LAMAR STATE COLLEGE ORANGE SPEECH AND THEATER LIBERAL ARTS DIVISION 2013 FALL SEMESTER Syllabus for SPEECH 1315: PUBLIC SPEAKING Instructor: L. Kevin Doss Office: 109 Academic Center Office Phone: 882 3368 E-Mail Address: Kevin.Doss@lsco.edu Office Hours : MWF 11:00 12:00, MW 1:00 2:30, TTH 9:15 12:30 Afternoons by appointment Course Description: Catalog: Research, composition, organization, and delivery of speeches for various purposes and occasions, with emphasis on listening skills and informative and persuasive techniques. General: Regardless of one s chosen profession, the ability to communicate effectively is rapidly becoming the most essential component in a successful career. The communication skills that make one a good communicator in everyday life are the same skills necessary to function as an effective communicator in the workplace. An awareness and understanding of the communication process is fundamental in today s working environment. This involves analyzing the who, what, when, where, and why of breakdowns in communication; then, working toward developing skills to help avoid such communication pitfalls. Throughout the course, attention is given to building self-confidence, controlling communication apprehension, improving speaking skills, and developing abilities to organize ideas/information appropriately. Two types of learning occur in this course: (1) cognitive, or knowledge-related learning, and (2) skill development. The course will combine a cognitive or knowledge-based approach with skill-building experiences so you can attempt to convert what you know about communication into how you act when you communicate.
I pledge to YOU: *You will not be ridiculed or humiliated *You will have a safe environment in which we can all learn together *You will be given the opportunity to improve your personal competence, public speaking confidence, social development, and professional growth. Credit Transfer: Students must check in advance with the particular college to which they plan to transfer credit. If an academic course, note the state of Texas rules require that the course must be transferable to any state institution. Prerequisites: None Required Textbook: The Art of Public Speaking (10th Edition) by Stephen Lucas Supplementary Materials: The Lamar State College Orange library will be a great asset to your success in this course. Several videos are available for students wanting additional help. How to Make a Speech, Coping with the Fear of Public Speaking, and Speaking Persuasively are available for check out at the LSCO library. It would also be a good idea to get to know the librarians. Treat them with respect because they are a valuable resource tool. The library staff is a wonderful source of information and can be very useful as you begin your research for the speech assignments. Student Learning Outcomes: 1. To understand and demonstrate writing and speaking processes through invention, organization, drafting, revision, editing, and presentation. 2. To understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose and to select appropriate communication choices. 3. To understand and appropriately apply modes of expression in written, visual, and oral communication.
4. To participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective thinking, and responding. 5. To understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and technical proficiency in the development of exposition and argument. 6. To develop the ability to research and write a document paper and give an oral presentation. 7. To introduce you to the fundamentals of public speaking 8. To increase your confidence and skill as a public speaker through classroom practice 9. To acquaint you with effective methods of collecting, organizing, and presenting material 10. To increase your skill as a critical and analytical listener 11. To acquaint you with the use of visual aids 12. To develop your skill in preparing and presenting an informative and persuasive public speech Course Outline: Exams = 40 % of your final grade All of the exams are graded on a 0 100 point scale. They will cover information from the textbook as well as information from lectures, films, and videos. You must READ your TEXT in this class. The exams are composed of true/false and multiple-choice questions. There will be no make-up for in-class exams unless you contact me within 6 hours from the exam. If I feel there is a justifiable reason for your absence, then a make-up exam will be given at my convenience. Speeches = 45% of your final grade There will be four speeches during the semester: (1) How To/Visual Aid Speech, (2) Informative Speech, (3) Persuasive Speech, and (4) Final Speech. These speeches will be graded on organization, research and supporting material, adherence to time restrictions, preparation, and delivery. The first two speeches will be required to be between 4 6 minutes and the second two speeches will be required to be between 5 7 minutes.
