COMS 1301-002 Fundamentals of Speech Communication Spring 2010
Instructor: Stacy SalmonOffice: FA 263 Phone: 817-272-0501 E-mail:
Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 11-12; Wed 10-11 (or by appointment)Mailbox: Box 19107
Classroom: FA 327AMeeting times/days: MWF 9am
(UTA policy states that all students/faculty/staff use UTA e-mail for official university correspondence.)
Required Materials
Textbook
Lucas, S. E., (2009). The Art of Public Speaking. (10th Ed.) Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
DVD
Sony (for Handycam) DVD + RW 1.4 GB (30 minutes)
**The instructor reserves the right to change ANY information contained in this document. Adequate notice will be given to students in the event any changes are required.
Course Description
This course focuses on the process of speech preparation and presentations. It emphasizes the development of critical thinking and listening, clear speaking, and the interpretation of human values through the development of public speaking competencies.
Course goals
1. To help students learn effective public speaking skills.
2. To help the student understand the process of speech communication and its role in the conduct of the social, political, and vocational affairs of individuals.
3. To make the student aware of the roles of both parties in the communication act.
4. To explain the ways in which the listener is motivated.
5. To instruct the student in what is desirable to do, as a speaker, in relating the message to the listeners as a means of creating thought, understanding and reinforcing or changing attitudes and behavior.
6. To help the student develop proficiency in listening, observing and critiquing, in both the preparation and presentation of messages.
7. To help the student develop critical standards that will guide the individual in ethical and efficient communication.
8. To develop skills in impression management, self-presentation and public performance of specific speech tasks as they are mandated by particular rhetorical situations.
Competencies to be learned
The student should be able to…
1. Choose and narrow a topic appropriately for the audience and the occasion.
2. Communicate the thesis/specific purpose in a manner appropriate for the audience and occasion.
3. Provide supporting material appropriate to the audience and the occasion.
4. Use an organizational pattern appropriate to the topic, audience, occasion and purpose.
5. Use language appropriate to the audience and occasion.
6. Use vocal variety in rate, pitch and intensity (volume) to heighten and maintain interest appropriate to the audience and the occasion.
7. Use pronunciation, grammar, and articulation appropriate to the audience and occasion.
8. Use physical behaviors that support the verbal message.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 92-112-The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.
As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide “reasonable accommodations” to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty of their need for accommodation and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels. Information regarding specific diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining academic accommodations can be found at Also, you may visit the Office for Students with Disabilities in Room 102 of University Hall or call them at 817-272-3364.
Student Support Services
The University of Texas at Arlington supports a variety of student success programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success. They include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally, or socially should contact the Office of Students Success Programs at 817-272-6107 for more information and appropriate referrals.
Academic Integrity
It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University
“Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts.” (Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Series 50101, Section 2.2)
Drop Policy
It is the responsibility of the student to initiate the drop policy. Students need to go to his/her “major” department to drop a class. For example, if you are a HISTORY MAJOR and you want to drop a MATH class, you need to go to the HISTORY DEPARTMENT to drop your class.
Course Policies
Prohibited Speaking Material
When presenting your speeches there will be no firearms, no illegal drugs, no alcohol, no nudity and no live animals.
Late Work/Missed Speeches and Exams
Late and/or missed assignments, exams, and speeches will not receive credit unless a valid official/original documented excuse (official college business, documented illness, or documented COMPELLING personal difficulty) is provided.
A 15% late penalty will be assessed to any late speech. If you provide me with official documentation for an absence (see above), I will try to make accommodations for you to make up your speech, but there are no guarantees there will be class time to allow this. There is no guarantee you will be allowed to make up your speech, because the nature of this class requires class time to complete these speeches. We may simply not have enough class time available for you to make it up.
If you miss an exam in one of these RARE instances, you must be prepared to take the exam immediately upon your return and provide the official/original documentation from a credible source to excuse your absence the next scheduled class period. Because you would be taking a make-up exam, the format of the make-up exam and the exact questions on the make-up exam may be different from the original exam given in class. The content of the exam, however, would remain the same.
You are responsible for any notes and assignments you may have missed during your absence.
Attendance
Regular attendance is vital to your success as a public speaker, as well as to your success in this course. Attendance will be taken each day at the beginning of class. I will take attendance within the first 5 minutes of class and if you are not there at that time, you will be counted as absent. If you are absent I will deduct points from your point total at the end of the semester. I will take away two (2) points for each class day you are counted as absent.
Throughout the semester you will receive valuable information during class meetings concerning the theory and practice of public speaking. You will also have the opportunity to witness a number of speeches and to speak yourself. If you do not take advantage of these opportunities by attending class on a regular basis, your learning experience will be lessened. Each class meeting is important.
