DAWSON COLLEGE

    HUMANITIES 345-101-MQ, KNOWLEDGE, Section(s) 17

COURSE TITLE:      CRITICAL THINKING AND COMMUNICATION

EFFECTIVE DATE:      Fall 2021
WORKLOAD (per 3-1-3
week):
INSTRUCTOR'S NAME: Abid Bahar
TELEPHONE LOCAL:      1300
OFFICE NUMBER:      3D17
OFFICE HOURS: Mondays 2:30 to 4:00 and Fridays from 11:30 to 1:00 pm.
   
E-MAIL OR OTHER: abahar@dawsoncollege.qc.ca, abahar.canada@gmail.com
RESPONSE TIME: Within 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays

STATEMENT OF THE COMPETENCY

Learning Outcome: To apply a logical analytical process to how knowledge is organized and used.
ELEMENTS OF THE COMPETENCY
(General Instructional Objectives Common to all Knowledge Courses)
Students who successfully complete the Knowledge course in Humanities should be able to:
1. Recognize the basic elements of a field of knowledge.
2. Define the modes of organization and utilization of a field of knowledge.
3. Situate a field of knowledge within its historical context.
4. Organize the main components into coherent patterns.
5. Produce a synthesis of the main components.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND CONTENT:

How do we know how to relate to other people effectively? What are the factors that inform
citizens knowledge of what constitutes competent communication? Are the factors that
influence communication norms existent everywhere? In this course students will
investigate how knowledge and norms of communication in intercultural contexts are
acquired and constructed. They will be able to understand the various aspects of knowledge
about communication in general and communication and conflict and how to understand it
as an integrated whole.

REQUIRED OR RECOMMENDED TEXT(S)OR READING(S):

Melvin L. De Fleur, Patricia Kearney, and Timothy G. Plax. Fundamentals of Human
Communication (California: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1998) (Reprint available at Dawson
Bookstore)   

TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

There will be online lectures and class discussions and, in some cases, if situation demands,
hybrid activities will be done. Students will be expected to work in reading, investigating, using
critical thinking skills, and applying new concepts in their activities.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF COURSE CONTENT:
*The meaning of critical thinking and its elements, critical thinking in communication
*The Communication process, elements of the communication process
*Critical understanding of communication in everyday life using language as symbols and
their referents, understanding language and the social construction of reality.
*Communication at work, understanding traditional, charismatic, and legal - rational form
of authority in communication etc. Case studies of relative absence of communication and
the consequent conflict in ethnicity and race relations.
*The various aspects of communication such as the setting, gender, class, ethnicity, race,
and value.
* The issues of culture and communication
* The issues of unconscious biases, xenophobia, stereotyping, ethnocentrism and genocide
and the related case studies will be covered.
(The detailed schedule of topics will be distributed to students separately)

EVALUATION TOOLS/ASSIGNMENTS:      

First test (Approx. week 5)                           15%

Second test (Approx. week 9)                      20%
Term paper (Approx. week 10)                     25%
Final test (Approx. Week 14)                        20%
Take-home assignment 10%
Participation                                   10%  

PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS AND CRITERIA:

Participation in discussions, note taking for submission is required.

LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY:  

All late works, including rewrites, will be penalized by one point per school day.
All HomeWorks must be submitted on time to receive a grade.

PASSING GRADE POLICY (C.E.P., 2019)

101 and 102 courses which assign OPTION 1 for the Article 7 assignment must include the text below, specifying
the assignment.
“In order to pass the course, the student must receive a grade of at least 60% on [the assignment]. If the student
does not, the maximum grade the student will receive for the course is 50%.” Students must obtain a total
grade of at least 60% to pass the course.

DEPARTMENTAL LITERACY STANDARD:

Students enrolled in Humanities courses are expected to have college-level English reading skills and to
demonstrate college-level English writing skills. You are expected to edit your work. Up to 10% of the
grade of any work done out of class maybe be assessed for spelling, grammar, and style.
Course Literacy policy: (ISEP 2017, IVA 10.B) CEP, 2019)
Grades in assignments could be affected by spelling, punctuation, or grammar.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
According to ISEP, every instance of cheating or plagiarism leading to a resolution that impacts a
student’s grade must be reported by the teacher, with explanation, in writing, to the appropriate
Dean. (ISEP Section V-A)

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: (CEP., 2019) 12.a. The specific consequences for cheating and plagiarism in each
instructor’s course must respect the following Humanities Department policy: all instances of conduct
that instructors identify as academic misconduct, such as plagiarism and cheating on a graded
assignment, must be accompanied by a penalty and the student must be reported to the Dean’s office.
The most severe penalty that can be assigned for the first instance of academic misconduct is a 0% on
the given assignment without the penalty of a resubmission.”

Students are expected to foster their own learning by preparing for class, taking notes, asking questions,
engaging in discussions, collaborating in group work, and completing all assignments. Every lecture by
the teacher will be followed by 20 -30 minutes of class discussion.

During the class time, if the teacher asks students to keep their zoom video open (mainly for the
purposes of online identification), students will be obliged to comply. Noncompliance will result
in losing marks for participation.

To avoid noise during the class time, the student will be listening to the teacher sitting in a quiet place.
All electronic devices must be turned off and kept elsewhere. Laptops may be used.

Assignments should be sent only to my official Dawson college email: abahar@dawsoncollege.qc.ca

mentioning the course name and section number of the course (it is an important requirement). There are
no retests for missed exams but only in exceptional circumstances (medical reasons or other extenuating
circumstances at the teacher's discretion.) If an assignment is accepted late, one mark per day (including
weekends) will be deducted to a maximum of seven days. Please make copies of all your work and be
acknowledged by the teacher of its receipt). If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get the
information from a fellow student. Exchange name and telephone number).
Teacher Accessibility: Students should use my online office hours immediately after the
online class time. In case of emergency, the student can use the two emails listed above to
communicate with me. Short precise email message is recommended)

ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Students should refer to ISEP (Section III-C) regarding attendance.
You are expected to attend all classes. Failure to do so may seriously compromise your ability to pass the
course.

INTENSIVE COURSE CONFLICTS:

If a student is attending an intensive course, the student must inform the teacher, within the first two
(2) weeks of class, of the specific dates of any anticipated absences.

POLICY ON RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES STATEMENTS (ISEP 2017, IV. A. 10. I): “Students observing religious holidays must
inform their teachers, in writing, as prescribed in the ISEP policy on Religious Observances, no later than the end of the second week of the
impacted semester or term. This applies both to the semester or term, as well as to any final examination period (ISEP section IV-D).”If
applicable, a statement indicating any modifications to planned course activities resulting from the teacher’s own religious observances must
be included as per ISEP Policy on Religious Observances (ISEP Section IV-D).”

TURNITIN
“To encourage a better understanding of academic integrity, Turnitin will be used in this course. Please
note that Turnitin, an internet-based plagiarism prevention tool, may keep a copy of the work submitted
but does not claim ownership of the work. If you have concerns about your work being submitted to
Turnitin for review, please see the teacher within the first two weeks of the semester.”

STUDENT CONDUCT: Everyone has the right to a safe and non-violent environment. Students are
obliged to conduct themselves as stated in the Student Code of Conduct and in the ISEP section on the
roles and responsibilities of students. (ISEP Section II-D)

ISEP: The Institutional Student Evaluation Policy (ISEP) is designed to promote equitable and effective
evaluation of student learning and is therefore a crucial policy to read and understand. The policy
describes the rights and obligations of students, faculty, departments, programs, and the College
administration regarding evaluation in all your courses, including grade reviews and resolution of
academic grievance. The ISEP is available on the Dawson website.