Effective Speech (CAS 100A)
Fall 2012 / 227 Frable / W 6:00 PM – 8:45 PM
Instructor: Zack Furness, Assistant Professor of
Communications
Office: 106B Main Building
Office hours: Monday 12:00-2:00, Wednesday 1:00-3:00, and
by appt.
Office phone: 412-675-9153
Email: zmf100@psu.edu (please give me up to 24 hours
to respond)
Course blog: http://effective-speech.blogspot.com
Course Description
This general education course studies the purposeful use of
oral communication as a means of addressing practical problems, both
professional and civic. It is designed to introduce students to principles of
effective public speaking, implemented through the design and presentation of
individual speeches and through practice in message analysis and evaluation.
Class size is limited and class meetings involve considerable attention to
developing public speaking skills through in-class activities, collaborative
learning, peer critiques, and analysis of public speeches and other messages.
At least three individual, graded speeches are required in this course.
Additional presentations (graded or non-graded) may be required by some
instructors. Course work may also include instruction and practice in group
decision making. Assessment includes evaluation by examination (one or two; no
final exam is given in the course) and by occasional quizzes and other
activities, all of which emphasize the mastery and application of the
conceptual content of the course. Public presentations are evaluated for
content, organization, and presentation.
Credit Information
This course fulfills 3 credits in General Education (GWS)
and also fulfills one of the ‘Common Requirements’ for the BA degree in
Communications. There are no
prerequisites for enrollment in this course.
Required Texts
·
O’Hair, Rubenstein and Stewart, A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking—Third
Edition (Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010).
·
All
other reading assignments will be distributed for free, in PDF format, via
PSU’s ANGEL site.
Grades
Grading Rubric
Class Participation: 15%
Informative Speech:
20%
Persuasive Speech #1: 20%
Persuasive Speech #2: 25%
Ceremonial Speech: 20%
Ceremonial Speech: 20%
Participation
Participating in class is not to be confused with simply
showing up and occupying the same space as your fellow students. Participation
means coming to class ready to ask questions, discuss weekly reading
assignments, and engage in thoughtful, respectful conversation with your peers
(and the professor). In addition, your participation grade in this course also
includes speech exercises.
Informative Speech: This 4-5 minute speech is an opportunity for you to objectively explain a particularly topic, for instance, a current event of your choice. The emphasis of this assignment is on research, organization, and audience adaptation. Students are expected to find a topic of sufficient intellectual content and present it in an interesting way for your audience while conveying information in a relatively uncontroversial manner. A formal outline is required to accompany this speech. Keyword outlines or note cards may be used, but this speech should be predominantly extemporaneous speaking.
Persuasive Speech: This 5-7 minute speech is meant to make your audience act or think in a very specific way. It is a one-sided speech in which you convey your position as convincingly as possible. The focus should be on argumentation and delivery. A formal outline is required to accompany this speech. Keyword outlines or notecards may be used.
Commemorative Speech: This 4-5 minute scripted speech is meant to honor a person, place, idea, or institution. The idea is to identify key values inherent to the topic and to help the audience celebrate these values. The emphasis is on using language eloquently and delivering speeches more dramatically. This speech may be delivered from a manuscript, but extemporaneous speaking should be emphasized.
Informative Speech: This 4-5 minute speech is an opportunity for you to objectively explain a particularly topic, for instance, a current event of your choice. The emphasis of this assignment is on research, organization, and audience adaptation. Students are expected to find a topic of sufficient intellectual content and present it in an interesting way for your audience while conveying information in a relatively uncontroversial manner. A formal outline is required to accompany this speech. Keyword outlines or note cards may be used, but this speech should be predominantly extemporaneous speaking.
Persuasive Speech: This 5-7 minute speech is meant to make your audience act or think in a very specific way. It is a one-sided speech in which you convey your position as convincingly as possible. The focus should be on argumentation and delivery. A formal outline is required to accompany this speech. Keyword outlines or notecards may be used.
Commemorative Speech: This 4-5 minute scripted speech is meant to honor a person, place, idea, or institution. The idea is to identify key values inherent to the topic and to help the audience celebrate these values. The emphasis is on using language eloquently and delivering speeches more dramatically. This speech may be delivered from a manuscript, but extemporaneous speaking should be emphasized.
Course Policies (Our Contract)
These policies are important: PLEASE READ THEM
1. Email
All students are required to make use of their Penn State
email accounts. While I recognize that you all have your preferred email
addresses, you will still be expected to check your school email account on a
regular basis, and I will use this address to contact you throughout the
semester. With respect to our correspondences, please give me up to 24 hours to
respond to emails. In addition, make sure to consult the syllabus and any
relevant documents (such as paper assignments) on the course blog before
emailing me with questions that I have already explained and/or addressed in
writing. I am more than happy to answer questions via email, but I receive
20-40 emails a day and strongly prefer not to answer questions about things
that are clearly posted online.
2. Attendance
Students are expected to attend all classes and read the
assignments so as to be prepared for class discussion. Experience shows that there is a direct
relation between attendance and performance in the course. Absences hurt your ability to learn and they
hurt your ability to provide a suitable audience for other speakers. In short,
come to class!
Signing up for this class indicates that you are committed
to being here for the full class period each class meeting. This class only meets once a week,
consequently, more than one absence will result in a deduction from your final
grade.
3. Late Arrivals and Early Departures
Your professor finds people entering and leaving the
classroom during lecture to be very unpleasant and distracting. If you know
that you must leave early on a given day, please let him know before class.
