COMM 105 Listening and Critical Thinking

Lecture Hours: 4
Credits: 4

Introduces the concepts and skills involved in listening and critical thinking in a variety of contexts, including work situations, personal and family relationships, and education contexts. Elements covered will include the ethical responsibilities of listening; and the processes of hearing, understanding, remembering, interpreting, evaluating, and responding. Skills used to build and manage relationships will include using critical thinking skills to analyze specific situations; using persuasion theories to create or critique messages; identifying how values, beliefs, and cultural differences impact the listening and responding process; and encouraging the use of empathy to enhance listening in diverse contexts.

Prerequisite: Placement into WR 115; or completion of WR 090 with a grade of C or better; or consent of instructor.
Recommended: Placement into WR 121Z (or higher), or completion of WR 115 (or higher) with a grade of C or better.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Recognize elements of the processes involved in hearing, understanding, remembering, interpreting, evaluation, and responding.
Analyze specific situations using listening and persuasion theories and research.
Demonstrate strategies for effective listening in different contexts (listening for understanding; listening to demonstrate empathy; listening to persuasive messages; listening in the workplace; listening in personal relationships, listening in diverse contexts.)
Create or critique a message using critical thinking skills.
Identify ethical responsibilities of listening.

Statewide General Education Outcomes:

Engage in ethical communication processes that accomplish goals.
Respond to the needs of diverse audiences and contexts.
Build and manage relationships.

Cultural Literacy Outcome:

Identify and analyze complex practices, values, and beliefs and the culturally and historically defined meanings of difference

Content Outline

Introduction to Listening and Critical Thinking
- Importance of listening and critical thinking
- Understanding yourself as a listener and critical thinker
- Theoretical perspectives
- Factors the influence listening
The Process of Hearing
- Mechanics of hearing
- Learning to focus attention
The Process of Understanding
- Comprehension in one-way and two-way settings
- Developing comprehension skills
The Process of Remembering
- Memory systems
- Obstacles to effective memory
- Paths to better memory
The Process of interpreting
- Nature of empathy
- Nonverbal communication
- Becoming an empathic listener
The Process of Evaluating
- Theories of persuasion
- Preparing to critically listen
- Elements of persuasion (initial, derived, and terminal credibility)
- Evaluating rational appeals
- Evaluating emotional appeals
The Process of Responding
- Response styles (assertive, supportive)
- Nonverbal dimensions (creating listening environments, identifying how values, beliefs, and cultural differences impact listening and responding)
Listening and Relationships
- Relationships in the family
- Educational relationships
- Helping relationships
- Work relationships
Listening Challenges
- Listening in high-technology environments
- Global listening in cross-cultural and global contexts
- Listening between genders
- Ethical listening