The Informative Speech and the Final Speech will be videotaped in the classroom. Students will have an opportunity to evaluate their own performance in addition to receiving the instructor s evaluation. The purpose of these recordings is to allow the student and the instructor to see the improvements from the first major speech when compared to the final speech. A portion of the student s self evaluation will be incorporated in the overall speech grade. Participation = 15% of your final grade There will be several assignments given throughout the semester. Some of these class assignments will be written and some will be oral. Class participation will also include pop quizzes throughout the semester. No classroom assignment or pop quiz can be madeup or turned in late. Evaluation Method: SPEECHES: HOW TO / VISUAL AID SPEECH..5% INFORMATIVE SPEECH...10% PERSUASIVE SPEECH..10% FINAL SPEECH...20% EXAMS: TEST # 1.10% TEST # 2..10% TEST # 3.10% TEST # 4.10% PARTICIPATION.15% GRADING RATIONALE A 100 90% Exceptionally well-prepared completion of assignments indicating effort, individual style, and impact expected of effective communication B 89 80% Well prepared completion of assignments indicating original application of course materials and individual
imagination C 79 70% Satisfactory completion of assignments indicating effort normally expected of the majority of students D 69 60% Unsatisfactory completion of assignment demonstrating a lack of effort or understanding F 59-0% Failure to complete assignments or failure to demonstrate understanding Policy on a Grade Incomplete: The grade of I may be given when any requirement of the course, including the final examination, is not completed with instructor approval. Arrangements to complete deficiencies in a course must be made with the instructor. Incomplete work must be finished during the next long semester; if not, the Admissions and Records Office must change and I grade to the grade of F. The course must then be repeated, if credit is desired. An I grade also automatically becomes an F if the student registers for the course before removing the deficiencies and receiving a grade change. The instructor may record the grade of F for a student who is absent from the final examination and/or is not passing the course. Procedure for Review of Test Grades: If a student has an issue about a test grade, the instructor must be contacted no later than three (3) days after receiving the grade. Exam Schedule: A tenative daily class schedule will be handed out during the first full week of classes. Make-up Policy: Any speeches or exams which are missed may be made up ONLY with the permission of the instructor. You MUST contact your instructor IN ADVANCE of an absence or within 6 hours after you have missed the class so your make-up work can be scheduled. The following reasons will be considered in determining whether or not you are allowed to make up a speech or exam:
1. Illness documented by a doctor, emergency room, or hospital. It is your responsibility to adequately document the medical situation which required the absence. You should schedule routine doctor s appointments for times other than class periods. 2. Accident involving the police or authorities. You must provide a police report or court order explaining your necessity to be absent during your class period. 3. School-related activities such as field trips, speech trips, campus activities, etc. These are generally scheduled in advance, so you should make arrangements prior to missing the speech or exam. YOU MUST COMPLETE ALL SPEAKING ASSIGNMENTS AND TESTS TO PASS THE CLASS!!! (No Exceptions are considered) Classroom Policies: The student should be prepared for the classroom experience. No tobacco products of any type may be used in the room. All cell phones and pagers should be turned to the off mode when entering the classroom. Sleeping students will be kindly asked to leave the room so they may not disturb the other students listening to lecture. On public speaking days, no ball caps will be worn in the class as a common courtesy of respect for those who are giving speeches that day. Be prepared physically and mentally for this classroom experience! Attendance: It is your responsibility to attend classes. Because this course emphasizes cognitive as well as experiential learning, it is very important that you attend all of the classes. There is no way you can make up missed lectures or the insights you may gain by listening to your classmates speeches. Instructions for assignments are given in class so if you are absent, you will more than likely not do well on the assignments. Attendance is defined as on-time and present for the entire class period. Be Here!!! Withdrawals and Drops: OCT. 3rd: Last day to drop or withdraw without academic penalty NOV. 7th: Last day to drop or withdraw
In order to drop or withdrawal from a class, a student must obtain a Drop/Withdrawal Form from the Registrar s office, obtain the appropriate signatures, and then return the form to the Registrar s office. Never attending or ceasing to attend classes DOES NOT constitute a withdrawal or drop. You remain registered until you file a Drop/Withdrawal Form at the Registrar s Office by the appropriate deadlines. Failure to act in a timely manner will result in an F grade for the course. It is the student s responsibility to turn in all Drop/Withdrawal Forms and follow up to ensure that they were processed as desired. In this class it is the responsibility of the student to drop a class, not the instructor s responsibility. Academic Honesty: LSCO will not tolerate cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as taking and using as one s own the writings or ideas of another. Your textbook defines three types of plagiarism. 1. Global Plagiarism stealing your speech entirely from another source and passing it off as your own.. 2. Patchwork Plagiarism stealing ideas or language from two or three sources and passing them off as one s own. 3. Incremental Plagiarism failing to give credit for particular parts of a speech that are borrowed from other sources. All the graded material submitted in fulfillment of course requirements for SPCH 1315 must be the original work of the student claiming credit for it. Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing, or aiding another student in cheating or plagiarizing on a quiz, test, individual assignment, or examination will be given an F on the assignment and may be automatically dropped from the class with an F. Students subject to penalty due to academic dishonesty have the right to appeal to the department chair and eventually to the dean and/or academic vice president before imposition of the penalty. Flagrant or repeated violations of academic honesty may be referred to the Vice President of Student Services for further action. Students with Disabilities: Any student with a verifiable learning or physical disability who requires course modification must speak to the instructor in private regarding the disability.
A request for accommodation must be made through the ADA Counselor and submitted to the instructor no later than the third (3 rd ) class day. Classroom Behavior: Classroom behavior should not interfere with the instructor s ability to conduct the class or the ability of other students to learn from the instructional program. Unacceptable or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior may be instructed to leave the classroom. Inappropriate behavior may result in disciplinary action. This prohibition applies to all instructional forms, including electronic, classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. Children in the Classroom: The LSCO Student Handbook specifies that no children under the age of 15 are allowed in the classroom or the hallways. Syllabus Content: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus, if deemed necessary. All changes will be provided to the students orally or in writing before the implementation of the change.