Persuasive Speaking syllabus

Northeastern State University

College of Liberal Arts

Summer 2007 syllabus for

SPCH 4621 Persuasive Speaking

(last updated 06.01.07)

Professor: Amy Aldridge Sanford, PhD Office: Leoser Center Ext.: 2896

E-mail: aldridga@nsuok.edu Office Hours: See Contact Info on Webpage

Webpage: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~aldridga/ Facebook: Amy Aldridge Sanford

Your professor’s philosophy of education: I am a facilitator of learning. The participants in any given classroom enter with different paradigms and truths. I aid in the exploration of those truths. I do NOT believe that the instructor is THE holder of Truth; therefore we must all participate to co-construct knowledge and create synergy. When a student starts to feel uncomfortable in his/her existing paradigm that means s/he is growing as a scholar. My desire is that all of my students feel the joy of discomfort from time to time.

"A grade (is) an inadequate report of an inaccurate judgment by a biased and variable judge of the extent to which a student has attained an undefined level of mastery of an unknown proportion of an indefinite amount of material." (Author Unknown)

Grading Philosophy: I prefer intrinsic motivations, and therefore, am not a fan of letter grades. I believe this extrinsic reward is too often the only motivation for students to complete assignments. A college education should be viewed as a privilege and an opportunity to become learned and scholarly. However, until there is a better system, grades will be assigned in this class. Work that meets the minimum requirements of an assignment, is completed on time and displays average involvement with the course content is deserving of a “C.” Higher grades are awarded to work that goes above and beyond the minimum standards to produce papers and presentations that reflect superior intellectual effort, excellence in critical analysis and overall creativity in the approach towards any given assignment. In other words, grades are earned in this class. An “A” is attainable but will require more than minimal effort.

Required Text:

None

Pre-requisites: none

Description of Course: This is a one-hour course in which students will learn how to organize, deliver, and critique persuasive speeches.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, you will…

Know the differences between informative and persuasive speaking.
Be able to distinguish between speeches to actuate and speeches to convince.
Know the difference between statements of value, fact, and policy.
Be able to analyze audience attitudes using the opinion continuum.
Demonstrate appropriate research, organizational, and delivery skills for public speaking by delivering a 6-8 minute persuasive speech with visual aids.
Attended class regularly (with penalties for absences) and have actively participated in your learning.

Meeting Times: July 9-13, 2007; 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Leoser 240

Class Attendance: This class only meets for a week. You need to be at every meeting. No absence(s) will be excused, and you will be docked 20 points for every hour or fraction thereof that you are absent. If you cannot be at every class, then do not take this class. Note: You will have to work outside of class to do the research and rehearse for your presentation on Friday.

Missed/Late Assignments: Late work will not be accepted. It will be recorded as a zero.

Class Participation: You are expected to attend class regularly and be prepared so that you may intelligently discuss assigned material. Proper preparation means reading any assigned reading and completing daily assignments. Warning: I have been known to count students absent when they are not prepared for class.

Food and Drink: I realize many of you may not have had dinner before this class. Feel free to bring food and drink to class. Just be sure to dispose of it properly when you are finished.

Classroom Climate: The success of this course is directly related to the sense of community that we will develop in this classroom. Participation is essential to this process. I encourage you to share your views and listen to those of others. Debate and discussion are an important part of the learning process. While there will no doubt be disagreements, I expect the members of this community (including myself) to challenge ideas in a manner that reflects respect and recognition of opposing viewpoints without attacking individuals.

Outline of Course: The expected course outcomes will be realized through a variety of instructional strategies. Those strategies include, but are not limited to, the following: discussions, quizzes, exams, demonstrations, inquiry and group activities. All of the following assignments and point totals are considered tentative and may change due to your progress and interests.

Day

Lecture

Activities

Assignments

Day 1:

Orientation to Class;

Organization Lecture

10 Steps to Persuasive Speaking

Syllabus;

Name tents

Bring research for final presentation to next class (25 possible points)

Day 2:

Organization

Lecture

10 Steps to Persuasive Speaking (cont)

Work on outlines

Bring typed working outline to next class (50 possible points)

Day 3:

Delivery

Peer edit outlines

Peer editing (20 possible points)

Day 4:

Visual Aids

Critiquing

Visual Aids

Critiquing

Critique Speeches on Video

Critiques (10 points possible for each critique)

Day 5:

Final

Due today:

Quiz over lecture material (10 possible points)

Presentation (200 possible points)

Due by July 27:

Outside Speaker Report (100 possible points)

All students must take their final on their scheduled date. Put this in your calendar. It WILL NOT be given early and CANNOT be made up.

