Discourse 300 – Summer 2015

Instructor: Dr. Steven Melling

Department: Communication Studies

Office: 104G Manheim

Office Hours: MonTuesWed, 11 am. - Noon

Phone: 235-6848

Email: (preferred contact method)

Class Time: Online, asynchronous (except where noted)

Class Location: Online

Catalog Information

Subject/Curricular Designation: Discourse

Catalog Number: Discourse 300

Course Title: Discourse III: Civic and Community Engagement (Speech and Writing)

Course Description:Students will put the knowledge and skills learned in Discourse I and II into practical use by engaging in a service-learning project that is interdisciplinary and intercultural. Students will use strategies of critical discourse analysis and critical language awareness to target the appropriate audience/recipients for their service project, to develop innovative and rhetorically effective texts, and to reflect on their project’s purpose, methods, and consequences. This course is taught in close connection with the anchor course Civic and Community Engagement. Prerequisites: DISC 200. Co-requisites: Anchor III.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: Discourse 200

Co-Requisites: Anchor 399: Frauds, Myths, & Mysteries in Archaeology

Restrictions/Exclusions: none.

Course Attributes: Discourse III (general education)

Course Format: Lecture

Course Instructional Mode: OA

Course Information

Required Texts

  • Deans, Thomas.Writing and Community Action: A Service Learning Rhetoric with Readings. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2003. Print. ISBN-10: 0321094808 • ISBN- 13: 9780321094803
  • Writing and Community Action is available through the UMKC bookstore. It is also available through other vendors. If you order through another vendor, please make sure that you are getting the correct edition.
  • Schreiber, Lisa (ed.). Public Speaking: The Virtual Text. The Public Speaking Project, 2011. Web. 2 May 2014.
  • Public Speaking is available for free online, at
  • In addition to assigned readings from the textbooks, students will complete online reading assignments.

Technical Requirements

* YouTube Account. Students are encouraged to use YouTube to record and Post their Practice Speeches, Introduction Speech and Speech One.

To view technical requirements for using the Blackboard online platform, go to the University’s IS office Hardware, Software, and Multimedia Individual courses may require additional software or plug-ins in order to view and interact with content. The information under Course Home will list all software requirements for each course, but common software and multimedia add-ons are listed below.

  • Adobe Flash Player
  • Adobe Reader- for reading PDF files
  • Java
  • Open Office- a free, open source alternative to Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft Office PowerPoint Viewer
  • Microsoft Windows 2007 Compatibility Pack
  • QuickTime– media player
  • RealPlayer– media player
  • Webcam with microphone
  • Windows Media Player

Discourse 300 Core Assessment

Though there are different sections and instructors of Discourse 300, certain general expectations apply to every course: Discourse 300 students are required to research, draft, develop and complete a minimum of 24-28 pages including at least two research essays, one of which will be related to the material from the associated Anchor III course in Community and Civic Engagement. Students are also required to research, draft, develop and present at least two formal speeches with a combined minimum total of 18-20 minutes. This work will be presented in a final summative portfolio at the end of the term. Constructive feedback and opportunities for comprehensive revision will be provided throughout. All formal work, written and spoken, will be graded using a rubric that applies the SLOs for Communications Skills and Information Literacy.

RooWriter

As stated in theUMKC catalog, candidates for all baccalaureate degrees must take the UMKC RooWriter writing assessment before they have completed 90 credit hours. Students may take the RooWriter at any time while enrolled at UMKC as a personal diagnostic, but it will only satisfy the undergraduate graduation requirement after a student has completed Discourse 200 (or equivalent). You can find previous editions of the cataloghere. RooWriter also appears as a degree requirement on yourmajor map and on yourDARS report.

As you prepare for completing your undergraduate degree and life beyond UMKC, it is important to recall the value of transferrable skills, including written communication. According to the National Survey of Business and Nonprofit Leaders: Key Findings, “When hiring recent college graduates, employers place the greatest priority on a demonstrated proficiency in skills and knowledge that cuts across majors. Of 17 outcome areas tested, written and oral communication, teamwork skills, ethical decision-making, critical thinking, and the ability to apply knowledge in real-world settings are the most highly valued by employers. More than 8 in 10 employers give these outcomes a rating between 8 and 10 on a 10 point scale.” The feedback you receive from the RooWriter Assessment will give you insight into how well you communicate with others, a critical piece of information for succeeding in your college courses and obtaining employment as a college graduate.

