COMM 123B: Public Speaking
PROFESSOR
Dr. Miranda McCreary
MEETING DAYS/TIME:
MWF 12:30-1:30pm in GCPA 1202
OFFICIAL COURSE OVERVIEW
This course examines the attitudes, methods, and techniques used in effective
public speaking and performance, required in a variety of speaking situations.
EMAIL
Mmccreary@depauw.edu
OFFICE LOCATION
GCPA 0312
OFFICE HOURS
M: 3-4pm W: 3-5pm
Or by appointment
REQUIRED TEXT
Gunn, J. (2019). Speech craft (2nd ed.). Bedford/St. Martin’s.
M
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
 Develop skills in gathering appropriate materials for a speech.
 Demonstrate the principles of organizing and outlining a public
presentation, including the introduction, body, and conclusion of a speech,
with appropriate transitions.
 Properly cite references when communicating both verbally and in writing.
 Critique public speeches by conducting an analysis of speeches.
 Improve active listening skills by providing feedback to classmates
COURSE LEARNING ASSESSMENTS
Assessment
Class Participation
Points
100 pts.
Reading Quizzes (11 total, but lowest quiz score
will be dropped/not affect your final grade)
Self-Evaluations
150 (10 worth 15pts. each)
Peer Evaluations
60 pts.
Notes:
Impromptu Speech Activity
Public Deliberation Facilitation (group)
Major Speeches:
 Introduction
(50pts.)
30 pts.
100 pts.
500 pts.

All grades will be
posted on Moodle
throughout the
semester

Details and rubrics
for assignments will
be posted on
Moodle and
discussed in class

