301 Public Speaking-Page 1
Introduction to Public Speaking
Communication Studies 301
Sacramento City College – West Sacramento Center
Syllabus
Samuel Johnson, Ph.D. (Cand.)
Professor's Office: ____________
Semester: Fall 2015
Office Hours: after class in classroom and
MW 8:25-9:25 pm in office
Class Code Number: 17358
Classroom: West Sacramento Center 219
Email: johnsos@scc.losrios.edu
(M-F only; no attachments accepted;
proofread for literacy)
Class Hours: MW 4:00-5:20 pm
Voice Mail: none
Catalog Description
This course prepares students to speak in a variety of rhetorical situations: academic,
professional, social, and political. Students develop skills in ethical research, analytical thinking
and listening, organization and outlining, and effective verbal and nonverbal delivery of
messages for diverse audiences. Each student will complete a minimum of twenty-two minutes
of evaluated speaking time. This course is designed for students who already have college-level
writing skills. Students conduct primary and secondary research to create informative and
persuasive oral presentations and incorporate this research into formal outlines using APA or
MLA style citations. Recording equipment may be used as an aid to the student's self-analysis
and improvement. Access to a computer with online capabilities may be required and is
available on campus. (C-ID COMM 110)
Prerequisite and General Education
ENGWR 101 or ESLW 320 with a grade of "C" or better; or placement into ENGWR 300
through the assessment process
Advisory: ENGWR 300 and LIBR 318 with a grade of C or better, and concurrent enrollment in
COMM 270.
General Education: AA/AS Area II(b); CSU Area A1; IGETC Area 1C.
Course transferable to UC/CSU
Required Textbook, Supplies, and Desire to Learn (D2L)
Cheryl Hamilton. Essentials of Public Speaking. 6th ed. 2015. Buy or rent the latest (6th) edition.
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To succeed in this class, you will need to read the assigned chapters. Midterm examination
questions are from the textbook, but not all the material is covered in class. Exams may be given
in the open-book format.
Desire to Learn (D2L) – Some instructional handouts will not be distributed in class.
Occasionally you may be required to access D2L and print your own copies.
Recommended Supplies – Students should carry a stapler at all times. Pocket models are
inexpensive at the College Store or The Dollar Tree.
Course Objectives
Communication Studies 301 is designed to acquaint you with the fundamental techniques and
principles essential to effective communication in most types of public speaking and to give you
opportunities to develop skill in speaking through frequent practice and helpful criticism.
Methods of Instruction
The course is divided into six units, each emphasizing a different aspect of public speaking.
Each unit consists of 1) lectures and reading assignments to acquaint you with the important
principles of public speaking, 2) speaking performances to give you practice in mastering the
techniques studied, and 3) exercises to help you in developing a better understanding of the
fundamental processes of public speaking. Your instructor will administer two midterms and a
final examination. Please note that this is not a group learning class, but one that encourages
individual responsibility and accomplishment.
Grading Policies
You will receive a letter grade for assignments, exams, and quality participation. All grades
carry the same weight. A simple four point system is used to calculate final grades:
A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = O. Use your Final Grade Evaluation Form (attached) and the
chart below to calculate your exact grade at any time during the semester.
Speeches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/3 of grade
Examinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/3 of grade
Quality Participation Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/3 of grade
3.50-4.0
2.50-3.49
1.50-2.49
0.50-1.49
0.00-0.49
Final Grade of Record
A
B
C
D
F
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Written Assignments
Written assignments must be typed (word processed) and submitted on time. Late papers will
receive partial credit only. No assignments will be accepted by email.
All written assignments must meet high standards of literacy, form, and neatness. Proofread
carefully. There should be no errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar, and pages should be
stapled, clean, and unwrinkled. Use 12 point font, Times New Roman only, and print on standard
white printer paper.
Some written assignments will require Modern Language Association (MLA) format. Use only
the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) as your format guide.
Speech Assignments
All speeches must be given on time. There will be no make-ups. When you are scheduled you
must be ready to perform, or you will receive a 0 (F) on that speech.
Please pick up your speech grade at the end of the class session in which you give your
presentation. Do not walk out of the classroom without your grade.
Examinations
The two midterm examinations consist of fifty multiple-choice questions. Bring a Scantron #882
and a #2 pencil. The final examination is short answer and essay. Bring a small, unmarked
bluebook or greenbook and a black or dark blue pen.
The final examination must be taken on the scheduled day and time; no early exams will be
given. Dictionaries, translators and other electronic devices are not permitted during
examinations except by written permission.