RooWriter offers a current assessment of how prepared you are for the rigorous reading and writing requirements of an Anchor and Discourse 300 course that assumes completion of the Discourse II class in the 30-hour General Education Program. Also, Anchor and Discourse 300 instructors will have access to the RooWriter reports for students enrolled in their course, so they can efficiently provide writing advice and assistance throughout the course.

Overview of Learning Activities

Introduction Speech: Students will have a chance to introduce themselves to the class, using the framework of civic and community engagement.

Discussion Thread: Questions will be posed to students based on class reading, current events, or material from the Anchor course. The student must not only post a response to the question(s), but must reply to at least three other peer postings.

Rough Draft/Practice speeches and Peer Reviews: Post rough drafts of essays and practice versions of speeches. Students will comment on peers’ drafts and receive comments on their drafts.

Journals: Short, informal writing assignments where students reflect on course concepts, readings, and/or videos.

Information University 300: A brief tutorial on conducting scholarly research.

Overview of Learning Assessments

•One Shorter Essay: A 6-7 pages.

•One Shorter Speech: A 4-6 minute speech.

•Annotated Bibliography: Ten sources are summarized and cited in APA style.

•Research Essay: A 10-12 page research essay, using at least six scholarly sources, and four popular sources.

•Research Presentation: Students present their research to class in a 12-15 minute speech.

•Capstone Reflection Essay: A two-page essay where students reflect on their writing habits and process.

•Final Portfolio:

