RHET 1110-01 (21051), RHET 1110-02 (21052) Fundamentals of Public Speaking, Spring 2013
Relationship of course to university mission:
This course reflects Georgia College’s commitment to preparing students for leadership by
promoting “Reason, Respect, and Responsibility” by deepening students’ individual, group, and
community values through greater understanding of self, promotion of reasoned and respectful
discourse, and the development of engaged citizenship. Georgia College prepares responsible
leaders capable of affecting positive social change in a pluralistic world.”
http://www.gcsu.edu/planning/valuestatements.htm
Instructor:
Dr. Janet Clark
Office/hours: A&S 3-18, Mon. & Wed. 2-3 pm. and by appointment
Phone:
445-5556 (program this on your cell phone for handy accessibility)
e-mail:
jan.clark@gcsu.edu
Text:
Sprague, Jo & Stuart, Doug (2011). The Speaker’s Compact Handbook., 3rd ed.
Boston, MA:Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN: 978-0-495-89833-7
Additional required material: a 2.0 USB flash/jump drive with at least 1 gigabyte available memory.
You will use this to store and view your recorded speeches.
** Check your ecats mail daily in case I need to contact you or send you course materials digitally.
Course description:
This is an introductory course in public speaking which is designed to increase your competence and
confidence in creating, organizing, and delivering effective oral presentations. The primary goal of this
course is to develop your skills in the artful, articulate, well reasoned, ethical, and persuasive use of oral
language in public settings. Because you will be both speaker and audience member in this classroom as
you are in real life, you will be devoting your time in this class not only to creating and delivering effective
speeches, but also to critically listening to and analyzing the reasoning, evidence, organization, language,
and delivery choices of your colleagues.
Expected student outcomes: The broad objective we will pursue in this course is the improvement of your
ability to publically express ideas in vocally and visually effective ways . By the end of the semester, each
student should be able to speak:
* Without major mistakes in English usage and grammar
* About subjects which are customized to the needs and interests of the audience members;
* In a clear, logical, and well-organized manner, with an easily discernible thesis;
* With details drawn from multiple sources of support identified, and well-synthesized;
* With precise, fluent language;
* With effective introductory and concluding material;
* With clear articulation, standard pronunciation, and enough volume to be heard by all audience members;
* With sufficient vocal variety in terms of rate, inflection, and pitch to make the spoken message
maximally communicative;
* With a natural, conversational manner of speaking;
* With adequate eye contact with audience members (80%);
* With effective posture, movement, gestures, facial expression, and other visual means of communication;
* Without audible or visible distractions (including minimal or no irrelevant vocal fillers);
* With discernable confidence and enthusiasm;
Additional on-line resources (please bookmark and use for research sources on assignments as
appropriate):
Georgia College American Democracy Project:
Georgia College is one of the founding members of The American Democracy Project (ADP) , a
multi-campus American Association of State Colleges and Universities initiative focused on
higher education's role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens for our
democracy. The weekly Times Talk program and numerous civic agency, voter information,
active citizenship discourse opportunities throughout the semester provide a number of ways you
can fulfill out of class community rhetorical analyses. The schedule for the Feb 4-6 Georgia
College Global Citizenship symposium “Literacy, learning, and leading: Education for a 21st
Century World”” is posted here. You will need it to decide which speaking event(s) you will go
to for one of your activity engagements.
http://www.gcsu.edu/adp/citizenship.htm
Times Topics is a New York Times search engine that can be used to research specific topics of interest.
For any particular issue, Times Topics lists not only New York Times current and archived articles but text
and visual material from many media outlets. Times Topics serves as an excellent resource for student
research.
http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/index.html
Americanrhetoric.com , created by professor Michael Eidenmuller at the Univ. of Texas, at Tyler is a
comprehensive on-line speech bank containing manuscripts (and audio,video versions if available) of over
5000 famous American speeches, the rhetoric of 9/11, and Iraq, as well as a database of famous movie
speeches
www.americanrhetoric.com
factcheck.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan project of the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public
Policy Center which monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political figures in TV
ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases
www.factcheck.org
The GALILEO password for Spring semester is catch. You can access GALILEO via the GCSU Library
homepage <http://www2.gcsu.edu/library>. This is where the Oxford English Dictionary is located among
myriad other credible and comprehensive alternatives to wikipedia and dictionary.com, which are NOT
recommended by your professor for source citation in your assignments..
Specific course requirements:
1. Throughout the course you will complete short in and out of class engagements designed to apply
and practice specific speaking and listening strategies and principles. These will include two out of
class speech observation/analysis assignments.
2. Objective exams-designed to demonstrate your comprehension of important terms, definitions,
and principles presented in text and lectures. The question format will be multiple choice, truefalse and short answer.
