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Fall 2010: CMST 2060—Sections: 38 & 39
CMST 2060-Public Speaking
Syllabus
Louisiana State University and A&M College
Fall 2010—3 Credit Hours
Section: 38 M—3:30-6:30 in Coates 236
Section: 39 W—3:30-6:30 in Coates 236
Instructor: Michael D.M. Sanders, Jr.
Office Hours
Office: Prescott Hall 113 A
M/W: 11:00-12:00
Phone: N/A
and by appointment
Department Office Phone: 578-4172
Email: msand36@tigers.lsu.edu
***I can best be reached by email or by stopping in during my office hours. If you are having an
emergency related to this class and you cannot reach me, contact the main office. ***
COURSE DESCRIPTION
CMST 2060 is structured to help you develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for
effective communication. The course focuses on concepts related to the communication process and
on ways of improving your oral communication, with special emphasis on public speaking and
presentation skills.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of CMST 2060, students should be able to:
 improve their strategic reading skills through the analysis of research sources used in
public speeches.
 research, develop, and organize ideas for oral presentations with ethical responsibility.
 deliver speeches with a measure of poise and confidence.
 understand their own speaking ability.
 present speeches extemporaneously-practiced and rehearsed but delivered from limited
notes.
 use the voice as a creative instrument in the communication process.
 give a rationale for the use Standard American English in spoken language and be able to
demonstrate this skill in a speech.
COURSE MATERIALS
Crick, Nathan. Rhetorical Public Speaking. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2010. Print.
A pack of note cards, 3x5 or 4x6.
ASSIGNMENTS
Speeches (450 Points)
Introductory/Narrative Speech (2-4 minutes; 50 Points)
Informative Speech (5-7 minutes; 100 Points)
Persuasive Speech (6-8 minutes; 200 Points)
Commemorative Speech (3-5 minutes; 100 Points)
Midterm and Final Exam (300 Points)
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Fall 2010: CMST 2060—Sections: 38 & 39
Midterm (150 Points)
Final Exam (150 Points)
*Multiple choice and (possibly) short answer, primarily over material assigned from the
book up until the point in the semester the test is given. Some lecture material may also be
included. (You are responsible for providing your own scantrons.)
Participation (250 Points)
Reviews--80 Points
*Three Peer Reviews (20 Points per review)
*Self-Review (10 Points)
Speech Outlines--40 Points
*Four Outlines (10 Points per outline)
Pop Quizzes and Class Exercises (In-Class)--100 Points
*Announced and/or Unannounced Quizzes–If you miss class, you will not be allowed to
make these up.
Research Participation (30 points)
The material you will learn in this course is the product of research. The goal of the research
learning requirement is to help you to gain knowledge about the process by which scholars attempt
to understand human behavior. All students taking CMST 1061, 2010, 1150, and 2060 must
complete a research learning requirement. For each course in which a student is enrolled, he or she
must complete 2 research credits. You can fulfill your requirement by
1. Participating in research studies conducted in the Department of Communication
Studies. All studies that last between 0 and 30 minutes will count as one credit. Any study
that lasts between 31 and 60 minutes will count as two credits. Each study will specify the
number of credits a student can earn for completion. There will be several survey and
experimental studies conducted throughout the semester. These studies are held on campus
at various times and in various locations or are administered through online survey
software. All available studies are approved by the Institutional Review Board at LSU.
2. Participating in an organized departmental function such as debate or public
speaking competition. Only departmental sanctioned events will count toward a student’s
research learning requirement; thus, no credit will be given for a student attending an
outside speaker or performance.
3. Serving as a research assistant for a faculty member in the Department of
Communication Studies. The number of units and requirements for those units will be set
by the researcher and either accepted or rejected by the student.
The research learning requirement is worth 3% of your total grade; you will receive your 3%
if you accumulate 2 research credits during the given semester. Please note that all research
learning credits must be completed and allocated by Tuesday May 4th at 11:59 PM (the Tuesday of
dead week).
ALL available options to earn credit are posted on an electronic bulletin board located at
http://lsuhumanresearch.sona-systems.com/. When you go to this website, you will first have to
request an account. Once you have secured an account, you will be able to log in and see the options
available to you for your various CMST courses.
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Fall 2010: CMST 2060—Sections: 38 & 39
Please note that various ways to fulfill your research learning requirement will appear on this
bulletin board throughout the semester. You are encouraged to check the system on a regular
basis for current credit options that fit your interests as well as your schedule.