Assignments and Point Totals

Intro Speech:20 points

Rough Drafts:50 points

Practice Speeches: 50 points

Speech One:50 points

Essay One:50 points

Journals:180 points

Discussion:140 points

Research Essentials:10 points

Annotated Bibliography:100 points

Research Presentation:100 points

Research Essay: 150 points

Capstone Essay/Portfolio:100 points

Total:1,000 points

Grade Distribution

A = 930-1000

A- = 900-929

B+ = 870-899

B = 830-869

B- = 800-829

C+ = 770-799

C = 730-769

C- = 700-729

D+ = 670-699

D = 630-669

D- = 600-629

F = 0-599

Tentative Schedule. Assignments are due at 11:59 pm on the date listed.
PS = Public Speaking
WCA = Writing and Community Action
Links provided for other readings.
Week / Day / Reading and Videos / Assignments
Week One / Mon 6/8 / Syllabus
Introduction Speech Assignment
Tues 6/9 / WCA: Chs. 1, 3
PS: Ch. 1 / Journal One
Discussion Board One Thread
Wed 6/10 / “Contextualizing Plagiarism: Comparing Policies” available at
“Types of Information Sources” available at / Discussion Board One Responses
Thurs 6/11 / “Is it Scholarly?” available at
“Looking for Articles in Journals and Magazines: Scholarly or Popular?” available at / Journal Two
Discussion Board Two Thread
Fri
6/12 / Discussion Board Two Responses
Week Two / Mon 6/15 / PS: 3-4 through 3-8: 201%20gs.pdf
Watch:
“Speech Outlining and Extemporaneous Delivery”: eb%201.pdf
Tues 6/16 / WCA Ch. 2 / Journal Three
Discussion Board Three Thread/
Post Introduction Speech
Wed 6/17 / Discussion Board Three Responses
Thurs 6/18 / Journal Four
Discussion Board Four Thread
Fri 6/19 / Discussion Board Four Responses
Week Three / Mon 6/22 / WCA Ch. 4
Michael Schudson: “Good Citizens and Bad History: Today’s Political Ideals in Historical Perspective” / Research Essentials
Tues 6/23 / Joseph Campbell: “The Historical Development of Mythology”: / Journal Five
Discussion Board Five Post
Wed 6/24 / Discussion Board Five Responses
Thurs 6/25 / Journal Six
Discussion Board Six
Fri 6/26 / Discussion Board Six Responses
Week
Four / Mon 6/29 / Speech One Practice Version
Tues 6/30 / Watch: Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk: / Journal Seven
Discussion Board Seven Post
Wed 7/1 / WCA Ch. 5 / Discussion Board Seven Responses
Thurs 7/2 / Speech One Final
Discussion Board Eight Post
Fri
7/3 / Discussion Board Eight Responses
Week Five / Mon 7/6 / Walter Fisher: “Reaffirmation and Subversion of the American Dream”:
Stephanie Kelley-Romano: “Mythmaking in Alien Abduction Narratives”: / Essay One Draft
Tues 7/7 / WCA Chs. 7 & 9 / Journal Eight
Discussion Board Nine Post
Wed 7/8 / WCA Ch. 8 / Discussion Board Nine Responses
Thurs 7/9 / Essay One Final
Discussion Board Ten Post
Week
Six / Mon 7/13 / Discussion Board Ten Responses
Annotated Bibliography
Tues 7/14 / Discussion Board Eleven
Journal Nine
Wed 7/15 / Discussion Board Eleven Responses
Thurs 7/16 / Watch: Devdutt Pattanaik’s TED Talk: / Journal Ten
Discussion Board Twelve Post
Week Seven / Mon 7/20 / Discussion Board Twelve Responses
Research Essay Draft
Tues 7/21 / Watch: Benjamin Barber’s TED Talk: / Journal Eleven
Discussion Board Thirteen Post
Wed 7/22 / Discussion Board Thirteen Responses
BlackBoard Collaborate Practice Sessions
Thurs 7/23 / Research Essay Final
Week Eight / Mon 7/27 / Research Presentation Practice Version
Tues 7/28 / Watch: Maajid Nawaz’s TED Talk: / Journal Twelve
Discussion Board 14
Wed 7/29 / Research Presentations
Thurs 7/30 / Research Presentations
Fri
7/31 / Final Portfolio and Capstone Essay

Students will demonstrate an ability to:

  • Engage a community problem through multiple forms of discourse.
  • Apply discourse analysis and language awareness.
  • Use written and oral discourse to develop and present meaningful and interesting ideas that show the students’ voices, a willingness to take intellectual risks, and an ability to contribute to an academic conversation.
  • Communicate skillfully in several genres and in response to the needs of different audiences.
  • Create discourse through an advanced process that includes editing, proofreading, and revising multiple drafts.
  • Evaluate their own and others' works and plan their own development as producers of discourse.
  • Locate,evaluate,organizeanduseresearchmaterialfromabroadrangeof sources and weave such sources into a longer interdisciplinary research project
  • Masterfully cite sources in a consistent professional style (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) and understand differences between citation styles.

Course Policies

Late Work: You are expected to submit your work by the due date. Please let me know if you experience extenuating circumstances that prevent you from submitting your assignments on time. However, I reserve the right to determine whether circumstances justify an extension. In some cases you may be asked to present documentation to substantiate an excused absence.

If you miss a deadline for an unexcused reason, you may submit your work for partial credit within one week of the original deadline. You will receive a 20% deduction for the assignment.

Civil Behavior: Throughout this course you will be exposed to a wide range of ideas, from both the course material and your classmates. I encourage you to express your disagreement with opinions you encounter, but you must do so in a manner that is both civil and respectful. This is a crucial component of living with a healthy democracy.

If you fail to follow this policy, I reserve the right to delete posts that I deem disrespectful to other students. This will also result in a grade of “0” for the related assignment.

Resources & Policy Statements

Academic Calendar: Students are encouraged to review important add, drop or withdraw dates:

Academic Honesty: The Board of Curators of the University of Missouri recognizes that academic honesty is essential for the intellectual life of the University. Faculty members have a special obligation to expect high standards of academic honesty in all student work. Students have a special obligation to adhere to such standards. Academic dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism or sabotage, is adjudicated through the University of Missouri Student Conduct Code and Rules of Procedures in Student Conduct Matters.

(Academic units may have additional student codes of behavior to be referenced, i.e. Honor Codes.)

