Hi All, 

My name is Dr. John Patrick, and I'm going to be evaluating your work and directing your studies in this course. Most of my students simply call me JP, but Dr. Patrick is fine if you like formalities.  

This is a weird and dangerous time to live through, and online learning can be a strange and scary experience, which can increase the stress in our lives. My philosophy as a teacher is that I'm here to help you succeed, not act as weird artificial gate keeper. I want you to feel like you can reach out to me if you're frustrated or scared or confused. If we stick together, we can all be successful through this difficult and trying time. 

My doctorate is in organizational leadership and my primary job is coaching the debate team at Cal Poly. I keep Cuesta as a side gig because I was a community college student, and orienting myself to collegiate studies through my associates studies made a huge difference to my ability to succeed in university and graduate studies. I also know that the most significant class barrier in our country is a college education. That means with my skill and knowledge set the most important work I can do  to help people is to assist them in getting a high quality education. I know that the thought of public advocacy is terrifying to many of you. I want you to know that I understand this, and I'm here to help you get over that so you can be an advocate for yourself and your community, and so you can think critically about how others advocate for their agendas. 

Argumentation classes are among my favorite classes to teach because I love helping people find their voice and helping them to become advocates for themselves and their communities. In this class we're going to be arguing over issues of substance, all of which don't have a clear solution (otherwise there would be nothing to argue about). It's important that we all respect each other's points of view and behave in a civil fashion. That said, you might find from time to time that the arguments people forward rub you the wrong way, or flat out upset and/or offend you. I have a couple things I'd like to say about that: 

1. It's ok to be offended and upset. 
2. It's ok to walk away from triggering content. 
3. It's ok to walk away from a fight. 
4. It's not ok to be purposefully disrespectful, aggressive, cruel, or mean. 
5. It is possible to go about being right in the wrong way. It's ok to acknowledge you hurt someone and to apologize for this even if you were merely being factual. Being kind is often more important than being right. 

The fact of the matter is that society is often not a pretty place, and people's points of view are shaped by their experiences. It's hard to empathize with experiences you haven't had or don't understand. Dismissing someone as stupid or evil is easy. Working through difference, educating each other, and changing our minds in the face of new information is hard, and often painful. In fact changing your mind is the most radical and respectable thing you can do. The ability to step back from one's own experience, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs to understand others' is the mark of high moral character and intelligence. That's not to say that you need to accept every idea as valid (this would be disastrous), but you mustn't behave as though you have a monopoly on the truth. At its core, that's what this class is about. Basically this is a big discussion about how we can have better discussions and use them to advocate for the changes we want to see in this world, and how we can develop a better relationship to "the truth," so we can make the best decisions about what to believe in and support. I hope you're ready to come on this journey together, because I'm excited to have you here!

Things that might be interesting about me: 

1. After high school I promptly failed out of community college after one sad semester and began working at Disneyland for four years, where I was a World Famous Jungle Cruise Skipper. If you don't know why you're in community college, if you don't have a clear mission, if that leads you to some failures, that's ok. Get out in the world, make responsible decisions, take care of yourself and just keep trying until you find your path. I hope I help you along this journey in some small way. 
2. My first college degree that I successfully completed was an associate's degree in culinary arts. It remains the best decision I ever made, and now that we're on home quarantine I between my culinary art's degree and my partner having had a long term career in fine dining, we're eating and drinking well. We have a culinary arts program here a Cuesta. If you like cooking, you might think about taking a look at those classes as a way to ground your studies (it worked for me)
3. I am a fairly accomplished bonfire guitarist. 
4. I live on a compound in Atascadero with my partner Shane and her son, Oren (who is my step son), my mom and grandma have homes on our property too. It's kind of wild having four generations on one acre, but we're making it work. 

Also, I just want to acknowledge that online learning can be weird and stressful, but with kindness and a bit of  humor we can all connect to each other and help each other get through this thing. If you need to speak with me, don't hesitate to reach out.

