Effective Speech

Catalog description

This general education course explores how people use techniques of oral communication to address practical, professional and civic problems. It is designed to introduce students to principles of effective public speaking, implemented through the design and presentation of individual speeches. Class size is limited to ensure that scheduled meetings can support students in focusing on the development of public speaking skills through in-class activities, collaborative learning, peer critiques, and examinations of various communication practices. Drawing upon concepts from the study of both rhetoric and communication science, the course aims to foster habits of ethical self-reflection alongside practical speaking skills. To that end, course content centers on the diverse ways that students participate in practices of citizenship and civic engagement. Linking content to practice, students are expected to demonstrate course concepts through the situational, generic, and ethical choices they make in composing their major speech assignments. At least three individual graded speeches are required in this course. Additional presentations (graded or non-graded) may be required by some instructors. Following major speeches, students may compose reflective essays engaging in the critique and assessment of their own and others' work. Assessment may include evaluation by a combination of exams (although no final exam is given in the course) and/or occasional quizzes and other activities, all of which emphasize the mastery and application of the conceptual content of the course. Presentations are evaluated for content, organization, and presentation. Numerous sections of CAS 100A are offered throughout the university system in any given semester. For that reason, different versions of the course may vary slightly depending on the expertise or professional preferences of the instructor. ALl versions of the course, however, will be designed according to common learning objectives and major topics in order to introduce undergraduate students to essential aspects of effective oral communication.