Reflection Assignment 1

Interpersonal Communication

Point Value: 25 Points

Format: Typed, double spaced, 1” margins, normal 12 pt font

Length: 2-3 pages

 

Assignment: Choose two of the following questions and answer thoroughly. Each question should come from different chapters. Remember you should be writing at English A level or above. I always recommend students take their paper to the Writing Center in the IAC computer lab for review before submitting it to me for evaluation.

 

  1. Describe an I-It, I-You, and I-Thou relationship in your life (one each). Analyze differences in communication and personal knowledge in the three relationships. (Chapter 1)

 

  1. Because interpersonal communication affects us and others, our interactions involve ethical choices. Describe a situation that involved an ethical choice and the communication practices used to address the issue. (Chapter 1)

 

  1. Describe an instance in which you were each of the following: an Upper, a Downer, and a Vulture. Analyze why you communicated differently in the different situations. What was it about the overall communication systems that affected what you said, and how did your communication, in turn, affect the relational systems within which it occurred? (Chapter 2)

 

  1. Identify a situation where stereotypes (as a schemata used in organizing perceptions) are useful and helpful in a communication situation. Next, identify a situation where that same stereotype becomes unproductive and perhaps damaging. (Chapter 3)

 

  1. Attend a religious service in a church, synagogue, or temple that is attended primarily by individuals who race differs from yours. Do not take notes or otherwise appear disrespectful while in the service, but do observe the communication of both leaders and the congregation. Afterward, analyze how communication differs in your normal church and the one you attended. (Chapter 4)

 

  1. Describe verbal communication between you and a close friend or romantic partner of the opposite sex. Analyze the extent to which you and the other person follow patterns typical of women and men in general. (Chapter 4)