Well that's enough about me; you probably have questions about class. I've organized this class into weekly modules to guide your learning. Each module has weekly instructions for successfully completing that week's tasks and activities. Start by reading the instructions, and following up by texting any questions to me, as texting is the absolute best way to ensure I respond to your needs quickly. Any time you need clarity, or just feel like you don't know how to get started, please reach out. I'm here to help. 

Advisory: All students should have passed Communication Studies 201a or 210 and English 201a with a “B” or better before enrolling in this course. Regular access to a computer and printer is recommended

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 and Rhetoric are the oldest and most successful ways to:

• Influence decision makers and opinion leaders
• Tell your side of the story
• Get what you want 

Course description: Building, defending, and refuting arguments in formal and informal settings. Evaluation and use of evidence, reasoning, and sources. Emphasis on oral advocacy and debate skills such as organization, refutation, cross examination, and audience adaptation. Students will debate and communicate arguments orally.

Student Learning Outcomes:  By the end of the course students will be able to:

• Recognize logical fallacies
• Identify Inductive and deductive reasoning
• Apply stock issues in creating and refuting a case for prima facie policy debate
• Employ various argumentation models in the construction and evaluation of arguments for specific audiences
• Understand the role of argument and debate in social and professional contexts
• Use and evaluate credible evidence in support of argumentative claims for specific audiences

Texts:  Critical Thinking and Everyday Argument. Jay Verlinden. 

Grade Assessment, Components, & Due Dates/Times

Working Outlines: For every speech you must turn in a working outline prior to speeches beginning to receive full credit. Any speech not accompanied by a working outline will receive a reduced grade. To successfully complete this assignment, follow the working outline format posted as an example on MyCuesta. Any speech accompanied by an outline that doesn’t conform to the example will receive a reduced letter grade.

All due dates/times are posted to the syllabus.

All speeches will be assessed using the example rubric posted to Canvas.

Three major considerations will go into assessing speeches: 


• Presence and quality of fundamental structural/organizational elements of a speech.

• Quality of delivery as compared to the average student speaker. 

• Quality of delivery as compared to your past attempts witnessed by your instructor. 

Both peer reviews will be assessed for required content, clarity of thought, and strength of writing (spelling, grammar, punctuation, tightness, active voice, etc.).

Make Up Work, Internet Content, Attendance, and Communication Policies

I do not accept late work.

From time to time there will be Internet content that you will be responsible for viewing/reading prior to the next class. Additionally, it may be appropriate from time to time to hold a class session online. You are responsible for attending any online sessions in the same way you are responsible for attending normal class meetings.

It may take multiple days for speeches to be completed. To receive credit for your speeches you must attend every speech/debate day, prepared to deliver your speech when called upon, turn in an outline of your speech, and complete an assessment of other students’ speeches. If you do not turn in an outline and offer assessments of other students’ presentations when called upon to do so, your speech grade will be lowered one full grade. It does little good to have a public speaking class in which there is no public to speak to, so you must attend each speech/debate day, even if you’ve already fulfilled the requirements of the assignment. Students who are absent will receive a full letter grade reduction for the assignment related to that period unless your instructor is presented with a documentable, legitimate excuse.

As you know, things move quickly during the semester, and thus you are highly encouraged to attend every class session. Classes and office hours are your opportunity to interact with your instructor to achieve clarity about course materials and assignments. If you’ve missed class, you’ve missed something important; your instructor relishes wasting neither his time nor your time. Missing class is not an excuse to be uninformed about work missed or projects due. Keep in regular contact with your classmates as your primary resource for understanding what you’ve missed in the event of an absence. Your instructor is happy to bring you up to speed during his office hours or by email. Emails are answered within 24 hours in the order they appear in your instructor’s inbox except on Fridays and weekends, as your instructor often travels for his primary job at this time. If an email about an assignment is received within 48 hours of it’s due date and time, it will be responded to at the instructor’s convenience, so procrastination is not encouraged, and waiting to email your instructor for clarification the day before an assignment is due is not advised. Your failure to come class or be on top of your work simply does not constitute an emergency on the part of your instructor.

