Northeastern State University

College of Liberal Arts

Department of Communication, Art, & Theatre

Tahlequah, OK

 

Fall 2010 syllabus for

COMM 4621 Giving Speeches

(last updated 08.12.10)

 

Professor: Amy Aldridge Sanford, PhD         

Office:  351 SH (Tahlequah Campus)                Ext.:  3608

E-mail: aldridga@nsuok.edu (This is the best way to contact me)        

Office Hours:  See Contact Info on webpage.

FacebookAmy Aldridge Sanford

 

Class Meetings:  Nov. 12, 4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. and Nov. 13, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; NSU-Broken Arrow, Room G-210

 

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.

 

Pre-requisites:  none 

 

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

 

Course Purpose:  Gives students the opportunity to prepare for public speaking events in their civic and work lives.

 

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

      Brainstormed, mindmapped, and outlined an informative speech.

      Critiqued many informative presentations.

      Given impromptu speeches.

 

 Required Text:  None

 

Class Attendance:  This class is graded as Pass or Fail.  You will not Pass this class if you are absent more than one hour during our two days together.  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:  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. 

 

 Assignments & Grading 

 

 

Lecture

Activities

Assignments

Friday:

Orientation to Class;

Organization and Delivery of Speeches

Organization and Delivery

 

Syllabus;

Name tents; Impromtu; Work on outlines

 

 

For Saturday: Bring working outline to next class—attach handwritten brainstorming, mindmapping, and outlining. Failure to bring any of these documents can result in a Fail for this course.

Saturday:

Visual Aids;

Critiquing Speakers

Visual Aids; Critiquing

Peer edit outlines; Critique Speeches

 

 

To Earn a Pass for this Course:

á      Do not miss more than an hour of class during our two days together.

á      Complete all of the assignments.

á      Pay attention and participate.

 

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. 

  

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.

 

Please go to http://offices.nsuok.edu/academicaffairs/SyllabiInformation.aspx for required information pertaining to:

 

Academic Misconduct

American Disabilities Act Compliance

Inclement Weather/Disaster Policy

Teach Act

Accessibility

Release of Confidential Information 

 

  Common courtesies:

á    Please turn all cell phones on silent while you are in class.  Check your messages AFTER class and return the calls then.  Do not text during 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.

  

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