Quality Participation Points
In the Public Speaking class, you learn the principles and techniques of effective presentational
speaking in a variety of ways. You learn by studying a textbook and listening to your professor’s
advice. You learn by giving speeches. You learn by watching and listening carefully to your
classmates as they deliver their speeches. And you learn by actively participating in the question
and answer discussions that follow the speeches.
During designated class sessions, you can earn up to a total of twenty Quality Participation
Points by following instructions carefully and participating actively and appropriately in the
speaking, listening, discussion, and peer review activities described above. The points you
accumulate throughout the semester will translate to a letter grade, and that letter grade will
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account for 1/3 of your final course grade of record. See the Final Grade Evaluation Form
(attached).
To earn your points, you must do the following:
 Arrive to class on time and stay in the room for the entire session.
 Focus your full attention on your classmates as they deliver their speeches.
 Refrain from reading, studying, engaging in side conversations, or using any electronic
devices while a classmate or the professor is talking.
 Actively participate in the question and answer discussions that follow the speeches.
Here are the total number of points you will need at the end of the semester to earn the
corresponding letter grade for participation:
20 points = A
18-19 points = B
16-17 points = C
14-15 points = D
00-13 points = F
NOTE: YOU WILL NOT EARN QUALITY PARTICIPATION POINTS SIMPLY BY
ATTENDING AND PARTICIPATING IN CLASS. AS STATED ABOVE, YOU MUST
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR EACH ASSIGNMENT CAREFULLY AND
PARTICIPATE APPROPRIATELY.
Attendance Policies
Your grade will not be lowered on the basis of attendance alone, but you will need to attend
classes if you wish to accumulate Quality Participation Points. Attendance is checked daily to
help ensure you get your participation points when you earn them. Success-conscious students
should strive for perfect attendance.
You may be dropped from the class after seven hours of absence.
There is no need to contact your professor when absent. Simply return to class as soon as
possible and resume work. As stated above, no assignments will be accepted by email.
College Success, Distracted Learning, and Classroom Etiquette
Read this syllabus often throughout the semester. It is like a contract and you are responsible for
understanding its content. Bring your textbook and this syllabus to every class session.
Food and drinks (except bottled water), children, and guests are not allowed in the classroom.
Do not engage in private conversations when your instructor is talking (for example, when he is
taking roll, lecturing, answering questions, or wrapping up a class session) as it is considered
obstruction of the teaching and learning process. If you find yourself sitting near a classmate
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who makes this mistake, choose another seat. Side conversations during class will void your
Quality Participation Point(s) for that class session.
The use of all electronic devices is forbidden in the classroom. You cannot have them on your
desk, your lap, or in and out of your pocket or purse. This includes phones, cameras, recorders,
laptop or handheld computers, e-readers, radios, smart watches, or any type of earpiece. Turn off
your phones before entering the classroom. You may not recharge your phone in the classroom.
Your instructor will cheerfully discuss your grades during office hours, but never during class
sessions.
Freedom of Speech
In free societies, such as the United States of America, students in higher education are allowed
to choose their own speech and debate topics, and choose the words with which they express
themselves. No topics or words should be forbidden in a college speech class unless the topic or
word is forbidden by law or college policies.
Extra credit
There are currently no extra credit opportunities for this course.
__________________________________________________________________
Assignments
UNIT I - INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC SPEAKING
Speaking Assignment #1: Presenting Yourself
In 1 to 2 minutes introduce yourself to your classmates. Mentally Plan what you are going to
say, practice aloud at home, and speak in class from mental notes. (Use no written notes.)
Reading Assignment
Chapter 1, "Public Speaking: Let’s Start Speaking Now"
Chapter 2, "Building Speaker Confidence"
Chapter 3, "Listening: What Speakers and Listeners Should Know"
Examination Study Guide
1. the transactional communication process
a. verbal, visual, and vocal codes (3)
b. encoding and decoding (2)
c. speech environments and frames
of reference (2)
d. types of interference ("noise") (2)
e. feedback (1)
2. situational vs. trait anxiety (1)
3. informative vs. persuasive speeches (1)
4. forensic, deliberative, and epideictic
speaking (1)
5. how to practice a speech (1)
6. the speaker’s credibility (1)
7. how to motivate your audience to
listen (2)
8. how to enhance credibility of sources (1)
9. stages of listening (6)
10. how listeners evade persuasive
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messages (1)
11. evaluating listener feedback (1)
12. critical listening (1)
13. attribution theory (1)
UNIT I I - SPEECH PURPOSES AND SUBJECTS
Speaking Assignment #2: Introduction to Speaking from a Mental Outline
In a 4 to 5 minute speech, inform the class about a subject you know well from personal
experience. This speech can be a narrative: a story about an incident you experienced personally.
