II. Terms

In your essays for this course it is very important to use the terminology of communication science. Therefore, take time to learn the terms and their meanings in each chapter. In the face-to-face version of this course, various interactive techniques will be used to test your knowledge of the major terms. In the online version of the class you will review the terms independently. Make sure you use the terms referred to below in your essays.

Greek love, agape Greek love, eros Greek love, filas Greek love, ludus Greek love, mania Greek love, pragma Liking Love, companionate Love, passionate Loving RCS, exit strategy RCS, loyalty strategy RCS, neglect strategy RCS, voice strategy RD, autonomy vs. connection

RD, openness vs. protection RD, Relational dialectics RD, stability vs. excitement and change Relationship crisis strategies, RCS Relationship stages, RS RS, avoiding RS, bonding RS, circumscribing RS, differentiation RS, experimenting RS, initiation RS, integrating RS, intensifying RS, stagnating RS, terminating Social exchange theory

III. Names

It is very important to remember the names of scholars who contributed to communication theory. Your essays will sound more professional if you make reference to the people mentioned in this brochure. In the face-to-face version of this course, and in the audio lectures that accompany the online version of this course the names of these scholars will be routinely used to refer to various concepts. Study the names of communication scholars and try to remember their contribution to the science.

Aristotle Baxter, Leslie Buss, David Canary, Dan Gandhi, Mahatma

Knapp, Mark Lee, John Alan Rubin, Zick Rusbult, Caryl Stafford, Laura Thibaut, John

IV. Recap Questions

Use the recap questions to see if you remember the main concepts discussed in the chapter. In the face-to-face version of this course recap questions will be asked at various points as we make connection between different concepts. In the online version of this course use the recap questions to check if you remember all the concepts discussed in the chapter.

1. What is the difference between liking and loving?

2. What types of love does John Alan Lee describe?

3. Describe the key elements of romantic relationship.

4. What are the influences on romantic attraction?

5. Describe the main premises of the Social Exchange Theory.

6. How does technology influence romantic attraction?

7. Describe the stage model of romantic relationships according to Mark Knapp.

8. What are some of the suggestions for dealing with coming apart?

9. How can we practice relational maintenance?

10. Name the strategies of dealing with relationship crises.

11. Name the ways of dealing with jealousy.

12. What are some of the suggestions on overcoming betrayal?

13. What are the signs of dating violence?

V. Self-Reflection Items

There are a total of eight self-reflection items (SRIs) in each chapter. For the online and face-to-face versions of the class alike, choose THREE items to discuss.

1. Communication Diary: Choose one of SRI to discuss privately with your teacher. Answer all the questions in the SRI. Refer to at least THREE concepts in the chapter in THREE good paragraphs, then summarize in the fourth paragraph. (20 points).

2. Communication Board Posting: Choose one of the SRIs to discuss openly with your fellow students. Follow the same rules as for CD1 but in the end ask ONE question of your fellow class-mates, a word of advice. (20 points).

3. Communication Board Comment: Write one good paragraph in response to the question posed by your classmate in pairs as assigned by the teacher (10 points).

1. Is passion the critical defining feature of being in love? Or can you fall in love without ever feeling passion? And given that passion typically fades, is romantic love always doomed to fail, or can you still be in love after passion leaves?

2. Have you ever backed off from a relationship because you felt too connected to the other person? Because things had become too predictable and boring? Do you feel comfortable sharing everything with romantic partners, or should some things remain private?

3. How much daily contact do you have with people of other ethnicities, based on where you live, work, and go to school? Do you date outside of your own ethnic group? How has the frequency with which you’ve had contact with diverse others shaped your decision?

4. How do you communicate to someone that you don’t want your relationship to progress beyond experimenting? That you do want to “take it to the next level”? In your opinion, what’s the most reliable, telltale communication sign that a relationship has definitely moved beyond experimenting and is intensifying?

5. Have most of your romantic relationships ended by avoiding? Or have you sought the closure provided by terminating? In what situations is one approach to ending relationships better than the other? Is one more ethical?

6. Think about your most recent romantic crisis. Which approach—voice, loyalty, exit, or neglect—best captures how you dealt with the situation? What happened as a result of your strategy? Now imagine that a similar crisis happens again in the future. Could you use the voice strategy to deal with it? If so, what would you say?

7. Think about Buss’s challenge. Which would you find more upsetting: discovering that your romantic partner had formed an emotional attachment outside of the relationship or that he or she had been sexually unfaithful? If your partner did betray you in one of these ways, how would you respond?

8. Recall a lie you discovered that was told by a romantic partner. What was the lie about? Did you try to repair your relationship, or end it? How did the nature of the lie influence your decision?