It is very important that when you sign-up for a credit option that you attend that option or cancel
your sign up. Failure to show up twice during one semester will result in your access to the system
being restricted and you being unable to complete your research learning requirement. Valid
excuses for failing to cancel a sign up and missing a credit option are the same as those found in LSU
Policy Statement 31.
Detailed instructions on how to request an account and to navigate the system once logged in can
be found on the homepage of the Department of Communication Studies. Go to
http://appl003.lsu.edu/artsci/cmstweb.nsf/index. Then click on RESEARCH and STUDIES. Scroll
down to find the document titled “RPS – Instructions for Students.”
You are encouraged to create an account during the first week of classes so that any problems
that arise can be remedied before it is too late. If you have questions about this requirement or the
online system that keeps track of credits, please email researchadmin@lsu.edu.
Grading Scale
1000-900 pts
899-800 pts
799-700 pts
699-600 pts
599-0 pts
GRADING POLICIES
A
B
C
D
F
100-90%
89-80%
79-70%
69-60%
59-0%
Note: Grades will NOT be rounded.
Grading Rationale (for speeches)
A: An outstanding speech. Excellent content, clear goal, effectively organized and adapted to the
needs and interests of the audience. Delivered conversationally, not read or memorized, with
energy, enthusiasm, and direct eye contact. Superior accomplishment on criteria established for
this speech assignment.
B+, B: A speech approaching the qualities of an A speech. A good speech, not necessarily any major
weaknesses, but not achieving a standard of excellence in any or enough areas to merit an A. A good
job, but not a superior one, of meeting most or all established criteria for the assignment. Speech is
delivered conversationally, not read or memorized.
C+, C: An acceptable speech. Reasonably clear goal, adequate support, some organization though
not entirely clear, some problems in delivery and/or some deficiencies in meeting many of the
established criteria for this speech assignment. This grade may be assigned to a speech that is
reasonably well planned but not delivered extemporaneously; that is, the speaker reads or
memorizes the speech.
D+, D: A speech that has serious deficiencies in some or all areas of content and delivery and/or
serious deficiencies in meeting the criteria established for this assignment.
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Fall 2010: CMST 2060—Sections: 38 & 39
F: An unacceptable speech that reveals a lack of preparation, poor delivery, and/or failure to meet
the criteria established for this assignment.
*Grading in this course will be based solely on performance and is not a measurement of your
knowledge but rather your ability to meet the established standards for the assignment given
through oral and/or written communication*
Grade Discussion
Students are welcome to discuss the grade from particular assignments with me during my office
hours or during a scheduled appointment. However, after receiving your grade and my comments,
you must wait 24 hours before discussing the grade. I will discuss individual assignment grades
with students for up to seven days after grades have been distributed.
CLASS POLICIES
*Attendance - Attendance is expected. I will keep a running tally of who attends class and who does
not. The ONLY excuses I credit for are doctor’s excuses, life- threatening illness, death, University
excused absences, and excuses of my discretion. Otherwise, you cannot make up the work you
missed. Even with an excused absence, you do not excuse yourself from that day’s class work. If
you know you must be out of class for some University excused reason (or some non-excused
reason) and do not want points deducted, you must make arrangements with me to complete the
work ahead of time. It is incumbent upon the student to let me know at least 24 hours ahead of time
whether or not he/she will be absent, and excused absences must be accompanied by
documentation. This is a public speaking class, and you must be present to in order to speak and in
many ways be a part of that public.
*Typed Work: All outlines should be turned in typed. They should be in 12pt, Times New Roman
Font. Pages should be double-spaced with one-inch margins on all sides of the page. Grade penalties
apply for not meeting these criteria.
*Submission: Unless instructed otherwise, no e-mailed submissions are accepted. You must
submit a hardcopy of every assignment on or before its due date.
*Late Work: Late work will not be accepted under any circumstance. There will be no make-up
speeches. You must be here on the day of your speech to deliver it. No excuses! If you notice a
conflict at the beginning of the course regarding a speech date speak to me ahead of time; I can
make arrangements for you to present your speech on another date. Again, this is only if you speak
to me within a reasonable amount of time, which is at least more than two weeks before the date.
Whether or not I accept your reason for needing to change the date is also at my discretion.
*Tardiness: On speech days, if you are late, DO NOT ENTER WHILE ANOTHER STUDENT IS
SPEAKING. Points will automatically be deducted from your speech grade if you interrupt another
student’s speech by walking in during a speech. It is a good idea to not be late in general. Quizzes
are given at the start of class and you will not be able to make them up if you come in late.
