Required Text: Public Speaking and Democratic Participation: Speech, Deliberation, and Analysis in the Civic Realm by Abbott, McDorman, Timmerman, and Lamberton. Published by Oxford University PressLinks to an external site.
Course Benefits: This class will help you be more successful more of the time. Nothing else will help you be more successful than the ability to speak logically, empathetically and ethically.
Public speaking is the oldest and one of the most successful ways to:
- Influence decision makers and opinion leaders
- Tell your side of the story
- Voice concern over your community's changes or status quo
Catalog Description: This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of presenting speeches for various situations and audiences. Students will be better communicators after learning how to appropriately select topics, research, organize, outline, and effectively present informative and persuasive.
Student Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course students will be able to...
- Organize a speech for a specific speech purpose.
- Outline a public message for a specific speech purpose.
- Use oral public speaking skills to deliver a timed message appropriate to the speech purpose.
- Provide supporting evidence specific to and appropriate for the speech purpose.
- Create and distinguish speeches for different purposes, including speeches to inform and persuade.
Grading, Assessment, and Late Work
A 94% to 100%
A- 90% to < 94%
B+ 87% to < 90%
B 83% to < 87%
B- 80% to < 83%
C+ 77% to < 80%
C 73% to < 77%
C- 70% to < 73%
D+ 67% to < 70%
D 63% to < 67%
D- 60% to < 63%
F 0% to < 60%
Late/Make Up Work
- All work that is turned in by the deadline will be graded in a timely manner.
- Work that is turned in within 5 business days of the due date will be graded at the instructor's convenience without penalty. Turn around times may vary.
- No work will be accepted more than 5 business days late. No exceptions.
Office hoursLinks to an external site. are your opportunity to interact with your instructor to achieve clarity about course materials and assignments. I check in with zoom messages and email at least once daily, usually in the morning, on business days. Waiting to contact your instructor for clarification the day before an assignment is due is unprofessional and unadvised. I want to help students as much as possible in a timely and responsible fashion. Addressing the needs of those who procrastinate does not constitute a priority for me. If you didn't prioritize getting started, you've given me no reason to prioritize helping you.
If for any reason you are struggling to complete assignments on time, contact your instructor ASAP. There is much that can be done prior to a due date to accommodate and support students who regularly demonstrate responsibility.
Students are expected to adhere to the student code of conduct: http://www.cuesta.edu/student/documents/admissions_records/code_of_conduct.pdf (Links to an external site.)
Plagiarism and Academic Honesty: The college considers cases of academic misconduct in the manner described as follows. Plagiarism and cheating include, but may not be limited to:
- presenting the ideas of others without credit (VERBAL or WRITTEN) to the source;
- using direct quotations without quotation marks and/or without credit to the source;
- paraphrasing without giving credit to the source;
- participating in a group project that presents plagiarized materials;
- failing to provide adequate citations for material obtained through electronic (web OR multimedia) research;
- downloading and submitting work from electronic databases without citation;
- submitting material created or written by someone else as one's own, including purchased term or research papers or verbal presentations;
- copying from someone else's exam, homework, or laboratory work;
- allowing someone to copy or submit one's own work as his or her own;
- accepting credit for a group project without doing one's share;
- submitting the same paper, presenting the same speech in more than one course without the knowledge and approval of both of the instructors;
- using notes or other materials during a test or exam without authorization, and;
- not following the guidelines specified by the instructor for a "take-home" test or exam.
Students who have questions about the proper use and citation of sources, or the details and guidelines for any assignment, should discuss their questions with the me ASAP.
Visual Aids: You are responsible for being able to execute any visual aids. Should you be using a computer, it is your responsibility to ensure that you can hook it up to the projector in our classroom. You should do this before class.
Students With Disabilities: If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact me as soon as possible. It is College policy to provide, on a flexible and individualized basis, reasonable accommodations to students who have disabilities that may affect their ability to participate in course activities or to meet course requirements. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact their instructor to discuss their individual needs for accommodation. http://www.cuesta.edu/student/servs_classes/dsps/
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