Informative
(150pts.)
 Persuasive
 Special Occasion
TOTAL
(200pts.)
(100 pts.)
60 pts. (3 worth 20pts. each)
1,000 pts.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Final Grade Point Cutoffs:
970-1000 = A+
900-970 = A
870-899 = B+
800-869 = B
770-799 = C+
700-769 = C
600-699 = D
599 and below = F
COURSE POLICIES
ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION
Class participation/attendance will be recorded each class session, usually through written exercises
completed in small groups and turned in at the end of class. Each student is allowed 4 unexcused
absences, which will not affect their participation grade.
Absences are excused for university-required obligations (e.g., athletic events for student athletes),
medical and other emergencies, and for those observing religious holy days.
LETTER GRADE EQUIVALENCIES
For individual assignments and speeches, you can expect to earn an “A” when you far exceed basic
requirements and provide a model of excellence to your classmates, a “B” when you exceed basic
requirements and demonstrate depth of application, a “C” when you meet basic/minimum
requirements, a “D” when you do not meet basic requirements, and an “F” when you fall significantly
short of the minimum requirements or when you do not complete the assignment.
LATE WORK
Reading quizzes, speech outlines, and self-evaluations are not able to be submitted past the deadline,
given that their purposes are connected to their timely relation to other things (e.g., the purpose of
reading quizzes is to ensure adequate preparation before class time). Speeches may not be made up or
changed to a different day without official excusal.
GRADE APPEALS
24/7 Policy: I am happy to discuss your grade on any given assignment, so please feel free to reach
out! These discussions must take place at least 24 hours after the grade has been given, so that
there is time for both of us to review the submitted work and reflect on the details of the assignment
and the specific aspects you would like to discuss in relation to the rubric requirements.
You have one week (7 days) after an assignment’s grade has been posted to come discuss the grade
with me; after one week, the grade will be final.
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MOODLE
All written assignments will be submitted on Moodle. All class correspondence (outside of the
classroom) will take place via Moodle Announcements and/or DePauw email. Please check your
DePauw email and our Moodle course page on a regular basis. Please be respectful and professional in
your correspondence.
EXTRA CREDIT
Extra credit may be provided throughout the course term at my discretion. These opportunities will
be announced in class and on Moodle.
CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
Everyone in the class is expected to contribute to a learning environment where others feel respected
and encouraged to share their thoughts related to the course subject matter. The expression of
diverse ideas and perspectives is incredibly valuable in the learning process; in order to create the kind
of classroom environment where this can happen, everyone is expected to treat each other with
respect, even when disagreeing with their ideas. This involves discussing and debating ideas in ways that
focus on the ideas themselves, rather than attacking or making assumptions about the people
expressing those ideas. Disrespectful, threatening, or hateful speech/behavior will not be tolerated.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Cheating, plagiarism, submission of the work of others, etc. violates DePauw’s policy on academic
integrity and may result in penalties ranging from a lowered grade to course failure, suspension or
expulsion. The policy and discussion of each student’s obligations and rights can be found in the
Student Handbook. The policy is also available at: https://tinyurl.com/5hea9cf5. More information
and resources for avoiding plagiarism can also be found at
https://www.depauw.edu/academics/academic-resources/academic-integrity/.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy: In this course, any unauthorized use of AI (i.e., using
writing generated by AI, but any use of generative AI for the completion of the assignment
without previous approval by me) will be considered a violation of academic integrity and will
result in a minimum of a “0” grade. The use of AI for grammar-checking/proofreading and as
one potential avenue for finding sources (that you will later read and evaluate for accuracy) is
allowed (and can be very useful!), but the actual reading, synthesizing, writing, and thinking that
goes into the research and development process of writing and other intellectual work must be
done by the student themselves.
COPYRIGHTED COURSE MATERIALS
Please do not share material from this course in online, print, or other media. Course material is the
property of the instructor who developed the course (in this case my legal property, but this goes for
all courses). Materials authored by third parties and used in the course are also subject to copyright
protections. Posting course materials on external sites (commercial or not) violates copyright law.
Students who share course content without the instructor’s express permission, including with online
sites that post materials to sell to other students, could face appropriate disciplinary or legal action.
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ADA ACCOMMODATIONS
To start - please do not hesitate to let me know if you need accommodations!
It is the policy and practice of DePauw University to provide reasonable accommodations for students
with properly documented disabilities. Written notification from Student Accessibility Services is
required - if you are eligible to receive an accommodation and would like to request it for this course,
please contact Student Accessibility Services. Allow one-week advance notice to ensure enough time
for reasonable accommodations to be made. Otherwise, it is not guaranteed that the accommodation
can be provided on a timely basis. Accommodations are not retroactive. Students who have questions
about Student Accessibility Services or who have, or think they may have, a disability (psychiatric,
attentional, learning, vision, hearing, physical, medical, etc.) are invited to contact Student Accessibility
Services for a confidential discussion in Union Building Suite 100 or by phone at 658-6267.
Student Title IX Policy: DePauw University affirms its commitment to fairness and equity in all
aspects of the educational experience. Harassment and discrimination based on gender or sexuality—
including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and Title IX
retaliation—prevent students from accessing an equal education and violate university policy as well as
the law. Find full information at www.depauw.edu/titleix. If you or someone you know experience
behavior that is coercive, discriminatory, harassing, or sexually violent, you are encouraged to contact
our Title IX Administrators, Rhyan Smith, JD or Dionne Jackson, Ed.D. at
titleixcoordinator@depauw.edu or 765-658-4155.
IMPORTANT UNIVERSITY DATES:
Friday Oct. 24  Last day to withdraw from the course
Oct. 11-19  Fall Break
Nov. 26-30  Thanksgiving Break
RESOURCES
The Learning Commons houses three peer consulting services: Writing, Speaking, and Quantitative
Reasoning. Located in Roy O. West Library 101 and 102, peer tutors offer assistance and
encouragement on assignments such as essays (W), presentations (S), and problem sets (Q). Walk-ins
are welcome but appointments are encouraged and can be made at https://depauw.mywconline.com/.
The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw is nationally renowned for creating exceptional
experiences in ethics education for the DePauw community and beyond. For DePauw students, the
Institute’s numerous offerings include a yearly suite of Ethics Reading Courses in collaboration with
faculty across the university, the popular co-curricular First-Year and Hillman Internship programs,
innovative ethical reasoning workshops for students in and out of the classroom, and support for
student scholarships and grants, DePauw’s award-winning Ethics Bowl teams, and more. This is all in
addition to providing a beautiful, reflective space for student study on the Institute’s campus in the
center of DePauw’s 500-acre Nature Park. Learn more about these offerings on the Prindle
Institute’s website, or visit the campus in-person at 2961 W County Road 225 S.
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Additional Resources:

Counseling Services - https://www.depauw.edu/campus-life/wellness/counseling-services/ or
765-658-4268 or email counselingservices@depauw.edu.

DePauw Health - https://www.depauw.edu/campus-life/wellness/depauwhealth/students/ or
(765) 658-4555

CARE Team - https://www.depauw.edu/studentaffairs/student-services/students-of-concernteam/, care@depauw.edu

Bias Incident Response Team - https://www.depauw.edu/studentaffairs/campus-safety/biasincident-resources/bias-incident-response-team/

Financial Aid Office at 765-658-4030 or https://www.depauw.edu/offices/financialaid/

Payments/ Business Office at 765-658-4015 or https://www.depauw.edu/offices/financeadministration/student-and-parent-information/payment-services/

Internships, careers and off-campus study - Hubbard Center https://www.depauw.edu/academics/centers/hubbard/

Office of Student Affairs/Student Life - https://www.depauw.edu/studentaffairs/
Demonstration Policy: We encourage the exchange of ideas in an environment of respect and civil
discourse. Furthermore, we recognize that rights of one individual or group to gather, speak, and
peaceably demonstrate should not infringe on the ability of others to live, learn, and work in our
community. Infringement includes, but is not limited to, actions such as physically limiting egress or
ingress, creating a physically unsafe environment, or preventing a scheduled campus event or class from
occurring. See the full policy on Campus Demonstrations in the Student Handbook.
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