Core Course Review Documentation
Foundational Component Area: COMMUNICATION
Component Area Option? No
Proposed Course: English 1113/Speech 1133: Introduction to Communication (same
content, co-taught by faculty in English and Mass Comm)
Credit Hours: 3.0
Proposed by: K. Garrison and E. Lewandowski
Date:
Please document how the proposed course meets each of the following requirements. (You
may provide a written explanation or copy and paste the appropriate information from the
syllabus.)
Content: Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly,
considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to
communicate persuasively.
Students in this course will learn about
 Basic rhetorical theory and criticism, which will supply the information needed to
understand how to read, write, speak, and listen critically to various texts
 Basic rules and strategies for creating clear and interesting speeches
 Basic rules and strategies for creating clear and interesting essays
 Strategies for providing peers with constructive feedback on written or oral communication
 An awareness of the similarities and differences between written and oral communication
SKILLS: Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable
people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.
In this course, students will
 Engage in critical thinking about personal experiences and current issues
 Use written and oral expression to convey their ideas regarding personal experiences and
current issues
 Apply instruction on rhetorical awareness to make decisions about how best to convey their
messages to the intended audience(s)
 Demonstrate proficiency with standard written English
 Demonstrate proficiency with the spoken word
ASSESSMENT OF CORE OBJECTIVES: Assessments should be authentic, intentional and
direct. The following four Core Objectives must be addressed in each course approved to fulfill this
category requirement:
Critical Thinking Skills - to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation
and synthesis of information
Learning Activity: Persuasive Speech
The persuasive speech requires students to research all sides of a contemporary issue (e.g., gun
control, the effectiveness of the United Nations, legalizing marijuana for cancer patients) and to
persuade the audience. While the point of the speech is to ultimately take a side, students may not
blindly ignore contradictory arguments but instead must address them and convince the audience.
Thorough research, including several valid sources, is required; an off-the-top-of-my-head/streamof-consciousness speech without valid evidence is not satisfactory.
Assessment:
Each student will present a persuasive speech evaluated by a speech instructor using the attached
Persuasive Speech Rubric, which measures communication, critical thinking, and personal
responsibility.
Communication Skills - to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas
through written, oral, and visual communication
Learning Activity 1: Commentary Essay
This assignment will provide students the opportunity to consider a current issue or event, conduct
preliminary research to learn more about it, and write an essay in which they take a position. After
discussing the structure and form of a Commentary, students will evaluate sample essays and
discuss whether they meet the criteria.
Assessment:
Each student will write a Commentary Essay to be evaluated by a writing instructor using the
attached Commentary Essay Rubric.
Learning Activity 2: Persuasive Speech
The persuasive speech requires students to research all sides of a contemporary issue (e.g., gun
control, the effectiveness of the United Nations, legalizing marijuana for cancer patients) and to
persuade the audience. While the point of the speech is to ultimately take a side, students may not
blindly ignore contradictory arguments but instead must address them and convince the audience.
Thorough research, including several valid sources, is required; an off-the-top-of-my-head/streamof-consciousness speech without valid evidence is not satisfactory.
Assessment:
Each student will present a Persuasive Speech to be evaluated by a speech instructor using the
attached Persuasive Speech Rubric, which measures communication, critical thinking, and personal
responsibility.
Teamwork - to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with
others to support a shared purpose or goal
Learning Activity: To emphasize the importance of multiple-stage drafting, peer response, and
revision, the instructor will organize students into Peer Review Teams; each team will include
writers with varying levels of engagement and ability. Students will be given training in responding
constructively to their peers’ writing.
Assessment of Teamwork Skills (see attached Peer Review Form and Peer Review Teamwork
Rubric): Members of each Peer Review Team will distribute copies of drafts to each other on a date
designated by the instructor and indicated on the course syllabus. Students will be expected to
read all team members’ drafts prior to the next class meeting, at which time they will participate in
a Peer Review Workshop and complete a Peer Review Form designed and distributed by the
instructor. The Peer Review Form will stay with the draft and the writer, who will submit both with
the final essay. The instructor will monitor Peer Review Workshops, keep attendance records, and
evaluate the Peer Review Form. To develop and demonstrate teamwork skills, students will
 provide copies of drafts for their peers on the designated due date,
 read their peers’ drafts to prepare for the Peer Review Workshop,
 participate actively to help peers improve their texts and facilitate a positive Workshop
experience,
 and offer respectful, constructive, and specific feedback that helps the writer improve
his/her text.
Students who do not meet these objectives will first receive instructor feedback; if performance
does not improve, the student will lose 10% from the Research Paper.
Personal Responsibility - to include the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to
ethical decision-making
The persuasive speech, described above, will also be used to assess personal responsibility,
specifically using the framework of ethics.
Assessment:
Each student will present a Persuasive Speech to be evaluated by a speech instructor using the
attached Persuasive Speech Rubric, which measures communication, critical thinking, and personal
responsibility.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Provide any additional information supporting course
inclusion in the core (optional).
PLEASE ATTACH THE FOLLOWING
1. Syllabus
2. Assessment for Critical Thinking Skills
3. Assessment for Communication Skills
4. Assessment for Teamwork
5. Assessment for Personal Responsibility