Quizzes: Quizzes cannot be made up—no matter the reason for the absence. If a student misses the quiz as a result of a university-authorized absence, the missed quiz will not be calculated in the student’s final grade. This policy is in compliance with Section 10.242 in the NSU Faculty Handbook.

Grading: Your grade for this course is based on a point system. Each assignment is worth a set number of points. To determine a letter grade for each assignment, calculate 10% of the points and subtract accordingly. For example, on an assignment worth 75 points, 67.5-75 is an “A,” 60-67.74 is a “B,” etc.

Here’s a place to keep your grades:

Assignment Due Date Points Possible Points Received

____________ ________ ____________ _____________

Total = ___________ divided by __________ = _____%

Percentage breakdown: 90-100% A; 80-89% B; 70-79% C; 60-69% D

Class Grievances:

I am willing to meet with you to discuss our class and/or particular assignments. I ask that you please wait 24 hours after you have received a graded assignment to come see me. Before we discuss your work, you are required to type out a document detailing what particular elements of your work you feel merit discussion.

Students with Disabilities: If any member of the class feels that he or she has a disability and requires special accommodations, of any nature whatsoever, I will work with you to ensure that you have a fair opportunity to perform in this class. Please advise me of such disability and the desired accommodations at the close of the first class period. Students with disabilities who need accommodations to achieve course objectives should visit the Office of Student Affairs, Ext. 2120.

Plagiarism: According to Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary (1983, 2^nd Ed.), to plagiarize is “to steal or pass of ideas or words of another as one’s own…to use created productions without crediting the source…to commit literary theft…to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source” (p.1371). Students in this course will be responsible for authenticating any assignment submitted to the instructor. If asked, you must be able to produce proof that the assignment you submitted is in fact your own work. Therefore, it is recommended that you engage in a verifiable working process on assignments. Keep copies of all drafts of your work, make photocopies of research materials, write summaries of research materials, keep logs or journals of your work on assignments and papers, learn to save drafts or versions of assignments under individual file names on computer diskettes, etc. In addition to requiring a student to authenticate his/her work, the instructor may employ various other means of ascertaining authenticity—such as engaging in internet searches, creating quizzes based on student work, requiring students to explain their work and/or process orally, etc.

NSU’s policy on Academic Misconduct (from http://www.nsuok.edu/policies/academic/misconduct.html): Academic misconduct includes cheating (using unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise), plagiarism, falsification of records, unauthorized possession of examinations, intimidation, and any and all other actions that may improperly affect the evaluation of a student’s academic performance or achievement, or assisting others in any such act or attempts to engage in such acts. Academic misconduct in any form is inimical to the purposes and functions of the University and therefore is unacceptable and prohibited. Any faculty member, administrator or staff member may identify an act of academic misconduct and should report that act to the department head/college dean, Vice President for Academic Affairs or administrative supervisor. Students violating the standards of academic honesty are subject to disciplinary action including reduction of a grade(s) in a specific course, assignment, paper, or project; a formal or informal reprimand at the professorial, dean, or academic vice president level; expulsion from the class in which the violation occurred; expulsion from a program; or expulsion from the University.

Inclement Weather/Disaster Policy: The following are basic premises for the inclement weather policy at Northeastern State University:

1. Classes are expected to be held if at all possible.
2. It is the student's responsibility to receive the information when weather is questionable.
3. Neither students nor faculty are expected to risk life or limb.
4. Faculty members are obligated to hold classes if the University is not closed, unless the faculty member is unable to get to campus.

Policy: During times of inclement weather, decisions concerning day classes will be made by 6:00 a.m. in order for the media to be notified and for students to receive the announcement before they leave home. Decisions concerning night classes will be made by 3:00 p.m.

The following media will be notified regarding closing of the campus:

Radio Stations	Television Stations
KRMG 740 AM Tulsa	KJRH Channel 2 Tulsa
KAYI 107 FM Tulsa	KOTV Channel 6 Tulsa
KTLQ 1350 AM Tahlequah	KTUL Channel 8 Tulsa
KEOK 102 FM Tahlequah	KFSM Channel 5 Fort Smith
KBIX 1490 AM Muskogee	Cable Channel 96 Tahlequah
KMMY 97 FM Muskogee
KVOO 1170 AM Tulsa

The automated attendant message on 918-456-5511 will be modified to include information concerning campus operations during inclement weather.

Common courtesies:

Please turn all cell phones/pagers on silent while you are in class. Check your messages AFTER class and return the calls then.
Do not pack up before I dismiss you. You never know when I may say something important or give a last minute assignment. You’re going to want to have that pen and paper handy.

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