CMM-120 Introduction to Public Speaking
Monday & Wednesday / 3:30 - 4:45 PM
Brian M. Goss, Ph.D.
Department of English & Communication
Email: gossb@madrid.slu.edu
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday, 5-6; Tuesday & Thursday 2:30-4:30 in the English & Communication Office (Avenida de Valle, 34)
Course Credit: 3.0 Hours
Prerequisite: ENGL-150 (at least concurrently) or Equivalent
Course Description
The course is designed to be an active and demanding “hands on” approach to being a public speaker — and to being an audience. During the course of the semester, each class member will deliver five prepared speeches. Each speech will be oriented toward satisfying different objectives in mastering the craft of public speaking. Among the public speaking techniques that we will cover are: Audience adaptation, rhetorical strategies, research, and impromptu speaking.
“Luck is the residue of design”: This truism will impact on one’s performance in the class. We will proceed in the conviction that preparation wedded to practice (inside and outside class) will enhance performance as well as one’s appreciation for oral expression. Because each class member will be preparing a speech roughly every other week, one’s success will pivot on preparation and commitment to researching topics of interest during the weeks when one is not presenting.
Method of Evaluation
Final grades will be calculated out of 1000 possible points by the following scheme:
“Warm Up” : 45 points
Speech No.1 : 75 points
Speeches No.2-No.4 : 450 points (i.e., 150 points each)
Speech No.5: 180
Writing Exercise : 75 points
Attendance & Participation : 100 points
Quizzes : 75 points
The specifics pertaining to each of the five speeches, to the “Warm Up” and to writing exercise will be explained in further detail in subsequent handouts. Quizzes will be unannounced but predictable events and will mainly cover the assigned readings. They will be distributed at the start of class and collected no later than 3:40. If you are late, the quiz will be graded as zero. There is no make-up for a missed quiz but it will be graded “Excused” in the event of a documented excused absence.
The below “Appendix” furnishes details concerning the grading scale.
Miscellaneous Policies
Belated arrivals in class are a nuisance for everyone involved. Consequently, a penalty will be assessed to a student’s final grade if he or she is more than 10 minutes late for any class meeting. Attendance is mandatory and will be recorded at all class meetings. Only documented medical absences and university excursions will be excused. More than three unexcused absences will occasion lowered performance and a corresponding grade.
In order to give a good speech, it is necessary (but not in itself sufficient) to deliver the speech on time on the assigned day. Given this absolute principle, any speech that is late will be graded “F” (i.e., less than 60 percent) as a matter of policy. Two late speeches will trigger an automatic failure (i.e., grade of “F”) for the course.
By virtue of being enrolled in this course, the student is by definition familiar with and firmly grasps all policies described in this syllabus.
Academic Integrity
All work submitted for the course must be your own original creation and uniquely prepared for this particular class. Notice that word-for-word transcription of someone else’s work is only one (particularly crude) form of plagiarism. Students must also avoid co-opting the substance and structure of another person’s work. Sources for quotations, facts, and arguments that you use must always be explicitly cited. If you have questions about this issue, you must ask. A failing grade or expulsion can prosecute fraud.
Materials
The required for the text is Public Speaking (5th Edition) by Michael Osborn & Suzanne Osborn. It is available at the university bookstore. Other readings may be assigned and distributed in class.
Sequence of Topics and Readings
Monday, January 17: Introduction to the Course
Round No.1 : SPEECH OF SELF-INTRODUCTION
Wednesday, January 19
Reading: Chapter 2 (“Your First Speech”)
Monday, January 24
Reading: pp.198-212 & pp.311-323
Wednesday, January 26
Speeches, Round No.1
Monday, January 31
Speeches, Round No.1
Round No.2 : INFORMATIVE SPEECH
Wednesday, February 2
Reading: Chapter 12 (“Informative Speaking”)
Monday, February 7
Reading: Chapter 4 (“Adapting to Your Audience and Situation”) & pp.467-73
Wednesday, February 9
Speeches, Round No.2
Monday, February 14
Speeches, Round No.2
Wednesday, February 16
Speeches, Round No.2
Round No.3 : CEREMONIAL SPEECH
Monday, February 21
Reading: Chapter 15 (“Ceremonial Speaking”)
Wednesday, February 23
Reading: Chapter 6 (“Using Supporting Materials in Your Speech”)
- - - Writing Exercise Assigned - - -
Monday, February 28
Speeches, Round No.3
Wednesday, March 2
Round No.3
Monday, March 7
SPRING HOLIDAY --- NO CLASS MEETING
Wednesday, March 9
SPRING HOLIDAY --- NO CLASS MEETING
Monday, March 14
Round No.3
Round No.4 : PERSUASIVE SPEECH
Wednesday, March 16
Reading: Chapter 13 (“Persuasive Speaking”)
Monday, March 21
Reading: pp.407-413
Wednesday, March 23
Reading: To Be Announced
Monday, March 28
Speeches, Round No.4: Persuasion
Wednesday, March 30
Speeches, Round No.4
Monday, April 4
Speeches, Round No.4
Round No.5 : DEBATES
Wednesday, April 6
Reading: Chapter 14 (“Evidence, Proof, and Argument”)
Monday, April 11
Reading: Chapter 10 (“Using Language Effectively”)
Wednesday, April 13
Reading. To Be Announced
Monday, April 18
Speeches, Round No.5: Debates
Wednesday, April 20
Speeches, Round No.5
Monday, April 25
Speeches, Round No.5
Wednesday, April 27
Speeches, Round No.5
Monday, May 2
NO CLASS MEETING – CAMPUS HOLIDAY
Wednesday, May 4
Wrap-Up
- - - Writing Assignment Due - - -
APPENDIX
Final Grading Scale
915 points /1000 or above ... “A”
865 – 914 points ... “B+”
810 – 864 points ... “B”
765 – 809 points ... “C+”
710 – 764 points ... “C”
610 – 709 points ... “D”
Less than 610 ... “F”
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