A brief written assignment (typed) must be submitted before you give your speech.
Mentally plan what you are going to say, practice aloud at home, and speak in class from
mental notes. Use no visual aids or note cards for this speech.
Reading Assignment
Chapter 4, "Public Speaking: Make Ethics and Technology Work for You"
Chapter 5, “Analyzing Your Audience and Selecting a Really Great Topic"
Chapter 6, “Researching, Organizing, and Outlining Your Topic”
Examination Study Guide
1. types of plagiarism (1)
2. upspeak (1)
3. using public speaking skills to make great
videos (3)
4. bookending (1)
5. choosing speech topics (1)
6. the speaker’s exact purpose (1)
7. the speaker’s credibility (1)
8. audience analysis; demographics;
cultural and gender considerations (5)
9. organizational patterns (7)
10. factual vs. hypothetical instances (1)
MIDTERM EXAMINATION #1, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (Use a Scantron form #882 and a #2
pencil.) No dictionaries, translators or electronic devices will be allowed except by written
permission.
UNIT III – SPEECH DELIVERY
Speaking Assignment #3: Classroom Exercises in Speech Delivery
Exercises in pronunciation, articulation, and reading aloud. No outside preparation is required
for this speaking assignment. You must participate fully in the classroom exercises to receive
full credit. This assignment cannot be made up.
Mediated Lecture-Discussion: Correctness in Pronunciation
Group Learning Activity and Writing Assignment: One Syllable
Reading Assignment
Chapter 8, "Effective Delivery"
Examination Study Guide
1. methods of speech delivery (3)
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2. how to effectively use gestures, volume,
and eye contact (3)
3. Cicero’s rhetorical styles (1)
4. immediacy behaviors (4)
5. illustrators, adaptors, regulators, emblems
(3)
6. components of visual delivery (2)
7. vocal variety (1)
8. vocal inflections (3)
9. pronunciation, articulation, projection (2)
10. how to rehearse a speech (1)
11. phrases and pauses (1)
UNIT IV - INFORMATIVE SPEECH
Speaking Assignment #4: The Informative (Expository) Speech
In a 4 to 5 minute speech, inform the class about a subject you know well from personal
experience. Here you will learn the traditional method of organizing an informative speech. Try
to apply all the guidelines for organization explained by your instructor and in your textbook. A
brief written assignment (typed) must be submitted before you give your speech.
Your reading assignment, handouts, and lectures will explain the speaking assignment in detail.
You will speak from a mental outline, using the extemporaneous method of delivery, hands
empty.
Reading Assignment
Chapter 9, "Informative Speaking"
Chapter 7, "Interesting Verbal and Visual Supporting Materials" (on visual support)
Examination Study Guide
1. how to effectively use visual aids (15)
2. advantages of using visual aids (1)
3. audience analysis (3)
4. serif and sans serif typefaces (1)
5. unintentional plagiarism (1)
6. narration and description (2)
MIDTERM EXAMINATION #2, Chapters 8, 9, 7 (on visual support) (Use a Scantron form #882
and a #2 pencil.) No dictionaries, translators or electronic devices will be allowed, except by
written permission.
UNIT V - USING LANGUAGE (ORAL STYLE) EFFECTIVELY
Reading Assignment
Chapter 7, "Interesting Verbal and Visual Supporting Materials" (on verbal support)
Examination Study Guide
1. general semantics
2. words as symbols (the symbolic nature of
language)
3. abstract and concrete language
4. connotative and denotative meaning
5. the differences between written and
spoken language
6. Alfred Korzybski
7. S. I. Hayakawa
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UNIT VI - PERSUASIVE SPEECH
Speaking Assignment #5: Speaking to Convince
In 4 to 5 minutes, deliver a speech to convince. Take a strong stand on a highly controversial
topic of your choice and use at least three pieces of evidence to support your position. Before
choosing your topic, review the five primary speech purposes. Your primary purpose on this
assignment is not to inform or to actuate. In this speech you must present a strong argument of
advocacy or dissent, designed to change the way your listeners think.
As usual, you will speak from a mental outline, using the extemporaneous method of delivery. A
brief, typed written assignment, as explained by your instructor, must be submitted before you
speak.
Reading Assignment
Chapter 10, "Persuasive Speaking"
Examination Study Guide
1) the role of logic in persuasion (logos)
a. types of reasoning (inductive,
deductive, causal, and by analogy)
b. critical thinking
2) using logic and evidence effectively
3) fallacious reasoning
4) three types of propositions (position
statements)
Speaking Assignment #6: Speaking to Actuate
In four to five minutes, deliver a persuasive sales presentation. Your goal is to persuade your
classmates to buy an actual product or service that you sincerely believe in. Choose one with
which your classmates are probably not familiar. There should be nothing hypothetical or
imaginary about this assignment. As usual, you will speak from a mental outline, using the
extemporaneous method of delivery. Use no written notes.
