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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "COM 101-1"
COURSE NAME: "Public Speaking: Oral Rhetoric and Persuasion"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring Semester 2012
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Thomson Brian
HOURS:
TTH 14:30-15:45
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
By appointment
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
-Winston Churchill
In this course we will be examining in depth the skills that contribute to successful public speaking, from the classical canons of rhetoric to the use of new media on a public stage that continues to evolve with every advance in technology. Although the course naturally focuses on overcoming stage-fright, organizing your thoughts into logical arguments, structuring a thesis statement and supporting it with rigorous reasoning and pertinent evidence, and presenting compelling and persuasive ideas to an audience, we will also explore what it means to be a member of the audience and how the practice of contemporary rhetoric demands critical listening skills.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
- Overview of rhetorical theory and the ethics of public speaking
- Listening skills and criticism
- Selecting topics
- Thinking about the audience
- Organizing and delivering different types of speeches (informative, deliberative, persuasive, etc.)
- Using language effectively
- Research, supporting materials, and visual aids
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this course you should be able to confidently prepare and present a 10-15 minute speech that logically develops an idea and persuasively addresses the intended audience. You should understand the proper use (and recognize the abuse) of quotations, statistics, and multimedia elements, including the swings and roundabouts of PowerPoint presentations. You should be able to efficiently research a speech using a variety of sources, including interviews. As a listener, you should understand how speakers use classical and contemporary rhetorical devices to persuade their audiences, and you should be able to assess the content, style, and ethics at play on the public stage.
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TEXTBOOK:
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Informative Speech | | 25 |
| Critical Speech | | 25 |
| Persuasive Speech | | 25 |
| Persuasive Speech w/Powerpoint | | 25 |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
You will be assessed according to your application of the methods and techniques we discuss in class to your presentations, as well as to your critiques of other students in the class. These WILL include: topic selection, organization, delivery, and style. Under NO circumstances may you deliver somebody else’s speech or read from a script.
Assessment Guidelines for assigning main letter grades: A, B, C,D, and F.
A: Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensiveknowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
B: This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.
There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
C: This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
D: This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.
Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
F: This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
You are expected to attend class regularly. More than two unexcused absences will result in dropping a letter grade. Depending on the size of the class, it may require two days for all of the students to deliver each of the graded speeches: you must attend both days, since you have a role as an audience member. Failure to attend both days of each graded speech will result in dropping a letter grade on that speech.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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January 17—The Five Canons
January 19—Showing and Telling
January 24—Getting a response: The Three Appeals
January 26—Show and Tell
January 31—Brainstorming
February 2—Peer Reviewing
February 7—Speech #1
February 9—Speech #1
February 14—Organization I
February 16—Organization II
February 21—Beginnings
February 23—Endings
February 28—Speech #2
March 1—Speech #2
March 6—Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
March 8—Incentives
March 13—Speech 3 Workshop
March 15—PSA’s
March 27—Speech #3
March 29—Speech #3
April 3—Lying with Statistics
April 5—Sources
April 10—Persuasion (Kunstler)
April 12—Powerpoint
April 17—Persuasive Speeches with Powerpoint
April 19—Speech 4 Workshop
April 24—Speech #4
April 26—Speech #4
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