Academic Inquiry, Course Discussion and Privacy: (Choose one of the following to include in the syllabus-- Faculty allowing recording or Faculty not allowing recording.)

Faculty allowing recording - University of Missouri System Executive Order No. 38 lays out principles regarding the sanctity of classroom discussions at the university. The policy is described fully in Section 200.015 of the Collected Rules and Regulations. In this class, students may make audio or video recordings of course activity unless specifically prohibited by the faculty member. However, the redistribution of any audio or video recordings of statements or comments from the course to individuals who are not students in the course is prohibited without the express permission of the faculty member and of any students who are recorded, including those recordings prepared by an instructor. Students found to have violated this policy are subject to discipline in accordance with provisions of Section 200.020 of the Collected Rules and Regulations of the University of Missouri pertaining to student conduct matters.

(OR)

Faculty not allowing recording - University of Missouri System Executive Order No. 38 lays out principles regarding the sanctity of classroom discussions at the university. The policy is described fully in Section 200.015 of the Collected Rules and Regulations. In this class, students may not make any audio or video recordings of course activity (including those recordings prepared by an instructor), except students permitted to record as an accommodation under Section 240.040 of the Collected Rules. All other students who record and/or distribute audio or video recordings of class activity are subject to discipline in accordance with provisions of Section 200.020 of the Collected Rules and Regulations of the University of Missouri pertaining to student conduct matters.

Those students who have written permission from the course instructor to record are not permitted to redistribute any audio or video recordings of statements or comments from the course to individuals who are not students in the course without the express permission of the faculty member and of any students who are recorded, including those recordings prepared by an instructor. Students found to have violated this policy are subject to discipline in accordance with provisions of Section 200.020 of the Collected Rules and Regulations of the University of Missouri pertaining to student conduct matters.

Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend and participate in classes. Advance notice of attendance policies of academic units and individual instructors should be given, and such notice should be in writing. Students should notify instructors of excused absences in advance, where possible. Students who have an excused absence are expected to make arrangements with instructors for alternative or make-up work. Such arrangements should be made in advance of the absence, where possible. Instructors should accommodate excused absences to the extent that an accommodation can be made that does not unreasonably interfere with the learning objectives of the course or unduly burden the instructor. Attendance policies shall be applied in a non-discriminatory manner.

Campus Safety: Inclement weather, mass notification, and emergency response guide:

Counseling and Health Services Available at UMKC: UMKC students may experience many challengesin their lives while attending college – stress, depression, suicidality, trauma, relationship issues, health concerns, etc. As your professor I care about your success and well-being, and want to make you aware of some helpful resources on campus. The UMKC Counseling Center ( located at 4825 Troost in Room 206, offers a wide range of supportive services to students. Appointments can be made by calling 816.235.1635. UMKC Student Health and Wellness ( located at 4825 Troost in Room 115, offers a full range of health care and promotion services. Appointments can be scheduled online or by calling 816.235.6133. The MindBody Connection ( is located in the Atterbury Student Success Center in Room 112 and offers a variety of stress-reduction services.

Disability Support Services: To obtain disability related accommodations and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (OSSD) as soon as possible. To contact OSSD, call (816) 235-5696. Once verified, OSSD will notify the course instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided. For more information go to:

English Proficiency Statement: Students who encounter difficulty in their courses because of the English proficiency of their instructors should speak directly with their instructors. If additional assistance is needed, students may contact the UMKC Help Line at 816-235-2222 for assistance.

Grade Appeal Policy: Students are responsible for meeting the standards of academic performance established for each course in which they are enrolled. The establishment of the criteria for grades and the evaluation of student academic performance are the responsibilities of the instructor.

The University grade appeal procedure is available only for the review of allegedly capricious grading and not for review of the instructor's evaluation of the student's academic performance. Capricious grading, as that term is used here, comprises any of the following:

• The assignment of a grade to a particular student on some basis other than the performance in the course;

• The assignment of a grade to a particular student according to more exacting or demanding standards than were applied to other students in the course; (Note: Additional or different grading criteria may be applied to graduate students enrolled for graduate credit in 300- and 400-level courses.)

• The assignment of a grade by a substantial departure from the instructor's previously announced standards.