This is a course about interpersonal communication. We will examine the role of communication in structuring and accomplishing everyday activities. However, most of the emphasis will be on observing social interaction in a variety of contexts, for only by watching real people in real situations can students discover for themselves the regularities in daily interaction.
Much interpersonal behavior is learned but unconscious.
For example, here are two objects from my home. The brown part is a gourd, which makes interesting sounds to accompany the dancers, and the red and yellow feathers are designed to look like a flower, as an interesting way to dress up the gourd. Of course not. This uli-uli was available as an object for sale to tourists, and so conveys absolutely nothing about my identity except for the fact that I once visited Hawaii. For one thing, I would have two, since dancers hold one in each hand, but I only have one.