1
COMM 1300 - PUBLIC SPEAKING
SPRING 2012
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Nicholas Burk
E-mail: nicholas.burk@colorado.edu
Office Location: Hellems 14 (basement, WEST wing of Hellems)
Office Hours: MW 1pm – 2pm
TEXT
Lucas, Stephen, E. (2008) The Art of Public Speaking (10th edition). New York: McGraw Hill.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Public Speaking will help you acquire and build the skills needed for engaging in public discussions.
“Public discussions” could include a range of contexts, from simple impromptu situations like class
discussions or speaking in small groups, to more prepared and formal settings, such as addressing a
workplace committee or presenting a public speech on a prepared topic. This course focuses on three
underlying aspects that are present in all effective public speaking: 1) forming a well-organized message
for a particular audience; 2) delivering that message effectively; and 3) building the confidence
necessary to speak up in times when you haven’t before. The specific objectives for this course are as
follows:







Become a confident, articulate and ethical speaker.
Gain both theoretical and practical knowledge of public speaking.
Learn to analyze and adapt speech content and delivery for different audiences.
Learn to research and organize ideas to create a clear, concise and engaging presentation.
Practice public speaking skills as both a speaker and an observer.
Become familiar with introductory concepts in rhetoric.
Begin to think rhetorically.
GRADING
Personal Narrative Speech
Informative Speech
Persuasive Speech
Significant Speech
Ceremonial Speech
Class Activities
Self-Evaluation
Class Citizenship / Participation
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Total
**
100 points
150 points
150 points
100 points
100 points
50 points
100 points
100 points
150 points
1000 points
** Not scored, but required
Requirements for speech assignments will be discussed in greater detail during the semester.
2
Approximate Letter Grade Distribution for Assignments
A
90-100
Outstanding. A model for other students.
B
80-89
Strong effort. Completed assignment with style and thoughtfulness.
C
70-79
Met minimum requirements of the assignment.
D
60-69
Inadequate
F
59-0
Failed to complete the assignment
COURSE POLICIES
Please note: The following policies are specific to COMM 1300 as I teach it, and are not to be confused
with the policies of other instructors who teach their own sections of the course (i.e., the ones your
friends may be in).
ATTENDANCE
Regular attendance in this class is essential, both for doing well individually, but also for the class to be
effective and enjoyable. Nearly every single day, we’ll have class activities where participation points are
earned. These daily activity points are not available in makeup assignments. Furthermore, each day I’ll
be covering material that is essential for preparing speeches. Missing class means that you will be at a
disadvantage in preparing your speeches and outlines.
But more importantly, this class is inherently participatory. I have found that students most improve
their public speaking when we are able to build a sense of community and support in the classroom.
Primarily, being supportive for other students means offering them constructive criticism and feedback
for their speeches. You will depend on other students in the same way. The best public speaking
classes, in my experience, are those in which students are consistently present and accountable to each
other. Your attendance and involvement is therefore very important for building a constructive
environment in this class.
If you miss a class:
 You are ultimately responsible for the material covered each day, even if you are not in class.
This means that I will not come to you with the notes, handouts, or assignments you missed –
you must take the responsibility to come to me for them. If you missed a lecture, you’ll need to
either get the notes from a classmate, or come in during office hours to get them from me. If
you miss class the day I return speeches to you, then you’ll need to come and pick yours up from
me outside of class. I strongly urge you to come to office hours if you miss a class.
 Do not email me asking what you missed. I will not respond, for two reasons. First, it’s timeconsuming to summarize the material we covered, or the activities we did, for each and every
student, for each and every class they miss. But also, I believe that your attendance is your part
of the bargain. If you miss class, then by extension it’s your responsibility to do something about
it. And asking me to deliver the lecture to you over email is not doing enough. Come to office
hours instead.
 If you miss a class when an assignment is due, it’s still your responsibility to get that assignment
turned in on time. Do not email assignments, unless I’ve specified that it should be emailed. I
will not accept emailed assignments otherwise.
 Be pro-active: if you know you’re going to miss a day in the future, talk to me outside of class.
If you have scheduling conflicts (i.e., work hours) that interfere with your ability to attend class
regularly, I strongly urge you to either resolve the conflicts or drop the class. In the past, students
3
who’ve had scheduling conflicts and try to take the class anyway almost always end up failing or
dropping.
Finally, UNEXCUSED ABSENCES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE ON SPEECH DAYS. This includes not only days
that you speak, but also days that your classmates speak. The dates for speech days will be made clear
well in advance. Mark those days and do not miss them. If you have a scheduling conflict, contact me as
soon as possible. Waiting until speech day (or, the night before) to inform me about a problem is not
acceptable.
HONOR CODE
All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the
academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism,
aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of
academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-7252273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both
academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to
university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Additional information on the Honor Code can be found
at http://www.Colorado.edu/policies/honor.html. If you have any questions, please see ask.
4
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
(may change as announced in class)
Wk
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Date
18-Jan
20-Jan
23-Jan
25-Jan
Topic
Introductions
Speech Anxiety
Speaking Ethics
Intro to Personal Experience Speech
27-Jan
30-Jan
Delivery
Personal Experience Speeches
1-Feb
Personal Experience Speeches
3-Feb
Intro to Informative Speech
6-Feb
8-Feb
10-Feb
13-Feb
15-Feb
17-Feb
20-Feb
22-Feb
Gathering supporting materials
Speech Development Process
Supp. Evidence, organization, outlining
Intro’s and Conclusions
**Outline Workshop**
Informative Speeches
Informative Speeches
Informative Speeches
24-Feb
27-Feb
29-Feb
2-Mar
5-Mar
7-Mar
9-Mar
12-Mar
14-Mar
16-Mar
19-Mar
21-Mar
23-Mar
26-Mar
28-Mar
30-Mar
2-Apr
4-Apr
6-Apr
Informative Speeches
Midterm Review; Intro to Pers. Speech
Midterm Exam
The Psychology of Persuasion
Psych. of Persuasion (cont.); Surveys
Methods of Persuasion
Methods of Persuasion (cont.)
**Workshop Persuasive Outlines**
Persuasive Speeches
Persuasive Speeches
Persuasive Speeches
Persuasive Speeches
Persuasive Speeches
Due in Class
Reading
Bring object from home
Lucas Ch. 1 + Appendix
"Giving Your 1st Speech"
Lucas Ch. 2, Ch. 12
Lucas Ch. 4, Ch. 14
Topic choice
**ROUGH OUTLINE**
Lucas Ch. 7, Ch. 8,
Ch. 10
Lucas Ch. 9, Ch. 13
Lucas Ch. 14
Study for Midterm!
Lucas Ch. 15
Lucas Ch. 5
Class Surveys
Lucas Ch. 16
**ROUGH OUTLINE**
Enjoy Spring Break! 
Intro to Significant Speech
Delivery practice exercise
Significant Speeches
Lucas Ch. 17
5
12
13
14
15
16
9-Apr
Significant Speeches
11-Apr
Significant Speeches
13-Apr
16-Apr
18-Apr
20-Apr
23-Apr
25-Apr
27-Apr
30-Apr
2-May
4-May
May
7-10
Significant Speeches
Intro to Commemorative Speech
Using Language Effectively
Language (cont.)
Delivery Exercises
Commemorative Speeches
Commemorative Speeches
Commemorative Speeches
Review for Final Exam
Wrap-up; Evaluations
FINALS WEEK
Lucas Ch. 17
Lucas Ch. 11
Review materials
**SELF-EVAL ESSAY**