COMM 1110-H, Public
Speaking (CRN 226)
Fall 2009, TTh, 3:30 p.m.
to 4:45 p.m. Russell 110
Professor: Peter Boltz,
Ph.D. E-mail: pboltz@gdn.edu
Office: Alumni House,
upstairs. Office Phone: 678-359-5257
Office Hours: MW 10
a.m. to noon, TTh 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., or by appointment.
Course Description:
This course will provide an introduction to the essentials of effective
speaking. The course will help students develop credibility as speakers by
gaining basic competence in the preparation and delivery of spoken
presentations.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the semester you will
-- be able to use GALILEO to gather supporting material;
-- be able to use any library to gather supporting material;
-- be able to structure a speech into an introduction, body and conclusion form;
-- be able to write an outline;
-- be able to write a proper specific purpose and central idea;
-- be able to write and deliver informative and persuasive speeches;
-- and be able to recognize and avoid academic dishonesty.
Textbook:
The Art of Public Speaking, Stephen Lucas, Tenth Edition.
Graded Components:
Exams:
A mid-term exam and a final exam will be given, testing your knowledge of
the concepts and information in the text and from the lectures.
Speeches:
You will be required to give four (4) speeches during the course of this
semester. Your performance will be
rated according to criteria learned in lecture and exercises.
Speeches will be timed and must be within 1 minute (over or under) of the
scheduled time.
Quizzes:
You can expect to be quizzed on every assigned chapter. If a chapter is
scheduled for a particular day, you must have read it before class. We will
discuss chapters in class, but you are responsible to be knowledgeable about a
chapter’s material even if it is not discussed in class.
Writing Assignments:
Writing assignments will be typed; handwritten work will not be accepted even in
draft form. These assignments are posted on my faculty web page during the
semester.
Participation/Attendance:
This component of your grade involves reading and knowing the assigned chapters,
asking questions, being present for speeches, being prepared for class
discussions, writing peer critiques and orderly conduct in the class. If you are
absent 40 percent or more of the semester, you will fail the class. See more on
attendance below.
REGULATIONS
1. Outlines:
All outlines will be graded against professional and collegiate standards
and will be typed. Outlines will
follow the form explained by the professor.
Spelling, grammatical, and/or usage are graded.
Factual correctness is also required. Outlines are due the same day of
your speech.
2. Graded Materials: There
will be no make-ups on exams, tests, quizzes, assignments and speeches. They
must be taken or delivered in class on their scheduled day.
3. Attendance Required:
Roll will be taken every class.
You are allowed two absences without penalty.
Additional absences will result in the loss of 7.5 points (i.e., each
absence = the loss of 7.5 points from your attendance grade).
If you are absent on the day of speeches, you will lose 20 points. If
your absences total 40 percent or more of the semester’s classes, you will fail
the class regardless of your other grades.
4.
Tardiness: Chronically tardy students will lose 5 points from their attendance
grade every time they are late for class. If you are late for class on a day
that speeches are scheduled, do not enter the classroom until you are sure none
of your colleagues are speaking. You can do this by looking through the door
window, or, if there is no door window, waiting until you hear applause. If you
interrupt a classmate’s speech by your tardiness, you will lose 25 attendance
points.
5.
Academic Dishonesty:
This includes plagiarism and cheating.
Don't cheat yourself by claiming others' work as your own.
The penalty for academic dishonesty is failure of the course and further
prosecution by the college.
6.
Office Hour Appointments: These
hours will be announced in class and be posted on my office door and in this
syllabus. If my office hours don’t fit your schedule, we can schedule a time.
7.
Consultations:
Talk to me if you are having problems that are affecting or will affect
your class performance – ahead of time, please. Many solutions can be
negotiated, but keep in mind, some problems cannot. I expect you to consult with
me in private, and not with a third party. Grades are private and protected by
the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. I will discuss your grades only
with you and in private.
8.
Keeping Track of Your Grade: I do not
keep a running calculation of your semester grade. All of your graded
assignments are returned to you, and you know the number of your absences, so at
any given point during the semester you can calculate your grade. (See the
grading section below.)
9.
You are expected to learn from classmates what you've missed during any
absence or tardiness.
10. I reserve the right to
adjust this syllabus any time during the session. Students will be consulted and
informed of changes during class periods.
GRADE WEIGHTS
Speeches:
Informative #1
10 percent
Informative #2
15 percent
Persuasive
15 percent
Impromptu
5 percent
Participation/Attendance
15 percent, unless absent 40% or more classes
Quizzes
10 percent
Writing Assignments
10 percent
Midterm exam
10 percent
Final Exam
10 percent
POINT/GRADE
DISTRIBUTION
90-100
A
80-89
B
70-79
C
60-69 D
<60
F
GRADING FOR TIME
<1:30 or > 8:30 = 0 pts.
<2 or > 8 = 1 pt.
2 or 8 = 2 pts.
2:15 or 7:45 = 3 pts.
2:30 or 7:30 = 4 pts.
2:45 or 7:15 = 5 pts.
3 or 7 = 6 pts.
3:15 or 6:45 = 7 pts.
3:30 or 6:30 = 8 pts.
3:45 or 6:15 = 9 pts.
4 or 6 = 10 pts.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Week 1
Aug. 18, 20
Course introduction. Name game. A note on research, supporting your
ideas, academic
dishonesty and plagiarism. Web page. Choosing topics.
Week 2
Aug. 25
Chapter 6, Gathering Materials.
Electronic library databases.
Asgnt. 1 due Sept. 1.
Aug. 27
Chapter 7, Supporting Your Ideas. MLA bibliographic style.
Week 3
Sept. 1
Chapter 4, Selecting a Topic
and Purpose. Collect Asgnt. 1.
Asgnt. 2, due Sept. 8.
Sept. 3
Chapter 14, Speaking to Inform.
Assignment 2, due Sept. 8.
Week 4
Sept. 8
Chapter 8, Organizing the Body of
the Speech. Chapter 9, Beginning and Ending the Speech.
Asgnt. 2
due. Assignment 3 due Sept. 15.
Sept. 10
Chapter 10, Outlining the Speech.
Week 5
Sept. 15
Asgnt. 3 due.
Sept. 17
Review elements of an informative speech. Attribution.
Week 6
Sept. 22, 24
Informative Speech #1.
Week 7
Sept. 29
One-on-one speech critiques.
Oct. 1
One-on-one speech critiques.
Week 8
Oct. 6
Midterm Exam.
(Oct. 8 is the last day to drop
without failing.)
Oct. 8
Consultations.
Week 9
Oct. 13
Fall Break.
Oct. 15
Chapter 12, Delivery. Chapter 11, Using
Language. Chapter 13, Using Visual Aids.
Week 10
Oct. 20, 22
Review of Informative Speech #2, outline and delivery.
Week 11
Oct. 27, 29
Informative Speech #2.
Week 12
Nov. 3
Chapter 15, Speaking to Persuade.
Nov. 5
Chapter 16, Methods of Persuasion.
Week 13
Nov. 10, 12
Writing Asgnt. 4 due Nov.
10. Review of persuasive speech, outline and delivery.
Week 14
Nov. 17, 19
Persuasive speeches.
Week 15
Nov. 24
One-on-one speech critiques.
Nov. 26
Thanksgiving Holiday.
Week 16
Dec. 1, 3
Impromptu speeches.
Final exam
Dec. 8, 2:45 to 4:45 p.m.