COMM 1110-C, Public
Speaking (CRN 697)
Fall 2010, TTh 3:30 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 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., TTh 8 a.m. -11
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 midterm 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.
Discussion Assignments: These assignments will be discussed in class. That is, your work will be
publicly critiqued. Discussion assignments will be typed; handwritten work will
not be accepted even in draft form. These discussions are posted on my faculty
web page during the semester and will be part of your participation grade.
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, orderly conduct in the class and in-class
critiques of student work by the professor and 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
30 attendance points.
5.
Academic Dishonesty:
This includes but is not exclusively plagiarism and cheating. The penalty for
this offense is failure of the assignment, of the course and/or further
prosecution by the college. Ignorance is not a defense.
6.
E-mailing: I encourage students to write me and send me their
speech outlines for review using their Gordon accounts, but I may not answer
students in a way that fits their timelines. I check my email on a regular
basis, but this does not guarantee immediate or timely response. I am not
responsible for email that does not reach me.
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.
11. Cell
phones, pagers, PDAs Blackberrys, etc. will not be allowed for use in the
classroom. If the device is activated, the student will immediately turn it off
without hesitation or checking the identity of the caller.
12. If you
need academic accommodations for a disability, you must first see Ms. Kristina
Henderson, Student Counselor, in the Student Center (second floor). Her
telephone number is 678-359-5585.
GRADE WEIGHTS
Informative Speech #1
10 percent
Informative Speech #2
15 percent
Persuasive Speech
15 percent
Impromptu Speech
5 percent
Participation/Attendance
15 percent, unless absent 40%
or more classes
Quizzes
10 percent
Midterm exam
15 percent
Final Exam
15 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. 17, 19 Course introduction. A note on research, supporting your ideas, academic
dishonesty and plagiarism. Web page. Choosing topics. Give an example of speech
construction from beginning to end.
Week 2
Aug. 24
Chapter 6, Gathering Materials.
Electronic library databases.
Asgnt. 1 due Aug. 31.
Aug. 26
Chapter 7, Supporting Your Ideas. MLA bibliographic style.
Week 3
Aug. 31 Chapter 4, Selecting a Topic and Purpose. Chapter 14, Speaking to Inform.
Asgnt. 2, due Sept. 7.
Sept. 2
Chapter 8, Organizing the
Body of the Speech. Chapter 9, Beginning and Ending the Speech.
Week 4
Sept. 7 Review Discussion Assignment 1.
Sept. 9 Chapter 10, Outlining the Speech. Collect Asgnt.2. Assignment 3 due Sept. 14.
Week 5
Sept. 14 Assignment 3.
Sept. 16 Review elements of an informative speech. Attribution.
Week 6
Sept. 21, 23 Informative Speech #1.
Week 7
Sept. 28, 30 One-on-one speech critiques.
One-on-one speech critiques.
Week 8
Oct. 5
Midterm Exam.
(Oct. 7 is the last day to drop
without failing.)
Oct. 7 Consultations.
Week 9
Oct. 12 Fall Break
Oct. 14 Chapter 12, Delivery. Chapter 11, Using Language. Chapter 13, Using Visual Aids.
Week 10
Oct. 19, 21
Review of Informative Speech #2, outline and delivery.
Week 11
Oct. 26, 28 Informative Speech #2.
Week 12
Nov. 2 Chapter 15, Speaking to Persuade.
Nov. 4 Chapter 16, Methods of Persuasion. Explain Writing Assignment 4.
Week 13
Nov. 9, 11
Discussion Asgnt. 4 due Nov. 9. Review of persuasive speech, outline and
delivery.
Week 14
Nov. 16, 18 Persuasive speeches.
Week 15
Nov. 23 One-on-one speech critiques.
Nov. 25 Thanksgiving Holiday.
Week 16
Nov. 30
Impromptu speeches.
Dec. 2
Final exam
Dec. 7, 2:45 p.m.