Instructor: Dr. John Haas

105 McClung Tower
974-2090 (o) 769-0095 (h)
jhaas1@utk.edu

Office Hours: 9-10 MWF or by appointment
 

Course Objectives
 

1. To help students develop an understanding of the different perspectives on persuasion;

2. To introduce students to how persuasion operates in a variety of contexts;

3. To help students develop an understanding of the persuasion process so that they can better diagnose the behavior of others;

and

4. To help students develop written and oral communication skills.
 

Required Materials
 

Persuasion, Social Influence, and Compliance Gaining. Gass, R.H., & Seiter, J.S.

(1999). Boston: Allyn & Bacon
 

Grading
 

Your grade in this course will be based on the following point system:
 

Exam I 100 points
Exam II 100 points
Persuasion Paper 50 points
Group Project 150 points

There are 400 possible points. Letter grades will be assigned based on the following system:
 

100-92% A
91-88% B+
87-81% B
80-77% C+
76-70% C
69-60% D
Below 60% F

Assignments
 

Exams. Exams will consist of short answer and essay questions. Exam I will be administered on or about Oct 9; Exam II will be given during Finals Week (Monday, Dec 11 from 5-7).

Persuasion Paper. For this assignment, you will examine the ways a specific variable affects the process of persuasion. (e.g., the effects of physical attractiveness on credibility or the effects of message order on persuasion) You should analyze and integrate findings of past research that explore the relationship between the variables you select.

Group Project. In groups, you will conduct a study on some topic in persuasion. As a group, you should decide on a topic, generate a research question or hypothesis, research what has been written on the topic, collect data, analyze the data, and write up a report (8-10 pages). You will also present your findings to the class in a 10 minute session.
 
 

Session Topic Assignment
 

August 23 Orientation

August 28-30 Communication & Persuasion Chapters 1-2

Sept 6-11 Persuasion & Attitudes Chapter 3

Sept 13 Library Orientation

Sept 18 Theories of Persuasion Handout

Sept 20-25 Persuasion, Perception, & Cognition Chapter 4
 

Sept 27-

Oct 2 Source Factors Chapters 5-6, 9

Oct 4 Review for Exam I

Oct 9 Exam I

Oct 11-18 Message Factors Ch 8,10, 12, & 14

Oct 23-25 Receiver Factors Chapter 6

Oct 30 Social Factors Chapter 7
 

Nov 1-6 Compliance Gaining Chapter 11

Nov 8-10 Group Presentation Preparation

Nov 13-15 Esoteric Forms of Persuasion Chapter 15

Nov 20-22 Persuasion and Ethics Chapter 16

Nov 27-Dec 4 Presentations

Dec 6 Course Summary