Northeastern
State University
College
of Liberal Arts
Spring
2010 syllabus for
COMM
3213 Public Speaking
(last
updated 01.12.10)
Professor: Amy Aldridge Sanford,
PhD
Office:
SH
351 Ext.:
3608
E-mail: aldridga@nsuok.edu
Office
Hours: See Contact Info on
Webpage
Webpage:
http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~aldridga/
Facebook: Amy Aldridge Sanford
Your
professorÕs 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.
Grading
Philosophy: "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)
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 ÒC.Ó
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 ÒAÓ is attainable but will require far more than
minimal effort.
Required
Text: none.
Other
Required Material: One
8 MM tape. Take it to the Communication Lab during your first
consultation. Please label the tape with your name and a contact number.
Catalogue
Description of Course:
A course designed for the student interested in developing speaking skills.
Emphasis will be placed on organization, supporting material, delivery, and
audience analysis. Further attention is given to the study of social
relationships and the communication process.
Pre-requisites:
Fundamentals of Oral
Communication (COMM 1113).
Learning
Outcomes: By the
end of the course, you will haveÉ
á
Delivered a demonstration speech at least 5 minutes in length with visual aids.
á
Perfected the art of brainstorming, mindmapping, and outlining.
á
Demonstrated appropriate research, organizational, and delivery skills for
public speaking by delivering a 5-7 minute informative speech with visual aids.
á
Demonstrated appropriate research, organizational, and delivery skills for
public speaking by delivering a 6-8 minute persuasive speech with visual aids.
á
Demonstrate appropriate research, organizational, and delivery skills for
public speaking by participating in a Lincoln-Douglas style debate.
á
Made an award presentation and an acceptance speech.
á
Critiqued many presentations, including your own.
á
Attended class regularly (with penalties for more than three hours of unexcused
absences) and have actively participated in your learning.
Attendance:
An attendance
sheet will be passed out at the beginning of every class period.
NOTE: You are absolutely, positively 100% responsible for signing the
attendance sheet each class period. If you are late, you must get the
sheet and sign it after classÉ ÒI forget to sign itÓ or ÒIÕm sure I was thereÓ
will not be sufficient to document your attendance at the end of the semester.
The emphasis
on performance and participation in this class requires close attention by
students and the instructor to attendance. You are allowed three hours of
unexcused absences (i.e., three unexcused absences for a MWF class, two
unexcused absences for a T Th class, or one three hour session in the summer or
with an evening class). For every one hour of unexcused absence over the
limit, 2% will be
deducted from your Participation & Attendance grade. Absences will be
excused only under the following circumstances:
á
Absence while under a doctorÕs care (written documentation required);
á
Absence due to participation in an authorized college activity (advance
notification and written documentation required);
á
Absence due to attendance at legal proceedings requiring your presence (advance
notification and written documentation required); and/or
á
Absence due to the death or serious illness of an immediate family member
(written documentation required).
I consider
an excused absence one in which the absence is beyond your control. (For
example, the time of a check up or a dental appointment can be
controlled). I will not excuse an absence in which you have to take
somebody else to the doctor, hospital, dentist, court, etc. That is why I
give you the three unexcused absences. Use them wisely. I think
good attendance is very important. Documentation is due by the last
day of classes before finals week. An excused note will only
excuse one day of absence unless a memo is attached explaining why multiple
dates should be excused.
Missed/Late
Assignments:
á
If you miss class, please consult with one of your fellow students for the
notes and/or homework. You should contact me AFTER you have tried
contacting multiple classmates multiple times.
á
Assignments are due at the beginning of the hour. It is late after
that.
á
If you miss a class the day an assignment is due, you must get the work to me
BEFORE class. ÒI got your address wrongÓ or Òmy e-mail wasnÕt workingÓ
will not be accepted as reasons for late assignments.
á
If work is accepted
late, it will be 10% off for every day it is late. There are some
exceptions for excused absences.
á
Your computer crashing, printer not working, etc. will never be accepted as
excuses for late work. It is your responsibility to begin work early
enough to accommodate unforeseen circumstances.
Class
Participation: You are
expected to attend class regularly and be prepared so that you may
intelligently discuss assigned material. Proper preparation means reading
the assigned chapters and completing daily assignments. Warning:
I have been known to count students absent when they are not prepared for
class.
Food and
Drink: 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.
Visitors in
the Classroom: We
may have visitors in our classroom from time to time. Please make them
feel welcome. Encourage them to participate if they would like. Let
them know that we are happy to have more voices in our classroom.
Grading:
Attendance
& Participation
10%
Informative
speech* 20%
Persuasive
speech* 20%
Debates 20%
Award Presentation and Acceptance 10%
*YOU ARE
REQUIRED TO GIVE YOUR INFORMATIVE AND PERSUASIVE SPEECHES IN THE COMMUNICATION LAB BEFORE
YOU GIVE THEM IN CLASS. THE LAB IS LOCATED IN THE JOURNALISM BUILDING,
ROOM 220. THE EXTENSION IS 2875. YOU WILL NEED TO BOOK AN
APPOINTMENT IN ADVANCE.
Quizzes: Periodically you may be given
quizzes over the lecture material. Those are also worth 10 points and are
typically short answer. Quizzes will be calculated in the Attendance &
Participation grade and 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
studentÕs final grade. This policy is in compliance with Section 10.242
in the NSU Faculty Handbook.
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 WebsterÕs
New Universal Unabridged Dictionary (1983, 2nd Ed.), to
plagiarize is Òto steal or pass of ideas or words of another as oneÕs ownÉto
use created productions without crediting the sourceÉto commit literary
theftÉto present as new and original an idea or product derived from an
existing sourceÓ (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.
NSUÕs
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 studentÕs 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 99 Tahlequah |
|
KMMY
97 FM Muskogee |
|
|
KVOO
1170 AM Tulsa |
|
The
automated attendant message on 918-444-5511 will be modified to include
information concerning campus operations during inclement weather.
Common
courtesies:
á Please turn off your cell phones while in
class. Do not answer the phone OR text during class. It is rude and
makes
me very unhappy. If you are expecting a very important call, please let
me know before class.
á Do not pack up before I dismiss
you. You never know when I may say something important or give a last
minute assignment. YouÕre going to want to have that pen and paper handy.