ABSTRACT
The basic communication course is the only course within our discipline that is required by a significant number of other departments and colleges for graduation. Surveys over the past 2 decades have indicated that the basic communication course is required of noncommunication majors in a majority of the institutions across the country. This unique characteristic provides healthy departmental enrollments and excellent visibility across campus, but it also places burdens on teachers and directors of the basic course. Although teachers in the basic course share responsibility for delivering a quality product, the ultimate responsibility for the quality of a course with several sections inevitably belongs to the director of the course. That responsibility is often complicated by the director's status within the department. The basic course director is frequently a newly graduated and recently hired assistant professor. That person is expected to meet the normal expectations for tenure and promotion; that is, to contribute to the service and teaching needs of the department and to publish an acceptable quantity of research of sufficient quality to gain tenure and promotion within the specified time allowed. In institutions with a relatively large number of sections of the basic course, these additional responsibilities for the director can complicate what is already a demanding professional commitment. Although this chapter does not explore all of the duties and responsibilities of a basic course director, the major issues and those that frequently cause serious problems are examined. The issues discussed are focused around the educational justification for the basic course, typical approaches to the course, problems unique to programs with multiple sections, and administrative concerns for the basic course director.
