Comm 301: Introduction to Public Speaking

Fall 2009
Sacramento City College

Textbook: O’Hair, Dan, Rubenstein, Hannah & Rob Stewart. (2007). A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking. Bedford/St. Martin’s: Boston.

Instructor: Sandra Wheeler Abeyta, MA
Email: idnasss@yahoo.com
BLOG: loudandproud (web address: http://www.scc301.blogspot.com/)
Office Hours: 715p-745p in Temp 5
Classroom: Temp 5
Class meeting time: 745p-1050p

Course Description: This course is exciting and unique! You’ll be talking more than me as we explore public speaking techniques, theories and models. Enact, apply and evaluate communication strategies which will help you both in and outside of the classroom. By making speeches, participating in various in-class activities, completing course assignments, writing and orking in groups-PLUS reflecting on how elements of communication apply to you, you’ll develop greater mastery of communication and gain confidence speaking in all sorts of settings, from the classroom to the office to the stage, even across the table from powerful executives!

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
DESIGN AND RELATE MESSAGES CLEARLY FOR EFFECTIVE AND APPROPRIATE ORAL COMMUNICATION (SLO#1).
• Analyze an audience using age, gender, cultural variations, and other appropriate measures.
• Design, deliver and differentiate a variety of speech types, including, at minimum, the speech to inform, to entertain or relate (within a special occasion), and to persuade.
• Identify, evaluate and apply appropriate nonverbal techniques.
• Design presentational aids, audio and/or visual, appropriate to the audience, message and context.
• Recognize and respond to techniques for managing communication apprehension.

APPLY EFFECTIVE LISTENING SKILLS TO COMPREHEND SPOKEN MESSAGES, ANALYZE INFORMATION CRITICALLY AND CONSIDER MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES (SLO#2).
• Demonstrate critical listening skills.
• Recognize and model constructive feedback.


COMPOSE IDEAS CLEARLY IN EFFECTIVE, APPROPRIATE AND WELL-ORGANIZED WRITTEN MESSAGES (SLO#3).
• Compose fully developed, structured, and unified oral presentations, including formal written outlines.
• Locate, interpret and evaluate various research materials to accurately document sources (in oral and written form) according to a standard referencing style (MLA, APA, CBE, etc.).

ANALYZE AND FORMULATE CRITICAL THINKING WITHIN EVIDENCE AND REASONING OF SPOKEN AND WRITTEN MESSAGES (SLO#4).
• Assess, evaluate, and apply a variety of rhetorical strategies that are effective and appropriate per the purpose, occasion and audience.
• Apply language techniques and strategies appropriate to the audience and occasion.
• Arrange, paraphrase and effectively integrate evidence and/or supportive material into a presentation.

ASSESS INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN ONE'S ABILITY TO INFLUENCE ETHICAL, EFFECTIVE AND APPROPRIATE COMMUNICATION AMONG DIVERSE SETTINGS AND PEOPLE (SLO #5).
• Recognize and apply ethical standards to the research, design and delivery of a message for an audience and occasion.

General Course Policies
1. Attendance: Coming to class has a HUGE impact on your grade! It tells me how committed you are and conveys passion and interest. I award points for each day JUST FOR COMING! Don't miss out, these points can't be made up and poor attendance will prevent you from passing this class. After 3 absences you lose 10 points for each subsequent absence, and after 4, I will administratively drop you.
1.B) Tardiness: If you are late to class, it is your responsibility to check with me before leaving class that day in order to correct the attendance record. If you are more than 20 minutes late to class, you will be considered absent. Consistently arriving late to class (regardless of the exact minutes missed) is also problematic: 2 “tardis” are equivalent to one absence.
2. Late Assignments: Assignments are due at the beginning of class. If they are not turned in at the beginning of class they will be considered late. I will accept late written assignments only with prior warning and only within one week after the original due date. Late work will be penalized one full letter grade (regardless of whether the assignment is two hours late or two days late). Speeches, exams, attendance, quizzes, partner evaluations, and presentations cannot be made up. NOTE: Speeches and presentations made on days that you show up late/leave early will be docked one half letter grade.
3. Cell Phones: Turn them off please! For crucial situations, set them to vibrate or silent. If your cell phone continues to go off in class, I may administratively drop you for not following course procedures. Texting during class will be treated the same as talking verbally out of turn—it is disruptive and rude. You can be dropped for texting in class if it becomes disruptive.
4. Participation: A great deal of this class will involve the discussion of concepts and in-class activities. Many of the in-class activities will be given credit/no credit participation points. I expect every member of the class to fully participate.

Department/Campus Policies

1. Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment is offensive and illegal and will not be tolerated in the classroom! Sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual advance or requests for sexual favors or any other verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature in the work or college setting. Using profanity that consists of sexual innuendo or sexist language (a slur or pejorative towards a gender)are considered a "verbal" conduct that may be an unwelcome advance. If you feel that you have been the recipient or a witness of sexual harassment by any other student enrolled in the class, please report the concern immediately to the Instructor. The Instructor, the Dean or the school student conduct personnel will address a report of Sexual Harassment immediately in a confidential, professional manner. See http://www.losrios.edu/legal/gc-discrm.htm#sexual%20Harassment for more details.


