SYLLABUS

CS2056: PSYCHOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION

Semester 1, AY2018–2019

General Information
Instructor: Asst. Prof. Benjamin Turner, Ph.D.
Office hours: Wednesday 13:00-14:00
Office: CS 02-13
Contact: 6592 2590; ​bturner@ntu.edu.sg
Lecture: Wednesday 14:00-17:00

Course Texts
1. Potter, W.J. (2012). ​Media Effects​. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
2. Nairne, J.S. (2013). ​Psychology​ (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.

Both texts should be available from the Communication & Information Library Reserve
Collection. An alternate text is available for students who want an alternative or supplement
to the Nairne text at the following link, with the chapters arranged according to the order of
topics this semester: ​http://noba.to/qufxepab​. However, note that all assessments are based
on the Nairne and Potter texts exclusively (as well as the content covered in lectures);
therefore, students who choose to rely entirely on this alternative do so at their own risk.

Additional Readings
TBA

Course Description
Communication has been described as the “purposeful activity of exchanging information
and meaning… Communication requires a sender, a message, a medium and a recipient…”
(World Heritage Encyclopedia). Often, communication scholars treat media or messages as
though they can be studied in isolation, but as the definition above makes clear, human
beings are a critical component in the process of communication. Therefore, although the
aims of psychology—the understanding of the human mind, for its own sake—are distinct
from those of communication studies, knowledge from the field of psychology can
nonetheless be used to advance understanding in the field of communication. Some
examples of psychological phenomena that have been studied extensively in the field of
psychology, and which play a role in many types of communication, include perception,
attention, learning, memory, and emotions. The goal of this course is to dive deeper into
these and other topics, first examining what is known about each from the field of
psychology, and then exploring how each is involved in or related to communication.
Course Structure
This course meets once each week in a 3-hour block. The goal of this course is not rote
memorization of psychological terms or communication theories; instead, the goal is to give
you a basic foundation in some of the major areas of research within psychology that relate
to communication, and to challenge you to think about the ways in which our understanding
of communication can be furthered by incorporating findings or methods from psychology.

In order to give students an opportunity to engage with the ideas being presented each
week, the weekly course meeting will be divided into a lecture (typically around two hours)
plus a discussion (or other interactive activity) session. During weeks when class is canceled
due to holiday (week 2), lecture videos will be made available online. Students are expected
to watch online lectures on their own before the following week’s lecture.

Lecture Schedule
Date Topic Potter Nairne

15/08 Introduction and background 3 1

22/08 Attention and key ideas 2,4 6

29/08 Media effects: cognitive 7 7

05/09 Media effects: beliefs 8 8

12/09 Media effects: physio 6 5

19/09 Media effects: affect 10 11

26/09 Media effects: attitudes 9 13

03/10 Recess week

10/10 Media effects: behavior / In-class essay exercise 1 11 -

17/10 Audience factors (states, traits, & addiction) 5 12

24/10 Methods 15 2,10

31/10 Synthesis / Student presentations 16 TBA

07/11 Student presentations - -

14/11 In-class essay exercise 2 - -

Assessment and Grades
Assignment Description Due Date % of Total

In-class essay Two-hour revision of first 10/10/18 25

exercise 1 half of semester material

In-class essay Two-hour revision of full 14/11/18 25

exercise 2 semester’s material

Final presentation Group project 31/10/18 or 07/11/18 10 (group)

5 (individual)

Research participation SONA + 1-page reaction 16/11/18 5

OR
Article + 2-page report

Writing assignments ½–1-page essay on Mondays bi-weekly 25

provided prompt

Class participation Engage in class Ongoing 5

discussions

Rubrics for all assessments will be provided on NTULearn well in advance. Formative and
summative feedback will be provided, where possible. All page counts double-spaced.

Plagiarism
NTU (like all major universities and employers) considers plagiarism and other forms of
cheating a very serious offence. Work will be checked for plagiarism, and any plagiarism
cases will be forwarded to the administration of NTU. If you have any questions about what
constitutes plagiarism, please come see me in office hours.

Policy on Technology in the Classroom

Please ensure that your devices (computers, handphones, etc) are silenced before class.
You are encouraged to pay attention during lecture, because some information tested on
exams will only be covered during lecture. Additionally, failure to engage during discussions
in class will impact your grade.

Policy on Leave
You must apply for short leave of absence or medical leave with your respective Schools if
you cannot attend classes on the following occasions:
● On days when exams are conducted during classes
● On group presentation days
If you wish to apply for short leave of absence, you must obtain the approval from me at
least seven working days in advance. Upon my approval, you are required to submit the
supporting documents to the Undergraduate Office (WKW Building, Student Services
Centre, Level 4) for processing.
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You should not go on leave during the above-mentioned occasions until the UG office has
processed your application.

Compassionate Leave: ​Compassionate leave will be granted in the event of the demise of
an immediate family member (defined as parents, siblings and grandparents). Normally
absence from School within 7 days of the event and on the day of the funeral is accepted as
valid leave of absence on compassionate ground. Please inform me and submit the
supporting documents for Compassionate Leave to the Undergraduate Office for processing.

Medical Leave: I​ f you miss any lectures or tutorials because of illness, please inform me and
submit a copy of your medical certificate to Undergraduate Office for processing. You are
responsible for any material presented in lectures and tutorials. If you miss material that is
distributed during class, you must make arrangements to get copies from a classmate.

For medical leave taken during examination periods (if any), please go to
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/Students/Undergraduate/AcademicServices/Examination/Pages/Instru
ctionstoexamcand.aspx​ for the application procedures and restrictions/guidelines.