SPCH 1315 Introduction to Public Speaking Summer I 2012 Mon/Wed 5:30 9:20 Location: L-217 Syllabus Instructor: Jennifer Bernardi Email address: jbernardi@brazosport.edu or through CourseSite M.A. Communication (LSU) M.E. Education (Lamar University) B.A. Communication (SHSU) Course goals: This course introduces the beginning speech student to general principles of the Speech Communication field. The course will provide instruction in specific speech preparation techniques and basic communication skills appropriate to students further academic and professional careers. Students are expected to prepare, organize, deliver, and critique several speeches achieving the aims of informative and persuasive public address. My objectives for this course for you are: 1. To learn the basic principles of human communication. 2. To become a more effective communicator. This involves application of all information in the text as well as in class discussion. 3. To become a more careful and critical thinker and communicator, both as a speaker and as a listener. 4. To understand and practice ethical communication. Textbook Textbook Title: Authors: Publisher: Introduction to the Speechmaking Process 13 th Ed. Ross & Leonard BVT Publishing Student Evaluation: This class operates on a points principle. To obtain a certain grade, you must acquire the correct number of points. There will be no extra credit unless offered to everyone. The points are distributed as follows: Competitive assessment component 40 pts. (20%) Final 30 pts. (15%) Review Speech 10 pts. (5%) Informative Speech 30 pts. (15%) Persuasive Speech 30 pts. (15%) Speech Analysis Paper 20 pts. (10%) Reading Quizzes 20 pts. (10%) Outlines 20 pts. (10%)
A= 89.5%-100% (179-200) B=79.5%-89.4% (159-178) C=69.5%-79.4% (139-158) D=59.5%-69.4% (119-138) F=0%-59.4% (0-118) GRADING CRITERIA: A Artistic Mastery! This is an assignment that is exceptionally researched and delivered extemporaneously with moxy. A work is highly creative in synthesizing concepts, uses language eloquently, and delivers a polished presentation with impact. B Better n Most! This is an assignment that is well done and above average. B work demonstrates solid research, good preparation, and shows improvement in delivery by integrating concepts effectively & exceeding minimum requirements for the assignment. C Competent Comprehension. This is an assignment that shows satisfactory completion of minimum requirements and delivered acceptably. C work demonstrates a basic comprehension of concepts and skills. Reading a manuscript is an automatic C. D Deficient. This is a passing grade with serious deficiencies in research, preparation or delivery. D work shows an unsatisfactory completion of minimum requirements, or demonstrates conceptual understandings and skills which are flawed or incomplete. Remember, D only earns you local credit. F Fails to meet many minimum requirements. This assignment did not follow directions, did not address recurring problems, and/or lacks evidence of basic concepts and skills. All GRADE APPEALS must be submitted in writing within one week of the returned assignment! NOTE: Just because you spent hours on an assignment is not a guarantee that the product is going to be stellar or above average. I guarantee that it takes longer than you think it is going to take to research, write, rehearse and outline your speech. Prepare well ahead of each assignment's due date. But also remember, I can only grade the final product that is turned into me (quizzes, outlines, presentations, etc.), not how much time or effort you put into it. Of course, the time and effort you invest will usually be evidenced in your work, although we all know geniuses or hard-workers who seem to buck the odds. The rest of us have to find a balance. If you want an "A", be prepared to earn it. Competitive Assessment Component (40 pts.): Your enrollment in any course entails certain social responsibilities. As such, you will be graded according to the following: I. Policies and Procedures Quiz (10 pts.) II. This will cover all policies and procedures on this syllabus. It will be taken online outside of class. You may retake until you get full credit or the testing window closes (at the end of the first week). Peer Critiques (10 pts.) In class, you will be assigned to a group for speech preparation and critique. You may not switch groups. For each of the three speeches, you will be required to critique the other members of your group and participate in a critique session after the speeches. Your participation is important and will help you become a more careful and critical thinker and communicator, both as a speaker and listener. There are no late or make-up peer critiques. Critiques will be submitted at the end of the class in which speeches are given.
III. IV. Pre- and Post-Assessment (10 pts.) You will complete a pre-assessment online regarding your skills, knowledge, and competency as a speaker. At the end of the course, you will complete a post-assessment so that you can compare how you have grown as a presenter. In-class Workshops (10 pts.) At the end of each class period in which speeches are not given, you will participate in a workshop to help prepare for your next speech. Participation in these is mandatory. Final Exam (30 pts): The final exam will be delivered online and will be taken in a computer lab (location TBD). You will be allowed to use your textbook and your notes, so make sure to keep up with both. It will be a combination of multiple-choice application questions and short answer responses. It will also have an application section where you will answer questions based on the outline you will create for a final speech. Review Speech (10 pts.): In this speech, you will be responsible for giving a review of a product or form of media. More information will be given at a later date, but please note that the purpose of this speech is to give you a practice run for how we give speeches and critiquing. The grade for this speech will primarily be based on organization and topic. Informative Speech (30 pts.): In this speech, you will be responsible for informing the audience about a current topic. More information will be given at a later date, but please note that the purpose of this speech is to simply give information about the topic without attempting to persuade the audience to view it in a certain way. The grade for this speech will primarily be based on organization and information given, but you will lose 5 points if your speech is persuasive rather than informative. Persuasive Speech (30 pts.): In this speech, you will be responsible for persuading the audience to respond in a given way to your topic. More information will be given at a later date, but please note that the purpose of this speech is to convince your audience to view your topic the way you view your topic. The grade for this speech will primarily be based on organization and types of evidence used, but you will lose 5 points if it becomes clear that you are not truly doing a persuasive speech. Speech Analysis Paper (20 pts.): You will be required to find and analyze a famous speech. This activity will take place outside of class. More information will be given in a separate handout, but please note that if you wish to have your paper looked at by the professor, you must email it to her at least a week before it is due. Reading Quizzes (20 pts.): Each week, you are responsible for taking a quiz over the readings prior to coming to class (exception: Week 1 quiz will be combined with Week 2). These will be taken online and outside of class. They are timed, but you may use your book to answer the questions. They are multiple choice.
