Penn State Lehigh Valley
Communication Arts and Science 100
First Year Experience (FYE)
Presentation Skills
Fall, 2010
Nichola D. Gutgold, Ph.D.
e-mail: dgn2@psu.edu
213/N Lehigh Valley Campus
(610) 285-5101 Penn State Office
(610) 298-8903 x 115 Home Office
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11-12 and by appointment
Class Meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday
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Room 207, 9-9:50 a.m. section 529657
Room 207, 10-10:50 a.m. section 529660
Room 320, 12-12:50 p.m. section 576775
“All good public speakers were once bad public speakers.”
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Speak that I may know you; for speech most shows the man
[or woman].” --Ben Jonson
Course Overview
This course is designed to increase your understanding of the elements of public
communication and to help you develop the basic skills necessary for the presentation of
your ideas in public contexts. Because this is the First Year Experience Course, your
speech assignments will center around life at Penn State Lehigh. This will help you to
learn many things about your new academic environment. You are required to read The
New York Times each day and to integrate material from the newspaper into your
speeches. There will be special times when the campus community will be invited to
your speeches. Primary emphasis will be placed on understanding how the
communication process works, how structuring a message affects public communication,
and how audiences perceive and evaluate messages. The goals of the course is for you to
become a better practitioner and critical consumer of public communication.
CAS 100 A FYE
Upon completion of the course, you will have achieved success if you:
 Appreciate the role of public speech in the world and at Penn State
 Understand the importance of audience analysis on effective speaking
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Develop ways to speak effectively and develop yourself as an advocate
Appreciate the wonders of the New York Times
Understand the benefits of common book readings
Learn how to observe, participate and speak about a variety of campus events.
Demonstrate ethical responsibility and decision-making, especially as a member of
the PSU community.
Understand university study and the responsibilities of being a member of a
university community.
This course is designed to
 Help students understand the college experience and university study while
growing as a public communicator
 Introduce students to the procedures and resources of the university and help
students become proficient in using them
 Acquaint students with learning tools and resources available at Penn State
 Provide students with a supportive community of peers who will assist them in
the transition to college
 Help students appreciate and understand diversity
Please choose from one of the following common readings:
 The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls
 Outcasts United, by Warren St. John
 Listening is an Act of Love, by Dave Isay
Your informational and persuasive speeches must include an outline and a
minimum of 5 citations.
Assignments:
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New York Times dictionary speech
5 points
Video speech of introduction 10 points
Campus news speech 5 points
attendance of common reading meetings and journal entry 5 points
common readings speech 10 points
demonstration speech 10 points
informative speech 15 points
mid term exam 10 points
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persuasive speech 15 points
public speaking portfolio 15 points
Required Text:
Steven R. Brydon and Michael D. Scott, Between One and Many: The Art and
Science of Public Speaking, 7th edition, Mountain View, California: Mayfield
Publishing Company, 2010. (an older edition of this text is fine)
Course Policies:
Since attendance is crucial to this course, it is required. Since emergencies do occur,
you will be allowed two absences. Each absence beyond that will lower your course
grade five points. Due dates for speeches and other assignment must be honored or
no credit will be given unless you have made prior arrangements with me, in which
case the work will be penalized one letter grade.
Classroom Behavior:
Each of us has the right to our own beliefs and opinions and each of us has the
responsibility to treat others with respect and dignity. Cell phones should be shut
OFF prior to the beginning of each class.
Certain presentational aids are not allowed in class—guns, other weapons, alcohol, drugs,
and animals. NO Power Point presentations are permitted. Limited use (1-3 slides
per speech) of electronic images may be permitted.
Academic Integrity includes a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of
falsification, misrepresentation or deception. Such acts of dishonesty violate the
fundamental ethical principles of the University community and compromise the worth of
work completed by others.
To protect the rights and maintain the trust of honest students and support appropriate
behavior, faculty and administrators should regularly communicate high standards of
integrity and reinforce them by taking reasonable steps to anticipate and deter acts of
dishonesty in all assignments (Senate Policy 44-40: Proctoring of Examinations). At the
beginning of each course, it is the responsibility of the instructor to provide students with
a statement clarifying the application of University and College academic integrity
policies to that course.
