hurt effective communication.
3. Be able to list and explain the major categories of nonverbal communication discussed in the course: physical appearance, gesture and movement, facial behavior, eye behavior, vocal behavior, space and territoriality, touch, environment and physical surroundings, and time.
4. Explain the concepts of verbal and nonverbal immediacy.
5. Explain how nonverbal communication can impact relationships between males and females on romantic and non-romantic levels.
6. Understand the importance of nonverbal communication in the establishment of superior-subordinate relationships.
7. Understand the importance of nonverbal communication in the establishment of student-teacher relationships.
8. Understand the importance of nonverbal communication in intercultural communication situations.
NONVERBAL ASSIGNMENTS
All assignments must be 1) typed, 2) stapled and 3) have a cover sheet with your 4) name in the upper right-hand corner of the cover sheet with Assignment #.
LATE WORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED = WORK HANDED IN ON A DAY OTHER THEN IT IS DUE!
I will not accept papers that do not fit the above format (1-4), neither will I accept work that is handed in after the class it is due – you must hand in each assignment before I take attendance in order to receive FULL CREDIT. If you hand it in after I have taken attendance– you will be marked down 1 full grade. If you don’t come to class because you are working on the assignment & hand it in at the end of the class – the highest grade you can receive is a “C”. Any attempt to hand in an assignment after its due date is futile.
If you are ill the day of an assignment: e-mail it to me as a Word Document attachment or copy and paste it into the body of the e-mail– prior to class – these are time stamped – so if you do this during class you will be marked down as if you had come in late or at the end of class.
Assignment # 1: It’s only a Tee Shirt
You are to come to class wearing an outfit that says something about who you are or what your interests are. Each member of the class will then participate in a “fashion” show. Have fun with this! As each of you come to the front of the classroom- the rest of your classmates will write down their perceptions of “who you are”.
Write a one paragraph explanation of what you would expect people to assume about you based upon you attire, then write another paragraph on what appearance cues you look for when making a judgment and how “trustworthy” are these cues to letting you know something about other people. I am looking for thoughtful answers, not one-liners. Be sure to describe in detail what you are wearing so that I can ‘see’ your attire. If I can’t ‘see’ what you are wearing – what you expect people to think will not make sense.
This is what you will hand in when you arrive – prior to attendance being taken. We will go around the room sharing the class’s perceptions and compare them to your observations.
This exercise explores our tendencies to stereotype. (20 points)
Assignment #2: Gesture is Natural
Engage in a conversation with a friend while suppressing the natural urge to gesture. That is, change topics, interrupt, stop talking, etc while repressing your despite to use any gestures. This may be easier to do while sitting vs. standing. At the end of the conversation, tell your friend what you were dong and ask for his or her perceptions of you during the conversation. Use the questions below to write a one page summary of the results of your “experiment.” Be sure to set the scene for me – put your conversation into context – explain who you selected for this experiment and why. (20 points)
1. Did your friend think anything was different?
2. Did your friend think you were preoccupied, ill, having a bad day, didn’t want to talk with them etc.
3. Was it difficult to repress your desire to gesture? Why or why not?
4. Did you have a harder time conveying your ideas? Why or why not?
5. Did your partner gesture less than normal too? If so, why do you think he or she did so?
After you have answered these questions – tell your subject what you were doing and get his/her reactions. Include these reactions in your paper. Then write a conclusion which explains what you have learned about the use of gestures.
Assignment #3: Eye Behavior
This activity is designed to show you how gaze helps structure our conversations and relationships with others.
1. During a conversation with another person, look directly at him or her (do not look away) for 2 minutes. If the other person looks away, just continue looking a his or her head, so when he or she returns his or her eyes towards you, your eyes will still be staring directly at his or hers. Otherwise, try to conduct the conversation as you normally would. (10 points)
Describe what happened:
A. Your reactions and behavior
B. Your partner’s reaction and behavior( both to your behavior & his or her own in reaction to your behavior)
2. During a conversation with a person (not the same one as before), avoid looking at the person for 2 minutes. If the other person tries to look at your, continue to look away. Otherwise, try to conduct the conversation as you normally would. (10 points)
Describe what happened:
A. Your reactions and behavior
B. Your partner’s reaction and behavior( both to your behavior & his or her own in reaction to your behavior)
Be sure to once again set the context of these conversations – who did you select & why. Also, be sure that you confess and discuss with your subjects their reactions. Then be sure to have a conclusion in which you discuss what you have learned about the use of eye behavior.