*Cell Phones: Power them off! Even if they are on vibrate, it is distracting to other students and the
instructor, especially on speech days. If you are caught engaging in cell phone use during another
student’s speech, points will be deducted from your speech grade.
Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty, including any form of plagiarism and/or cheating, will not
be permitted. DO NOT present a speech that you did not author. DO NOT present information
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Fall 2010: CMST 2060—Sections: 38 & 39
without including accurate sources. If there is evidence of any deliberate violation of academic
integrity, such as cheating or plagiarizing, you will receive a zero on that assignment and I reserve
the right to fail you in the course. Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to, the following:
consulting notes, books, or your cell phone during an exam, consulting orally or in writing or via
text/e-mail with another student taking the same exam, asking another person to take an exam or
quiz in your place or taking an exam for someone else. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not
limited to, the following: the quotation of the exact words of a published text and borrowing
original ideas and paraphrasing them from a published text without attributing the work to the
author.
*Americans with Disabilities Act: If a student has a disability that qualifies under the Americans with
Disabilities Act and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office of Disability Affairs
(112 Johnson Hall) so that such accommodations may be arranged. After you receive your
accommodation letters, please contact me to discuss the provisions of the accommodations as soon
as possible.
*Cancelled Class: If class is cancelled for any reason, deadlines for tests, papers, projects may be in
effect for the next scheduled class date. Keep up with the assignments on your syllabus calendar.
When class resumes, I will determine in which order activities will be covered. Be prepared up to
and including that day on the syllabus calendar. I will do my best to announce ahead of time, when
possible, if class is cancelled.
Course Readings: You are expected to read the designated chapters in the text before coming to
class on the day the readings are due. Coming to class is not a substitute for reading the text, nor is
reading the text a substitute for attending class. Class time will be used to build on your reading, not
to review it. Come to each class prepared to ask questions you have about the reading, to explore
confusing aspects of the material, and to provide examples and illustrations of the theories and
concepts covered in the text.
Other Speech Related Notes
*Timing: Each speech you give will have a time range assigned to it. As this range is broad, you must
not exceed it. If you are under or over on time your grade will this.
*Speaking Order: Your speech order is assigned randomly at my discretion.
*Topic Selection: All topics must be approved by me prior to the date of the first speech in each
round to ensure you will meet the assignment goals – you will notice there are due dates on the
course schedule. Please consider your audience when choosing a topic. Try to choose a topic that
would be of interest to the audience at large, not just you and your friends. You cannot have the
same topic as another class member, so you will be signing up for your topic in the same order you
will be delivering the speech.
3 Things to Remember from Kindergarten even in College
 Respect everyone, including yourself.
 Be kind and courteous to others.
 Be mindful that this is still a learning environment in which everyone participates, including
me.
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Fall 2010: CMST 2060—Sections: 38 & 39
Tentative Course Schedule
(Subject to Change)
Date
Topic
Homework Due
Week 1 (8/23 or 8/25)
Introduction to Course
Week 2 (8/30 or 9/1)
The Canons of Rhetoric
Have Ch. 1 read
Week 3 (9/6)
NO CLASS
Work on Introduction Speeches; Read Ch. 1 and 2
Week 3 (9/8)
The Canons of Rhetoric Cont.
Have Ch.1 read; have started reading Ch. 2
Week 4 (9/13 or 9/15)
Narrative Speeches
Outlines Due
Week 5 (9/20 or 9/22)
The Genres of Public Speaking
Have Ch. 2 read
Week 6 (9/27 or 9/29)
Rhetorical Foreground &
Background
Have Ch. 3 read
Week 7 (10/4 or 10/6)
Informative Speeches
Week 8 (10/11 or 10/13)
Persuasion and Motivation
Outlines and Bibliographies Due; Peer
Evaluations Due
Have Ch. 4 read
Week 9 (10/18 or
10/20)
Ethos
Mid-Term Exam
Have Ch. 5 read
Week 10 (10/25 or
10/27)
Logos
Have Ch. 6 read
Week 11 (11/1 or 11/3)
Pathos
Reading Quiz 7
Have Ch. 7 read
Week 12 (11/8 or 11/10)
Persuasive Speeches
Outlines and Bibliographies Due; Peer
Evaluations Due
Week 13 (11/15 or 11/17)
Persuasive Speeches
Week 14 (11/22 or
11/24)
TBA
TBA
Week 15 (11/29 or 12/1)
Style
Week 16 (12/6 or 12/8)
Commemorative Speeches
Have Ch. 8 read
Self-Reviews Due
Outlines and Bibliographies Due; Peer
Evaluations Due
Final Exam Period
(TBA)
Final Exam