Outlines (20 pts.): You will be responsible for bringing a copy of your speech outline on the day of the speech, but you ll submit the outlines online before coming to class on speech day. Each of your three speeches will be required to have an outline. You will also be required to create an outline to use during the final exam to answer the analysis questions. This must be submitted online prior to coming for the final. Speech regulations: All speeches, regardless of topic or length, must meet the following requirements: 1. Topics must be approved on the day of speaker order selection. Any presenters who have failed to get the topic approved will not be allowed to speak. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Students who are absent on the day of order selection can email their topics for approval with a point deduction equivalent to a letter grade. 2. Students must hand in their outline at the beginning of class on the day they are to present. This is for everyone s benefit. It forces you to prepare and organize your speech ahead of time. It also enables the instructor, should you get stuck and need help, to remind you of your next point. 3. Speaker order selection will be done through a lotto process. Speakers will draw for a speech order. This is to ensure that we stay on schedule and don t waste time. Because of this, be aware that if you are late, you may miss your speaking order. Anyone who is unprepared or absent when it is their turn to speak will face a penalty equivalent to a letter grade deduction. 4. Speeches must be within the time limits. Speeches that go under or over the time limit will face a point reduction equivalent to a letter grade. The best way to be certain that your speech goes the necessary length is to practice it several times. You will be given a 30 second grace period in either direction. 5. You have certain obligations as a speaker, but you also have certain obligations as a listener. As such, distracting the speaker will result in a deduction to your own speech grade, to be determined by me. Entering during a speech, allowing your cell phone to ring during a speech, and other inconsiderate behavior may result in as much as a letter-grade deduction to your speech. Absences: If you miss class for a university-recognized reason (see handbook), please contact the instructor as soon as possible. If your absence is for an acceptable reason, you will be allowed to make up in-class assignments within one week of the missed class. If you miss for a reason other than allowed or neglect to contact the instructor within 1 week of missing class, you will not be allowed to make up assignments. Any speeches that are missed may not be made up without approval before missing (unless an emergency occurs). You will not be allowed to make up anything without approval before missing with the exception of documented emergencies. I have the final say on what constitutes an emergency. Any assignments that are completed outside of class (syllabus quiz, reading quizzes, discussion posts) and are not completed by the due date will result in a zero. Because these may be submitted or taken early and have a window of time in which to do them, there are not exceptions. Any student who misses class, for any reason, is responsible for obtaining missed class information from another student. Those without excused absences will receive a zero for any missed assignments. Do not email me asking for missed notes or assignments.
Tardies: If you are tardy and you miss the attendance sheet or an in-class activity, you will not be allowed to sign or make it up unless you had an emergency. If you are tardy on the day of a speech, do not enter while someone is speaking. Wait until that person is done before entering. Your being tardy will not change your place in the speaking order- if you miss your turn, you will be the next one presenting and you will lose a letter grade. If you miss the speech you were assigned to critique, you will lose those points. Grade Disagreements: All grades will be posted online (see below). It is your responsibility to keep up with your grades and check the website regularly for any newly posted grades. If you disagree with a grade, you have one week to submit, in writing via email, your concerns over your grade and your reasoning for the disagreement. Submitting a grade dispute does not mean you will be given a higher grade. The instructor still has the final say on all grade disputes. Online Requirements: If you email the instructor for any reason, you should hear back within 48 hours. If you do not, please resend. There will be an online component to this course including (but not limited to) online resources, quizzes, assignment submissions, and online reading evaluations. You will be expected to access the course website on a weekly basis to complete reading quizzes and submit assignments. You will also be able to access your grades for the course via the course site in order to receive quick feedback. If you will be unable to use the online component to this course, please see me. You will receive course site information via email. Academic Honesty: BC assumes that students eligible to perform on the college level are familiar with the ordinary rules governing proper conduct including academic honesty. The principle of academic honesty is that all work presented by you is yours alone. Academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and collusion shall be treated appropriately. Please refer to the BC Student Guide for more information (available online at www.brazosport.edu). Cell phone policy: Cell phones are to be kept on silent and put away during class. I reserve the right to ask students who do not follow this policy to leave the classroom, resulting in an absence for the day. Students caught text-messaging during tests will be turned over to the Dean of Students for suspicion of cheating. Respect for others: This class will be treated as a safe environment for discussion. All students will treat others with respect at all times. Students who have a problem with this policy will be dealt with accordingly. This respect extends to all viewpoints and beliefs expressed in this class. Students with Special Needs: BC is committed to providing equal education opportunities to every student. BC offers services for individuals with special needs and capabilities including counseling, tutoring, equipment, and software to assist students with special needs. Please contact Phil Robertson, Special Populations Counselor, 979-230-3236 for further information.
Other Student Services Information: The list is provided to assist students in locating available services. Information about the BC Library is available at www.brazosport.edu/~lib/information.htm, or by calling 230-3310. Tutoring for math, reading, writing, biology, chemistry, and other subjects is available in the LAC, 230-3253. To contact the Communications and Fine Arts Division call 230-3224. The Student Services area provides the following services: Counseling and Advising (230-3040), Financial Aid (230-3294), and Student Activities (230-3355).