Please make your visits to the bathroom and drinking fountain before and after
class. If you arrive late or leave early (or if your excretory system presents
you with an emergency in the middle of class) enter or leave the classroom
quietly. If you are more than 10 minutes late, don’t come to class. Repeat
offenders will find their semester grades reduced.
4. Assignments and Extensions
Absence on the day of your speech will result in an
automatic failing grade, unless I am provided with legitimate verifiable documentation,
in writing.
5. Academic Integrity
Plagiarism consists of using someone else’s ideas as your
own in formal writing. If you use someone else’s ideas, you are expected to
cite them. If you use someone else’s exact words, even if it is just part of a
sentence, then you must put quotation marks around the phrase or sentence and
properly cite the author. I may not be the smartest person in the entire world,
but you can rest assured that my research skills, as well as my ability to spot
plagiarism, are of a Bruce Lee caliber. In short, plagiarism will not be
tolerated. If I catch you doing it, you will receive an immediate ‘F’ for the
course and all further discussions on the matter will take place between you
and the head of Academic Affairs at Penn State Greater Allegheny.
If you have any questions about academic integrity policies and
procedures, please see me and/or consult Penn State’s guidelines at: http://www.psu.edu/dept/ufs/policies/47-00.html#49-20
6. Grading Policy
·
Grades shall be assigned to individual students
on the basis of the instructor's judgment of the student's scholastic
achievement. Grades are final and I
grade exams and assignments based on your performance, not your intentions. Effort will be recognized in your
participation grade for the course.
·
I am eager to help you do well on exams and
assignments before they are due. Please
visit me during office hours to ask questions when you are working on an
assignment or reviewing material.
·
Here are the circumstances under which I would
change a grade: (a) if I have made an error, or (b) if I have failed to hold
you to the same standard as everyone else. In the event that you feel you
received an undeserved grade, you should make your case in writing to your
instructor within two weeks of receiving the grade. Under no circumstance will the professor award
a grade of “incomplete” for the course.
7. Nondiscrimination Statement
As a professor at Pennsylvania State University, I value
equality of opportunity, human dignity, and racial/ethnic/cultural diversity.
In addition to the Penn States’s policies, and within the bounds of the course,
I also do not discriminate on the basis of political creed. In the simplest
terms possible, this means that you do not have to agree with me in order to do
well in this course. So long as you demonstrate an understanding of (and
engagement with) the course material, you are under no obligation to agree with
the professor, your classmates, or anything we read (you don’t even have to
agree with yourself, for that matter). If there is something I can do to make
the class more hospitable, please let me know.
8. Code of Conduct
Be assured that I will treat students with respect, and I
will promote a safe and conducive environment for learning. I expect all students to do the same. In accordance with college policies, I will
not tolerate discrimination or harassment in my class, whether on the basis of
race, gender, class, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or
physical ability. If you have questions about the school’s
policies, please consult the Student Code of Conduct online at: http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/conduct/codeofconduct/
9. Phones, Laptops and Other Devices
· Turn off your cellphone or set it to vibrate
before class begins.
· Texting during class is rude and
disrespectful to your professor. Don’t
do it.
· Students are welcome to use laptops or other
electronic devices in class for the purpose of note taking only. Class is not the place
to check Facebook and screw around online.
10. Compliance
By staying enrolled in this class, you acknowledge that you
understand – and agree to abide by – the following rules and regulations and Penn
State’s policies (i.e. the accepted codes of conduct and academic integrity).
Failure to follow the letter and the spirit of these reasonable guidelines can
result in a reduction of your final grade, failure of the course, and/or other
penalties as set by the college.
Student Services
The Learning Center
Students in need of
tutoring and/or extra help with study skills are encouraged to stop by the John
H. Gruskin Learning Center, located in the Kelly Library, Lower Level. To schedule an appointment, call 412-675-9088.
Appointments are encouraged, but not
required.
Disability Services
Penn State encourages academically qualified students with
disabilities to take advantage of its educational programs. It is the policy of
the University not to discriminate against the disabled in its admission
policies, procedures or its educational programs, services and activities. No
qualified student with a disability may be excluded from participation in or
denied the benefits of any course or course of study on the basis of
disability. Applicants to Penn State Greater
Allegheny or prospective students who wish to request accommodations based on a
disability should contact the Disability Contact Liaison, Victoria Garwood
(vkg2@psu.edu, 412-675-9070). Students requesting accommodations must complete
requested intake forms and participate in an intake interview. Documentation
supporting the request for accommodations must be submitted and cannot be more
than three years old. Documentation is specific to the type of disability that
a student has. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) from high school are not acceptable. Additional information can be obtained on the
Office of Disability Services homepage at www.equity.psu.edu/ods/.
Semester Schedule
Important Dates
- Informative Speech – Sept 26
- NO CLASS – Oct 10
- Persuasive Speech #1 – Oct 24
- Persuasive Speech #2 – Nov 14
- NO CLASS – Nov 21
- Commemorative Speech - Dec 12
Weekly Assignments and In-class Activities
- The schedule of weekly reading assignments beyond Week One is posted on the course blog and is subject to change. You will be notified in advance if/when such changes occur. Be sure to check the blog and your Penn State email for updates!
- Suggestions for further reading and research, as well as reading questions & reading guides will be posted on the blog.
- NOTE: All reading assignments aside from the required text will be posted on PSU’s Angel site.
Week One
- Aug 29 (W): Introduction to the course