2. Academic Honesty: Los Rios Community College District values academic honesty. Current policies prohibit dishonesty, such as cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college. All members of the academic community are responsible for the academic integrity of the Los Rios College campus. See http://www.losrios.edu/ for more academic dishonesty clarification.

2.A) Academic Honesty Process: 1. Faculty members have the right to choose whether or not to pursue suspected cases of plagiarism and cheating.2. When addressing plagiarism or cheating with reasonable evidence, the faculty member should notify the student of the concern.3. Faculty members may consult with other faculty, the Dean of the pertinent division, and the office of the Vice President for Student Services when determining whether plagiarism or cheating has occurred.4. In situations where cheating or plagiarism has occurred, the faculty member is to determine consequences in compliance with board policy and regulations, which prohibit dropping a student from a course. The consequences may be any of the following options: giving the student a verbal or written warning, giving the student an additional assignment, giving the student a zero on the assignment assigning a grade of F for the course determining other appropriate consequences that comply with board policy and regulations.5. In situations where cheating or plagiarism has occurred, the faculty notifies the Dean of the pertinent division, and the student that a “Referral for Student Code of Conduct Violation" will be filed through the Area Dean to the Office of VPSS.6. Students have the right to grieve an action that they feel violates their student rights.7. The office of the Vice President for Student Services (VPSS) shall be responsible for maintaining records related to cheating and plagiarism. Probation, suspension or expulsions are courses of action that may be determined by the College Disciplinary Officer in accordance with District policy.

2. B) Definition of Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as representing the words, ideas, or work of another as one’s own in any academic exercise. Plagiarism consists in taking the words or specific substance of another work and either copying or paraphrasing without giving credit to the source. Plagiarism is applicable to written, oral, and artistic work. The following examples are some of the many forms plagiarism may take:1. Word-for-word copying of work written by someone else.2. Failure to give proper credit for ideas, statements of facts, or conclusions derived by another.3. Failure to use quotation marks when quoting directly form another, whether a paragraph, sentence, or phrase.4. Close and extended paraphrasing of another work without acknowledging the source.

2. C) Definition of Cheating: Cheating is the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work through the use of dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means.The following are only some of the many forms cheating may take:1. Copying another’s work on a test, paper, or project.2. Using unauthorized materials in an exam or collaborating on work to be turned in for credit where the instructor disallows such collaboration.3. Taking an exam for another student, purposely allowing another student to copy during a test, or providing coursework for another student to turn in as his or her own effort.4. Submitting the same work in multiple classes for credit without permission from the instructor.

3. Emergency and Evacuation Procedures: In the event of an emergency, the Instructor or another authorized person may need to follow the Emergency and Evacuation Procedures established within the policy of the campus and will require your compliance and cooperation. Typically, the Emergency and Evacuation Procedures are posted within the classroom. Each of the above policies is designed for your and each persons' safety with the intent for a rewarding academic experience possible. See http://www.scc.losrios.edu/FacultyStaff/Emergency_Procedures.htm for more details.

Grading Scale/Assignment Overview
15% Blogging = 200 pts
5% Sacred Writing=40 pts
20% Attendance & Participation = 240 points
20% Quizes, Midterm and Final = 240 points
40% Speeches & Reports = 475 points
Class total points = 1195
Grade Percentage: 90-100% = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D,
Below 60% =F

Sacred Writing: A time to disconnect from the pressures of the outside world, pause, reflect and most importantly: EXPRESS YOURSELF. Keep this like a journal, you'll hand it in a few time over the semester, but I won't grade it, just give you credit for your participation. For the first 5 minutes of class, your pen or pencil must be in motion! Go poetic, be serious and deep, write hip-hop lyrics, make a to-do list--whatever--just write! Alright?

Blogging: Extend our classroom discussions and enhance deeper understanding as each week you post a (6 sentence minimum) response before class. Extra points awarded for connecting to other bloggers by name, referencing classmates and book/lecture materials. New posts will be introduced every week by instructor based on hot classroom topics. Once a new post comes up, the old one is no longer "live" and late hitting comments will not be counted.

Attendance Participation: Come to class, support other classmates, speak up, get involved and be kind and courteous to win these points! You’ll be rewarded just for showing up! (or lost if you miss class.)

Quizzes & Midterm: Random pop quizzes are short answer and can't be made up. They focus on previous week's reading/lecture/speeches. Midterm is an impromptu speech, no make ups. (2-3 minutes)

Final Exam: Comprehensive including all quiz material, short essay. Scantron 882

Speeches & Reports: See list below--Also provide feedback for other speakers to demonstrate audience analysis.

Introductory speeches: Done with a partner, you each introduce each other. (2 minutes, 35 points).

Group speeches: Experience rhetorical invention by working in a group to share a vital topic with the rest of the class. Details given in lecture. (100 points, 5-7 minutes)

Special occasion speeches: Recognize important events and cultural celebrations vividly (3-4 minutes, 50 points).

Informative speech or Demonstration. See book/lecture for details for this solo speech, including hot topics, visual aid and citations (5-7 minutes, 100 points).

Persuasive speech: Change an attitude, belief or value in your audience using visual aids, citations of research and avoiding faulty reasoning (6-8 minutes, 150 points).

Oral reports: Apply elements of media and real life experiences to our text while speaking eloquently (2-3 minutes, 25 points)

Anti-speech speech: TBA, (2-3 minutes, 15 points)