3. Speech of introduction -The focus of this short extemporaneous speech is to provide audience
analysis info for your class colleagues as well as practice the fundamental skills related to a
conversational mode of delivery by interviewing and subsequently introducing a colleague to the
class.
4. Self introductory speech -The focus of this extemporaneous speech is on basic organizational
and content clarity, establishing personal credibility, and demonstrating a conversational style of
delivery.
5. Speech of demonstration/explanation -The purpose of this extemporaneous speech is to teach
your audience how to do something, make something, or how something works. The focus is on
applying audience motivation principles, attention and retention strategies, appropriate
organizational patterns, positive ethos, and supporting materials.
6. Declamation speech -You will deliver via manuscript an edited persuasive speech originally
given by a famous American speaker from the last 225 year period of our history. The focus of
this speech is on learning to appreciate the power and eloquence of great persuasive speaking as
an American heritage as well as to use your voice and body to their full potential for effective
manuscript delivery.
7. Ceremonial speech The purpose of this speech is to compose and deliver from memory
appropriate formal remarks for a celebratory occasion.
8. Rhetorical analysis paper- You will conduct a neo-Aristotelian descriptive analysis of the
declamation speech prior to your delivery of the speech in which you summarize and analyze
relevant speaker background, purpose, context, content, and audience elements of the original
speech event.
9.
You will complete a self evaluation critique of each speech you give, based on your self
perception, videotape playback, and audience feedback.
10. You will complete an outline of several speeches prior to delivery.
Tentative (may be modified if necessary) Grading scale: Remember, this class isn’t about earning
“points”, it’s about meeting intellectual and academic standards, the points are an enumeration and
clarification of how well you’ve achieved those standards.
Assignment
tentative point total
Engagements
60 points
Exams
110 points
Speeches
100 points
Self evaluations
30 points
Outlines
20 points
Rhetorical analysis
20 points
Total points possible
340 points
You will receive explicit, written grading criteria for all graded assignments. Final course grades
will be guided by the following criteria:
To earn a final grade of A in this course, you will have:
1. Achieved perfect or near perfect attendance (no more than two absences) and
2. Achieved an overall average of between 90-100% on all graded assignments
To earn a final grade of B in this course, you will have:
1. Achieved perfect or near perfect attendance (no more than three absences) and
2. Achieved an overall average of between 80-89% on all graded assignments
To earn a final grade of C in this course, you will have:
1. Achieved minimally adequate attendance (no more than four absences) and
2. Achieved an overall average of between 70-79% on all graded assignments
To earn a final grade of D in this course you will have:
1. Been absent no more than four times and
2. Achieved an overall average of between 60-69% on all graded assignments
To earn a final grade of F in this course you will have:
1. Been absent more than four times or
2. Achieved an overall average below 60% on all graded assignments.
*No grade of “I” or “Incomplete” will be given unless a documented emergency prevents you
from completing the course.
Academic Honesty: The integrity of students’ written and oral work is a critical component of the
academic process. The submission of another’s work as one’s own is plagiarism and will be dealt with
using the procedures outlined on p 64-67 in the Undergraduate Catalog. Remember that allowing another
student to copy one’s own work is considered cheating. Please follow the GC&SU Student Code of Honor
articulated in the website, www.gcsu.edu/studentlife/handbook/code.htm
Disability Statement: Any student requesting accommodation for disabilities should provide
your instructor with a letter signed by Ms. Katy Evans, Director of Disability Services @ 4455931 officially authorizing accommodations in the name of the university. Students unable to
provide this documentation must also be referred to Ms. Evans. Students requiring test
accommodations such as extended time, private room testing, etc., will be served through the
Testing Center in Kilpatrick Education Center. Your instructor will contact Sherry Jones at the
testing center (445-5016) and arrange delivery and pick up of the test.
Fire Code: The Arts & Science Building hallways have clearly-marked EXIT signs. In the event
that a fire alarm sounds, walk out of the classroom and toward an EXIT sign and
stairway/hallway leading out of the building.
Course policies:
This is an interactive, experiential course. You really will get out of the course what you put into it.
There are several assumptions underlying this experience: Our classroom is a communal ‘sacred space’. I
am your number one fan as well as your demanding and fair intellectual coach. I love this subject and I will
always be in a good mood and ready to give you the best I’ve got every day we’re together. Here’s what
you need to do: remember that this is not high school. You are here by choice. As Woody Allen said,
“Eighty percent of success is just showing up.” I expect you to arrive on time every day and complete
assigned reading prior to class and be prepared to engage in active discussion. I expect you to always
show up on time for speech days and be an ideal audience member for your colleagues. I expect you to
dress and act professionally, and I expect you to leave cynicism and excessive sarcasm outside our door.
