SPEECH 121: Course Syllabus

Effective Speech

SPCH 121 Section 903 Call #: 12000

Summer 2006 T-TH 6:00-8:40pm

Business Building 2120

Instructor: Jenna Neilsen Office Hours: By Appointment

E-Mail: neilsenjm@mail1.vcu.edu Phone: 828-1514 (Theater Dept., leave a message)

REQUIRED TEXTS

• The St. Martin’s Guide to Public Speaking by Joseph S. Tuman and Douglas M. Fraleigh. It is available at the Virginia Book Company.

CLASS OBJECTIVES

• You will be able to prepare and deliver several different types of speeches.

• You will have a working knowledge of the speech-making process.

• You will learn new ways of reducing fear of speaking in public.

GRADING

Everyone who fulfills all of the requirements of this class (acceptable attendance, positive class participation, adequate preparation, consistent improvement, and readiness to speak when they are called on) will receive a grade of C or better. Failure to fulfill all of the class requirements will result in a lower grade. The attached grade sheet will demonstrate how the assignments are weighted and will help you keep track of how you are doing.

ATTENDANCE

• Students will PRINT their OWN name on the sign-in sheet each day at the beginning of class. If a student signs in another student, BOTH students will have their final grade lowered by 50 points.

• You start the class with 100 Attendance points. The first class you miss, you will lose 15 points. The second class you miss you will lose an additional 35 points. The third class you miss you will lose all of your remaining attendance points. There are no exceptions; however I may offer extra credit assignments in certain cases when there is a medical or emergency situation.

• TARDIES: Class begins when the instructor begins the day’s activities. Anyone who enters the classroom after this time is tardy. Three tardies equal one absence and carry the same penalty.

LATE OR MISSED ASSIGNMENTS

• If the student is absent on the day they are scheduled to give a speech, they will receive 0 points for that assignment. The student may or may not be able to make up the missed assignment at the instructor’s discretion.

• If a student is unprepared on the date they are scheduled to speak, they will receive 0 points for the assignment. There are no makeup dates for unprepared work.

CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM

• Any student who cheats or plagiarized will receive 0 points for the assignment and will be subject to University rules regarding plagiarism, as described by the VCU Honor Code.

DISABILITIES

• Any student with a disability should inform the instructor immediately so that appropriate arrangements may be made.

GUIDELINES FOR CLASS BEHAVIOR

In a speech class, it is likely that controversial subjects will come up, and it is certain that students will state opinions which differ from those of other students. It is important for both the speaker and the audience to consider the following:

• Classmates will respect each other at all times and under all circumstances. Failure to do so will result in a lowered final grade. Disagreements in class are to be restricted to the issue level. Personal attacks are never appropriate and are prohibited under all circumstances. Any student who personally attacks another student will be ejected from the class. This ejection will be counted as an absence and will negatively affect your participation grade.

• Cell phones and pagers are prohibited in class. If you have an emergency that requires you to have an active cell phone, please speak with the instructor prior to the class. Cell phones and pagers that disrupt class will affect the owner’s listening grade. This also applies to devices set to vibrate as they are also distracting.

• Do not enter the class during someone’s speech. Wait until they are finished to enter. If you enter during someone’s speech, your participation grade will be adversely affected.

CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR

Email is my preferred means of communication. I am available to schedule appointments for individual meetings.

THE CONTENTS OF THIS SYLLABUS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. THE INSTRUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE ASSIGNMENTS OR DUE DATES BASED UPON UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES.

Tentative Schedule

Assignments

Impromptu Speeches(eight speeches at 10 points each)

GOAL: To help you become more at ease with speaking in front of a group.

MEANS:I will give the class a topic to consider. After the appropriate preparation time, everyone will then present a short speech on that topic to the class. (Please note: there are no opportunities to make these up if you miss a class.)

Personal Speech(1-2 Minutes)

GOALS: To help you become more at ease speaking in front of the class and to help the class become acquainted with one another.

