Northeastern
State University
College
of Liberal Arts
Fall
2008 syllabus for
COMM
3213 Public Speaking
(last
updated 11.10.08)
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.
Facebook:
Amy Aldridge Sanford
Class
Meetings: 9-9:50,
MWF, SH 216
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: 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
more than minimal effort.
Required
Text: Lucas, S. E.
(2007). The art of public speaking.
Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.
Other
Required Material: One
NEW Super 8 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
(Speech 1113).
Learning
Outcomes: By the
end of the course, you will haveÉ
Delivered a demonstration
speech at least 5 minutes in length with visual aids.
Perfected the art of
brainstorming, mindmapping, and outlining.
Demonstrated appropriate
research, organizational, and delivery skills for public
speaking by delivering a 5-7 minute informative speech with
visual aids.
Demonstrated appropriate
research, organizational, and delivery skills for public
speaking by delivering a 6-8 minute persuasive speech with
visual aids.
Demonstrate appropriate
research, organizational, and delivery skills for public
speaking by participating in a Lincoln-Douglas style debate.
Made an award presentation
and an acceptance speech.
Critiqued many presentations,
including your own.
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 hour of unexcused absence over the
limit, 2% will be
deducted from your final grade. Absences will be excused only under the
following circumstances:
Absence while under a
doctorÕs care (written documentation required).
Absence due to participation
in an authorized college activity (advance notification
and written documentation required).
Absence due to attendance at
legal proceedings requiring your presence (advance
notification and written documentation required).
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 notes will only excuse
one day of absence unless a memo is attached explaining why multiple dates
should be excused.
Missed/Late
Assignments:
Written
Work: If I allow
you to turn in late work, there will be a penalty. For each class session
that an assignment is turned in late, you will be assessed a penalty of 10
points for that particular assignment.
E-mailing
assignments/computer problems: You
will need to submit most of your assignments in hard copy. On occasion,
it will be possible to submit assignments via e-mail. Please note:
your computer breaking, printer not working, etc. will never be accepted as an
excuse for late work. It is your responsibility to begin work early
enough to accommodate unforeseen circumstances. In addition, e-mailed
work is recorded as Òturned inÓ according the time stamp in the introduction to
your message. ÒI got your address wrongÓ or Òmy e-mail wasnÕt workingÓ
will not be accepted as reasons for late assignments.
Presentations: If you miss an assigned speech, we
may not have time to allow you to present it later. If you know you are
going to miss an assigned speech, trade speaking dates with someone in the
class, and let Amy know about the change. Failure to make a presentation
will result in a zero for that assignment.
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:
This instructor is well known for counting students absent when they are not
prepared for class.
Classroom
Climate: This is
not a classroom where you will go comfortably unnoticed. This is a
dynamic learning environment. Amy will know your name and you will know
your classmates. In order to foster this, it is encouraged for you to sit
in different areas of the room and with different people. This is
especially important during the first few week of class. 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. There
is no doubt in my mind that controversial topics will come up during the course
of this class. They always do. If you are a person who is easily offended
by the topics of sex, alcohol, abortion, the death penalty, racial stereotypes,
and other potentially controversial topics, then it is advised that you enroll
in another communication course not taught by this instructor.
Outline of
Course: This class
will be divided into five sections: 1) Demonstrative Speeches, 2)
Informative Speaking, 3) Persuasive Speaking, 4) Debating, and 5) Ceremonial
Speaking. The expected course outcomes will be realized through a variety of
instructional strategies. Those strategies include, but are not limited
to, the following: discussion, demonstration, inquiry, critique, and
group activities. All of the following assignments and point totals
are considered tentative and may change over the course of the semester due to
your progress and interests.
Orientation to
Class
Section
1: Demonstrative Speech
Major
Assignment: Demonstrative
speech (100 points)
Section
2: Informative Speaking
Major
Assignment: Informative
speech* (100 points)
Section
3: Persuasive Speaking
Major Assignment:
Persuasive
speech* (100 points)
Section
4: Debates
Major
Assignment: Debates
(100 points)
Section
5: Ceremonial Speaking
Major
Assignment: Award
Presentation and Acceptance (50 points)
Final:
Exam (100 points); Written
Evaluation (100 points)
All
students must take their final on their scheduled date. Put this in your
calendar. The test WILL NOT be given early and CANNOT be made up. The
final will be comprehensive from the quizzes, lectures, in-class activities,
and reading assignments.
*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: On Wednesday of each week, you will be
quizzed over textbook chapter(s). Each chapterÕs quiz is worth 10 points
and will be either multiple choice or true/false: Week 3-Chapter 1; Week 4-Chapters 2-3; Week 5-Chapters 4-5; Week 7-Chapters 6-7; Week 8-Chapters 8-9; Week 9-off for midterm; Week 10-Chapters 10-11; Week 11-Chapters 12-13; Week 12-Chapters 14-15; Week 13-Chapters 16-17; and Week 14-Chapter 18. Periodically you will
also be given quizzes over the lecture material. Those are also worth 10
points and are typically short answer. Your lowest two quiz scores will
be dropped. 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 studentÕs 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 ÒA,Ó 60-67.74 is a ÒB,Ó etc.
HereÕs a place
to keep your grades:
Assignment
Due Date Points
Possible
Points Received
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Total = ___________ divided by __________ =
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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 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 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.
Some common
courtesies:
Please turn all cell phones on
silent while you are in class. Check your messages and textsAFTER 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. YouÕre going to want to have that pen and paper
handy.