This class is a cell phone free environment (our motto is “Rhetoric; wireless for over 2500 years”),
so please remember to turn off and put out of sight all personal portable electronic devices before
class begins unless otherwise directed by your instructor. Please turn in all written assignments in hard
copy format, with multiple pages stapled together. I will not accept e-mailed assignments unless otherwise
noted. ***I will not accept work turned in after the designated due date and time (computer and/or
printer malfunctions are not excused).
No hidden agenda will be revealed by your professor either in class or on exams, and guessing games are
not required to perform satisfactorily in this course. You will be given explicit statements of grading
criteria and performance expectations for all graded work.
Your evaluation of this course and input into its improvement are encouraged. I will ask for your help in
identifying problems and creating solutions for those problems throughout the semester. Your patience and
goodwill in working out any unanticipated glitches are appreciated.
Important Dates: (Additional important dates will be announced in class)
Important Dates: (Additional important dates will be announced in class)
Monday, January 21, MLK Holiday, no class
Monday February 4 through Wednesday Feb 6, Global Citizenship Symposium
Tuesday February 6 Midterm grades posted for all core courses
Monday, March 4: last day to drop a course w/out grade penalty
Monday March 11 through Thursday March 14, preregistration for Fall 2013
Monday, March 25-Friday March 29, Spring Break, no class
Final exam period:
T-R 11:00-12:15=Friday, May 3, 10:30-12:45
T-R 2:00-3:15=Wednesday, May 1, 3:30-5:45
(attendance mandatory)
RHET 1110 tentative Grade Monitoring Form, Fall 2012
This form is designed to assist you in keeping track of your course grade, so that at any time, you can
compute your grade average. If you fill in the points you earn on each graded assignment, and the points
possible for each assignment, then divide the points received by the points possible, you will have the
percentage, and can translate that into the corresponding letter grade (A=100-90%, B=89-80%, C=79-70%,
D=69-60%, F=59-0%). Example: You received a 21 out of 30 on the informative speech. 21/30=70%,
which corresponds to a “C” letter grade. Remember, final letter grades are determined by overall averages
in each assignment category.
Engagements
Exams
Speeches
Self evaluations
1.___out of ___ 1.____ out of ___ 1. ___ out of ___ 1. ____out of ____
2.___out of ___ 2. ____out of ___ 2.____out of __ 2.____out of ____
3.___out of ___ 3.____ out of ___ 3.____out of ___ 3.____out of ____
4.___out of ___
4.____out of __ Outlines
Perfect attendance (tangible reward)
5.___out of____
1.___out of ___
6.___out of ___
2.___out of ___ Rhetorical Analysis paper___out of_____
7.___out of____
340-306(including no more than two absences) =A
305-272 (including no more than three absences)=B
271-238 (including no more than four absences=C
237-204 (including no more than four absences=D
203-0 (or more than four absences)=F
RHET 1110 Tentative (may be modified if necessary) calendar, Spring 2013
Week 1: Course intro, public speaking skill categories, video speech analysis of MLK
Homework: Engagement #1, finish in class speech analysis, read chs. 1,2, 3. 4, 12, 28, 29, 35
Week 2: Exam, Language , audience analysis, methods of controlling stagefright, delivery modes,
listening/feedback, class code of ethics, physical delivery
Week 3: warm up speeches. Prep for self-intro speeches (basic speech structure and step by step prep
process). Homework: read chs. 10, 11, 17, 18, 20, 31, 33 brainstorm topics for self intro speech, create
attention getters, complete engagement.
Week 4-5: Exam, in-class engagement, Global Citizenship Symposium engagement, continue prep for self
intro speeches. Present Self intro speeches (DRESS UP AND BRING OUTLINE), prep. for informative
speeches. Homework: Brainstorm topics for informative speech, complete post-self intro speech self
evaluation/reflection. Read chs. 19, 22, 26, 27, 30, 32, 36, complete engagement
Week 6-7: Continue prep for informative speeches,(organizational patterns, info strategies, transitions,
establishing credibility, audience attention and motivation strategies, visual aids).
Homework: Compose informative speeches, study for exam. Complete engagements.
Week 8: Exam, prep. for informative speeches Homework: Refine, rehearse informative speeches
Week 9-10: Informative speeches (DRESS UP AND BRING OUTLINE). Homework: Complete self
evaluation, read chs. 28 (manuscript and memorized mode), ch. 34 (Vocal delivery), and ch.9 (Toasts)
Week 11-12: Exam 4, Prep for manuscript speeches and rhetorical analysis paper. Homework: prepare
manuscripts, research for paper
Week 13-15: Paper due, Manuscript speeches (DRESS UP AND BRING READING MANUSCRIPT).
Homework: prep for final engagement
Final exam period, attendance mandatory (we will meet for final presentations and class photo)
Final exam period for T-R 11-12:15 section=Friday, May 3, 10:30-12:45
Final exam period for T-R 2:00-3:15 section=Wednesday may 1, 3:30-5:45