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 students who regularly demonstrate responsibility. Should you be unable to turn work in on time, but you’ve not contacted the instructor in a fashion he considers timely, your grade may suffer (your instructor is a reasonable person who will consider specific circumstances on their own merit).

Missing more than three classes with unexcused absences will result in a failing grade for the course.

Mobile communication devices are a part of daily life and it is expected that you use them responsibly. There may be times during which it is appropriate to use them during class. These times will be indicated by your instructor. Use of electronics for purposes other than note taking is prohibited unless otherwise indicated by the instructor. Should your use of electronics become disruptive, both your participation and assignment grades (in the case that it interrupts yours or others’ speeches) may be effected.

Credit for Classroom Contribution and Workshop Exercises: The expectations that the average student shows up to each class, sits through each lecture, and participates in each activity. This secures an about average participation grade. An average performance is one in which an individual does only what is expected and little more. If you go above and beyond in some way, perhaps by making insightful comments, asking questions that change the dynamics of a lecture, or challenge other students' ways of thinking, you stand a good chance of raising that participation grade to somewhere above average. If you do that on a regular basis, you stand to raise your grade to well above average. 

This unfortunately disadvantages introverts and shy people who may be hesitant to speak up in class. However, whatever trepidation you may have about making contributions to class, be they rational or irrational, do not excuse you from needing to make those contributions and make them known to the instructor somehow. Perhaps you're involved with small group study sessions, maybe in a bit of group work you took on responsibilities no other student wanted to take on (perhaps record keeping or time keeping, etc.). You should go out of your way to inform your instructor about hard to see contributions and have them corroborated by your peers if you wish to have them considered as part of your class contribution.

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/

Trigger Warning: This class covers topics that are controversial in nature. We may at any time and without warning find ourselves discussing topics that make you feel uncomfortable. You may find yourself experiencing unpleasant emotions in response to students with differing points of view and in response to their chosen style of communication. You may be called on to discuss or be exposed to discussions about violence, sexual violence, rape, abortion, war, hate speech, oppression, mental and emotional abuse, child molestation, critiques of your religion, critiques of your politics, identity politics, racist and sexist language, etc. Should you need to leave class because you are feeling emotional distress, please quietly and calmly exit the room and compose yourself. The expectation is that you return to class if you are able; your participation in these discussions is important because your unique perspective is valuable. If you are unable to return to class, please discuss the situation in person with your instructor during his office hours or schedule an appointment. If there is a topic scheduled for discussion that you know may cause you distress, please let the instructor know in advance and in person.

Classroom Conduct: This course asks you to engage with controversial topics to which you may experience emotional reactions and discomfort. There is a very good chance that someone will take a position during this course that offends you deeply. This is one of the pitfalls of living in free society. Every student’s first amendment rights will be protected in this course. And multiple sides of each issue will be presented throughout the course.

Furthermore, it is illegal for your instructor to discuss any student’s grades with anyone other than the student, the student’s durable power of attorney, or Cuesta College Faculty. Do not request that the instructor discuss another student’s grade with you; doing so amounts to a request that your instructor engage in illegal activity and may result in your instructor requesting that you drop the course. Repeated requests to discuss another student’s grade will result in a failing grade for the requestor. That you were offended by a position presented by a student does not constitute a reason for you to request that another student’s grade be lowered.

That said, students are expected to behave in a professional and respectful manner toward the instructor and fellow students. Any student who is judged by the instructor to be disrespectful in a way that harms the learning environment will receive a warning. Subsequent disrespect will be met with a lowered course grade. Ongoing disrespect will result in course failure. Hate speech and calls for violence will not be tolerated and will result in proportional disciplinary action. All students will adhere to the Cuesta College code of student conduct. http://www.cuesta.edu/student/documents/admissions_records/code_of_conduct.pdf (Links to an external site.)

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/