Assignment #4: You are in my Space!
You will be partnered with someone in the class – I will try to create male/female pairs for this exercise. This exercise is to reinforce the idea of “territoriality.” Take your syllabus along just in case someone gets really bothered you can prove to them that this was an exercise in nonverbal behavior. (20 points)
Conduct this exercise in a mall, large bookstore, and coffeehouse or on campus. You cannot know the subjects of this exercise.
1. Find a male & a female subject – try to find people not near one another so they don’t see what has just happened.
2. Have the person who is the same sex as the subject “invade” first – the other student will document the subject’s behaviors and movements. If your subject moves away, wait a little while before the other team member, of the opposite sex, “invades” that same person’s space.
A) Be sure to note how long it took for the subject to become uneasy, disturbed, agitated, annoyed, or belligerent.
B) Be sure to note how long it took for the person to move or to tell you to move or stop what you were doing.
C) Be sure to record any comments being made – but be sure to be far enough away so that the subject is unaware of being a subject.
D) Now repeat the exercise with your other designated subject.
E) If the exercise breaks down – you had to show your subject the syllabus and explain the assignment – write about the subject’s reaction upon learning of the assignment and discuss with your subject the issue of territoriality.
F) In the end each student should have a 1 - 2 page paper of this experiment.
Each of you will be writing a paper. At the end of this assignment, confess to your subjects and include their reactions to your behaviors.
Assignment #5: Touching Include these 2 checklists with your answer
You are going to do 2 experiments: 1st Self-Initiated Touch & 2nd Other Initiated Touch. Copy these sheets but type out your answers – you may circle the 1-5.
Self-Initiated Touch (15 pts) - You are the one who is doing the touching
Circle one of the answers for each of the following questions
1. Who are the interactants? ___M/M____M/F____F/F___
2. How familiar are you with each other: Not at all 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Very Familiar
3. What are your ages? Within 1-2 yrs apart 2-5 yrs apart 5+ yrs apart
4. What is your respective status? Each about the same Touch initiator higher Touch initiator lower
5. What is your cultural background? The same Somewhat different Very different
Fill in the following information for each question: this must be typed
6. Body area(s) touched:______
7. Manner of touch: (pat, pinch, stroke, slap etc.) ______
8. Meaning of touch to you – the one who initiated the touch. ______
9. Verbalizations that accompanied the touch ______
10. Where did touch take place? (Public or Private location ) ______
11. How did you react to touching that individual? ______
12. How did the individual being touched react to the touch?______
13. Other comments and observations about touch – what did you learn?
Other Initiated Touch (15 pts) – Someone touches you
Circle one of the answers for each of the following questions: this must be typed
14. Who are the interactants? ___M/M____M/F____F/F___
15. How familiar are you with each other: Not at all 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Very Familiar
16. What are your ages? Within 1-2 yrs apart 2-5 yrs apart 5+ yrs apart
17. What is your respective status? Each about the same Touch initiator higher Touch initiator lower
18. What is your cultural background? The same Somewhat different Very different
Fill in the following information for each question
19. Body area(s) touched:______
20. Manner of touch: (pat, pinch, stroke, slap etc.) ______
21. Meaning of touch to you (why did that person touch you?) ______
22. Verbalizations that accompanied the touch ______
23. Where did touch take place? (Public or Private location ) ______
24. How did you react to being touched by that individual? ______
25. How did the individual doing the touching react to touching you?______
26. Other comments and observations about touch. What did you learn?
Assignment #6: The Communication Environment
This exercise is designed to help you understand how environments can influence you perceptions of (in) appropriate behaviors. Do these activities before you read the chapter? (20 points) You will type out your answer – in addition to using this sheet
Visit a place you have never been The Getty Museum, LACMA, MOCA, Exposition Park (a museum), a bar/club, a historic building, a house of worship, a large university library, a hospital, the Disney Concert Hall, South Coast Performing Arts Center, Noguchi Gardens or your boss’s home.