Examination Study Guide
1) the role of emotion in persuasion (pathos)
2) the elements of credibility (ethos)
3) the hostile audience
4) Monroe's Motivated Sequence
5) Public speaking as a liberal art
6) Socratic principles of education
FINAL EXAMINATION , Syllabus Units V and VI and fundamentals review. The exam will
include material from your professor’s lecture on verbal communication. Bring a small,
unmarked bluebook or greenbook and a black or blue pen. No dictionaries, translators, or
electronic devices will be allowed except by written permission.
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________________________________________________
Weekly Schedule—Fall 2015 (17 Week Session)
This schedule is subject to change.
(Asterisks * denote the number of participation points available for each class session.)
Units I & II
Read Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Week 1, August 24* & 26
Welcome, orientation and class administration
Student Speeches--Speaking Assignment #1, The Self-Introduction (ungraded)
Week 2, August 31 & September 2*
Student Speeches--Speaking Assignment #1, The Self-Introduction (ungraded)
Preview of Speaking Assignment #2
Week 3, September 7 (Labor Day Holiday) & September 9*
Student Speeches--Speaking Assignment #2, Speaking from a Mental Outline
Week 4, September 14 & 16*
Student Speeches--Speaking Assignment #2, Speaking from a Mental Outline
Week 5, September 21 & 23*
MIDTERM EXAMINATION #1, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (Use a Scantron form #882 and a #2
pencil.) No dictionaries, translators or electronic devices will be allowed except by written
permission.
Activities to be announced
Units III & IV
Read Chapters 8, 9, 7 (on visual support)
Week 6, September 28* & 30*
Speaking Assignment #3: Classroom Exercises in Speech Delivery (Students must be present
and actively participate to receive credit.)
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Week 7, October 5* & 7*
Preview of Speaking Assignment #4
Week 8, October 12* & 14
Student Speeches--Speaking Assignment #4, The Informative Speech
Week 9, October 19* & 21
Student Speeches--Speaking Assignment #4, The Informative Speech
Week 10, October 26* & 28
Activities to be announced
MIDTERM EXAMINATION #2, Chapters 8, 9, 7 (on visual support) Use a Scantron form #882
and a #2 pencil. No dictionaries, translators or electronic devices will be allowed, except by
written permission.
Units V & VI
Read Chapters 10, 7 (on verbal support)
Week 11, November 2* & 4*
Preview of Speaking Assignment #5
Week 12, November 9* & 11 (Veterans Day Holiday)
Student Speeches--Speaking Assignment #5, The Speech to Convince
Week 13, November 16* & 18
Student Speeches--Speaking Assignment #5, The Speech to Convince
Week 14, November 23 & 25*
Preview of Speaking Assignment #6
Activities to be announced
Week 15, November 30* & December 2
Student Speeches--Speaking Assignment #6, The Speech to Actuate
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Week 16, December 7* & 9*
Student Speeches--Speaking Assignment #6, The Speech to Actuate
Activities to be announced
Week 17, Final Examination, December 16, 3:00 pm
Final Written Examination. Syllabus Units V and VI and fundamentals review. Bring small,
unmarked greenbooks or bluebooks and a black or blue pen. No early exams will be given. No
dictionaries, translators or electronic devices will be allowed except by written permission.
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Final Grade Evaluation Form
Introduction to Public Speaking (Johnson)
Enter a letter grade, convert the letter to a number (A-4 B-3 C-2 D-1 F-0), then average.
Speeches (1/3 of Grade)
#1 Self-introduction
credit
#2 Intro to Speaking from a Mental Outline
_____
#3 Exercises in Speech Delivery
_____
#4 Informative Speech
_____
#5 Persuasive Speech (Convincing)
_____
#6 Persuasive Speech (Actuating)
_____
Speech Average _____
(0.0-4.0)
Examinations (1/3 of Grade)
Midterm Exam #1
_____
Midterm Exam #2
_____
Final Exam
_____
Exam Average _____
(0.0-4.0)
Quality Participation Points (1/3 of Grade)
20 points = A
18-19 points = B
16-17 points = C
14-15 points = D
00-13 points = F
_____
Quality Participation Score: _____
(0.0-4.0)
FINAL NUMERICAL AVERAGE
FINAL LETTER GRADE OF RECORD
______
______