Penn State encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs
and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation in this course or
have questions about physical access, please ask.
Content and Form of the Public Speaking Portfolio:
You are strongly urged to work on the portfolio throughout the semester. This
ensures an easier and better result. I have several samples from previous semesters to
show you.
The portfolio consists of three distinct sections:
1. --journal (daily reflections of class)
the daily reflections should consists of what we did in class and the
weekly reflections should be your thoughts about why we did what we did.
2. --collected artifacts (evaluations, research, photos, speaking notes)
3. --recorded analysis (minimum one full typed, double spaced page per speech)
Course Schedule
Aug. 23
Aug. 25
Aug. 27
Aug. 30
Sept. 1
Sept. 3
Sept. 6
Sept. 8
Sept. 10
Sept. 13
Sept. 15
Sept. 17
Sept. 20
Sept. 22
Sept. 24
Sept. 27
Sept. 29
Oct. 1
Oct. 4
Oct. 6
Oct. 8
Oct.11
Oct. 13
Oct. 15
Oct. 18
Oct.20
Oct. 22
Oct. 25
Oct. 27
Oct. 29
Nov. 1
Nov. 3
Nov. 5
Nov. 8
Nov. 10
Nov. 12
Nov. 15.
course intro, review of text, assignments, syllabus, introductions
New York Times dictionary speech
chapter 1 everyday speaking,
Record your video speech of self introduction and post it to ANGEL
Record your video speech of self introduction and post it to ANGEL
chapters 2-3 view speeches
No Class Labor Day!
chapters 3-4
chapters 5-6
campus news speeches
campus news speeches
common reading discussion
demonstration speeches
demonstration speeches
demonstration speeches
demonstration speeches
common reading discussion
chapters 7-8
chapters 9-10
informative speeches
online learning quiz
common reading speeches
library instruction 1:00 p.m. (third floor)
midterm exam
chapter 11-12
chapter 13-14
informative speeches
informative speeches
informative speeches
informative speeches
common readings speeches
common reading speeches
common reading speeches
common reading speeches
video speech viewing and ANGEL post
NCA Convention -- online learning module
NCA Convention – online learning module
Nov. 17 “Influence” by Cialdini
Nov. 19 persuasive readings and lectures
Nov. 22, 24, 26 No in-class meetings Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov. 29 persuasive speeches
Dec. 1 persuasive speeches
Dec. 3 persuasive speeches
Dec. 6 persuasive speeches
Dec. 8 persuasive speeches
Dec. 10 Course conclusion
Common Readings Speeches:
2-3 minute speeches
Listening is An Act of Love
Tell a story about your life
The Glass Castle
How did this story make you feel?
Who was the strongest character?
Who suffered most?
Why do you think Jeannette Walls told her story?
Outcasts United
Tell of a time you felt like an outcast. Why? What did you do?
Digital Recorded Speech of Self-Introduction
Your introduction should be brief (1 minute). What do you want the instructor and
your classmates to know about you?
Here are some questions to answer (you don’t need to answer all):
What is your name?
Where are you from originally?
How long have you lived in Pennsylvania / the United States?
Where do you live now?
What is your job?
What was your job in the past?
What is your career goal? What job or education do you want?
What kind of person are you? Name one or two personal strengths.
What are some things, activities you like?
What are some things you don’t like?
What are your hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time?
What are your plans for the future?
You may write your introduction out in full, since this is your first speech assignment,
but you should NOT simply read your notes. Practice it SEVERAL times before you
record it. You should look into the camera as much as possible. Imagine that this
introduction is going viral (it is; you are posting it on You Tube), so you want it to be
good!
Make an appointment at the Digital Commons to professionally record your intro and
post it to YouTube. Send the link to the class on the discussion board on ANGEL.
Watch your and your classmates’ digital self-introductions and comment on at least
four other speeches on the discussion board!