C130 HONORS PUBLIC SPEAKING (3 credits)

Professor Patricia Hayes Andrews

Student must get authorization from Honors Division



A fundamental assumption of this course is that the aim of a

liberal education is to prepare students to engage in civic,
professional, intellectual, and commercial pursuits ethically and
effectively. Doing so requires the ability to communicate significant
ideas to audiences as well as to evaluate ideas that are presented by
others to be, in other words, a proficient, capable producer and
consumer of communication.  Accordingly, C130 focuses on
understanding and adapting to the needs of audiences, the

critical analysis of ideas, carrying out research and gathering and

evaluating evidence, organizing material, and clearly presenting ideas

orally. The central activity of the class will be the preparation and

presentation of speeches. Students will give speeches designed to gain

audience understanding (informative speeches) and speeches designed to

reinforce community vales, gain agreement with controversial ideas,
and

induce action (persuasive speeches). Students will also prepare and

deliver a special occasion speech, choosing from a speech of
introduction, a speech of tribute, an acceptance speech, a speech of
inspiration, or an after-dinner speech.  The basic requirements of
students in the class are to: attend every class meeting; complete
assignments by the date due and participate in class discussions,
take written examinations based on readings in the text and class
lectures/discussions, give four speeches in class on the day
assigned, conforming to the requirements for each speech, and serve
as Chair for one round of speeches. Although it is important to study
the text as assigned, much of the reading in the course will be
devoted to research related to speech topics.