MEANS:This is a 1-2 minute speech. The speech should be about you, and should include at least ten facts about yourself (the more unusual the better!). At least one of these facts must be a lie (but no more than two or three lies, as we want to get to know you!). It is a good idea to choose a theme in regards to the facts in order to help in the delivery/organization of the speech. Your goal is to be creative enough in your choice of subject and delivery that the audience is kept guessing!

Do NOT write down what you are going to say exactly! Remember what we have talked about in regards to extemporaneous speaking! Write down only key words or phrases to help you remember the points you want to make.

GRADING: This assignment will be graded on the template that is posted online. You may be stopped if you excessively exceed the time limit.

Team Speech: How To(10-15 minutes with equal participation between all team members)

GOALS: To give you experience working in a team dynamic, to build your confidence in speaking in front of a group.

MEANS:Each team will be given the opportunity to either create or choose a topic of interest. It is then the responsibility of the team to create a dynamic and interactive speech based upon the topic. You must demonstrate to the class how to do something. The more creative you make this, the more fun your group and the class will have!

Additionally, all team members must speak equally.

GRADING: The grade will be based on the elements listed on the TEAM SPEECH Critique Sheet which is posted online. You will be allowed to finish the speech if you go over the time limit, though points may be deducted from your team grade. Individuals are graded on individual effort, as well as team work.

Informative Speech(3-5 minutes, 4 Sources, Only 1 Internet Source)

GOALS: To use the tools you have been given (from the book and from the class) to present a well organized, well structured, well delivered speech informing the class on a subject of your choice.

MEANS:You will present an extemporaneous speech, using an outline on notecards. This speech will present information to the audience so that they will better understand something. The subject can be almost anything but it should be something you care about. Trust me, if you pick something at random that bores you, it will most likely bore the audience!

You will also turn in a typed outline the first day that informative speeches are to begin. This outline should be more detailed than what is on your notecards (the notecards are the extemporaneous version of your outline). At the end of the outline you turn in, you will also cite your sources using MLA “Work Cited” format. See the appendix in your book for examples.

GRADING: The assignment will be graded by the criteria on the Informative Speech Critique sheet which can be found online. The outline is a part of your grade. You will be allowed to finish your speech if you go over the time limit, but points will be deducted in the following fashion: within 30 seconds, 2 points; between 30 seconds – 1 minute, 4 points; over 1 minute 10 points. Please note the same deductions will be applied if you are short of the time expectations. For example, in a speech that is 3-5 minutes, you would be deducted 2 points if your time was 2:30 or 5:30.

Persuasive Policy Speech(6-8 minutes, 7 sources-see below)

GOALS: To use the tools you have been given to present a well organized, well structured, well delivered speech that will influence the audience’s thoughts on a subject of your choosing and attempt to convince the audience that a particular policy needs to be established or removed.

MEANS:You will again present an extemporaneous speech, using an outline on notecards. Your Thesis must be arguing for a change in a current law or rule. You must research a law or bill which is currently being lobbied for or against in a branch of the United States Government (county, city, state or federal). For example, the following bill was presented in the House of Representatives on Dec. 18, 2005, 'Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Responsibility, and Opportunity Act of 2005'. You would research this bill and then present evidence to support or refute the passing of this bill. We will discuss in class the various ways of finding such bills.

You will also turn in a typed, stapled outline the day that you are scheduled to speak. This outline should be what you are going to say (complete with quotes/transitions/thesis/etc). At the end of the outline you turn in, you will also cite your sources using MLA “Work Cited” format. See the appendix in your book for examples. You will also turn in your note-cards/speech notes after completing your speech. These note cards should be an ABBREVIATED version of your speech (not your outline copied directly onto your note-cards).

GRADING: The assignment will be graded by the criteria on the critique sheet which is located online. The outline is a part of your grade. You will not be allowed to go over time for this speech. If you have reached the “0” mark and have not finished, you will have 30 seconds to wrap up your speech. After those 30 second, you must stop.

