Likes/Dislikes

My favorite thing about this class was the format of it. I felt that the blogs were a really effective way of practicing our communication skills and reiterating what we had learned. It was fun reading everyone’s different takes on the discussion questions every week. The flexibility of the class was also helpful. I liked that we had the whole week to participate and that we could do it when we had time. I did find the time restrictions a bit difficult, but I also understand that it was done to stimulate a real classroom environment of showing up to class actively. I honestly do not have a least favorite thing about this class because I thoroughly enjoy the format and assignments in this course. As a full-time student, this course offers a lot of flexibility and convenience. The questions, readings, and assignments always reinforced what we have been learning. I think something that might be helpful in improving the class is establishing some sort of forum or discussion area either on the blogs or on D2L where students can talk amongst one another. Most students just post to their blogs and comment on it, but there’s no general discussion area. A discussion forum would be useful in asking questions that can be seen by all.

Further Discussion

One concept from this course that I feel could use further discussion would be the section on the symbolic nature of language. The basis of our communication is based heavily on words, although nonverbal communication also speaks volume. Because the nature of language can mean a variety of things to people, it is abstract, ambiguous, and arbitrary.  It is constantly changing with the times and can take on new meanings. The choice and pattern of wording can affect conversations. Communicators come from all different backgrounds and cultures, so it adds to the ever-changing landscape. I think an incorporated discussion on the symbolic nature of language and cultures would be useful. In an increasingly global economy, our communication has become vastly diverse. It would be both useful and respectful to learn how language is different in every culture. Some words may be offensive in other languages that we would not even know about, so it is important to learn about them.

Learning over the Semester

This class was a lot of fun and I learned tons of new information. I thought it was a well-rounded class that focused on the different areas of communication. It not only focused on us as individuals, but also our relationships with others. The development of friendship was something completely new that I learned about. One never really things about the stages of their friendships, most of the time we just end up being friends or not. To really analyze how certain communication patterns led us to where we are was fascinating. I thought the other important aspects I learned this semester dealt with our relationship with ourselves. Learning to own our feelings or monitor our self-talk were important aspects to keep in mind. In order to be better communicators with others, we must first be in tune with ourselves and what we need. I particularly like the appeals to our emotional and intellectual needs through communicating with others.