SOURCES: At least 7 sources and only 2 sources can be from the internet. You must have at least two sources which are NOT electronic/internet. These need to be directly from a book, magazine newspaper or journal article. Yes, that’s right. It’s time to go to the library.

Final Speech

The format of the final speech is to be determined, based on the performance of the class.

Class Participation

GOAL:To encourage active participation and critical thinking on the part of students.

MEANS: Discussion, team work, problem solving tasks, speech feedback sheets. You have two self/peer critique sheets due following the major speeches. These are worth fifty points each and will be graded based upon your attention to detail.

GRADING:I feel strongly that class participation is vital to the success of any class. As a general rubric, I grade participation along the following guidelines:

A = Goes above and beyond the assignments to take on a leadership role in the class. Someone who doesn’t simply answer questions, but asks questions and generates discussion on a daily basis. Someone who pays close attention to the other students in the class and is willing to both listen to other opinions and make constructive suggestions. Someone who demonstrates that they are not only reading the material but attempting to master the material we cover in the book and in lectures.

B = Someone who takes part in class discussions on a daily basis but might not take on leadership roles. Someone who asks questions and pays attention to the other students and is willing to listen to other opinions. Someone who is always prepared in terms of their reading assignments.

C = Someone who answers questions when asked but makes no effort to ask questions or create discussion. Someone who listens to other opinions and is prepared most of the time.

D = Someone who never bothers to listen to classmates or answer questions and who is not prepared for class.

F = Excessive absences, rudeness to classmates, no effort to engage with the material or exercises. Someone who is consistently unprepared for class.

Please note this is a rough approximation of how I grade class participation. If you have any questions during the course about what your grade is or how to improve it, please speak with me.

Active Listening

GOAL:To gain experience in active listening and critical thinking.

MEANS: You will be expected to give respectful attention to anyone who is speaking. This means not writing while someone is talking (unless you are critiquing their speech) and giving appropriate eye contact/feed back.

GRADING:This grade will be determined by the instructor based on in class activity. If your cell phone rings or you enter during someone’s speech, your listening grade will be reduced.

Attendance

GOAL:To create an attendance policy that rewards those with good attendance while still providing the flexibility to respond to absences due to emergency situations.

GRADING:You start the class with 100 Attendance points. The first class you miss, you will lose 15 points. The second class you miss you will lose an additional 35 points. The third class you miss you will lose all of your remaining attendance points. There are no exceptions; however I may offer extra credit assignments in certain cases when there is a medical or emergency situation.

Self-Assessment

GOAL:To identify areas of improvement and areas that still need improvement.

MEANS:You will turn in a typed self-assessment midway through the class. This assessment will include three areas where you feel that you have improved and/or are already strong in terms of public speaking. It will also include at least three areas where you feel that you still need practice/improvement.

GRADING: The assignment should be typed and should be checked for grammar and spelling. Excessive grammar/spelling/punctuation errors will result in a lower grade. This assignment must be turned in on the day that it is due.

Audience Analysis Sheets (2 Speeches)

GOALS: To obtain the level of knowledge and interest of the audience to your particular subject.

MEANS:You will bring to class audience analysis sheets for the two major speeches on the days assigned. These sheets will have questions for your classmates regarding two or more potential topics. These surveys are your opportunity to gage the audience's interest level and knowledge level of your particular potential topics.

GRADING: The more effectively you use these sheets the more your audience will relate to and enjoy your speech.

Self/Peer Critique Sheets

GOAL: To be able to honestly/constructively critique yourself and others.

MEANS: You will complete a critique sheet for yourself after your informative speech. You will also be assigned another classmate for whom you will complete a critique.

GRADING: You must put thought and intention into the completion of these sheets. Simply circling the appropriate number with no comments will not result in full credit.

GRADE SHEET