***Only tuition paying students are allowed to attend class. Any visitors must be approved by the instructor in advance.
General Requirements
1. Participation is a must in a class such as Fundamentals of Speech Communication. You will get more out of the class if you actively participate in group discussions, ask questions during class and interact with the instructor and other students.
2. Do not eat during class.
3. Do not disrupt class. During class, all electronic devices (cell phones, IPODs, etc) should be turned off. No calls or text messaging during class.
4. If needed, the syllabus may be adjusted during the semester for reasons such as scheduling conflicts or to spend more time on instruction. The student is responsible for any information and material given in class (in other words, if you miss class, check to make sure you didn’t miss anything or miss a schedule change and you also may want to get notes from another student in class)
5. Do not enter or leave the room during another student’s speech.
6. On the day you give your speech, you will be required to dress appropriately. You should wear, at a minimum, nice jeans and a nice shirt. No holes, rips, or tears in your clothing. You should not wear the following: ball caps, stocking caps, sweatshirts, etc. In general, you want to appear professional on the day you give your speech.
7. All use of laptops should be approved for use by the instructor. You will not be allowed to use your laptop while other students are presenting speeches.
Grading standards
An “A” Speech—This is a speech that fulfills all the requirements of the assignment. The speaker has also provided a speech that goes above and beyond what was required in that it stands out from the other speeches. This may be due to creativity, verbal and nonverbal delivery or exceptional organization.
A “B” Speech—This is a speech that fulfills all the requirements of the assignment, but does not stand out as exceptional.
A “C” Speech—This is a speech that does not fulfill all the requirements of the assignment. Some parts may be missing or the presentation was lacking.
A “D” Speech—This is a speech that is missing several parts of the assignment. The general organization of the speech is poor and the presentation of the speech is poor as well. The material included in the speech may not be of a high standard and is not chosen well.
An “F” Speech—This is a speech that basically has very poor organization, poor delivery, poor material content, etc. This is a speech that grossly violates the requirements of the speech.
Grading Scale
A 10 points grading scale will be used (90% is the lowest “A”, 80% is the lowest “B” and so on). The following scale is for this class.
423-470=A
376-422=B
329-375=C
282-328=D
281 and below=F
Grading Scale
Possible PointsYour Points
Speeches
Poem10 pointsPoem _____ points
Artifact20 pointsArtifact_____ points
**Informative85 pointsInformative_____ points
**Persuasive 100 pointsPersuasive_____ points
Special Occasion20 pointsSpecial Occasion_____ points
Self-Evaluations
Artifact5 pointsArtifact_____ points
Informative5 pointsInformative_____ points
Persuasive 5 pointsPersuasive _____ points
Peer Evaluations
Artifact5 pointsArtifact_____ points
Informative5 pointsInformative_____ points
Persuasive5 pointsPersuasive_____ points
Quizes, in-classQuizes, in-class
assignments,assignments,
participation30 pointsparticipation_____ points
Exams
Midterm 75 pointsMidterm_____ points
Final Exam100 pointsFinal Exam_____ points
Total470 pointsYour total _____ points
**You will need to bring your DVD on the day you deliver these speeches.
Suggested Calendar for Fundamentals of Speech Communication
DayTopic/ActivityReading Assignment
1/20OrientationSyllabus
1/22Speaking in Public Ch. 1
1/25Ethics and Public SpeakingCh. 2
1/27DeliveryCh. 12
1/29ListeningCh. 3
2/1POEM SPEECH
2/3POEM SPEECH
2/5POEM SPEECH
2/8Selecting a Topic and PurposeCh. 4
2/10Analyzing the AudienceCh. 5
2/12Gathering Materials & Supporting Your IdeasCh. 6 & 7
2/15Organizing the Body of the Speech & BeginningCh. 8 & 9
and Ending the Speech
2/17Outlining the SpeechCh. 10
2/19Speaking to InformCh. 14
2/22ARTIFACT SPEECH
2/24ARTIFACT SPEECH
2/26ARTIFACT SPEECH
3/1Midterm(Ch. 1-10)
3/3Using Visual AidsCh. 13
3/5Using Language & Prep. Day for Inform. SpeechesCh. 11
3/8Prep. day for informative speeches
3/10Prep. day for informative speeches (all topics due)
3/12INFORMATIVE SPEECH
3/15-3/19 Spring Break-No classes
3/22INFORMATIVE SPEECH
3/24INFORMATIVE SPEECH
3/26INFORMATIVE SPEECH
***3/26 Last day to drop a class
3/29INFORMATIVE SPEECH
3/31INFORMATIVE SPEECH
4/2Speaking to PersuadeCh. 15
4/5Methods of PersuasionCh. 16
4/7Wrap up Ch. 15 and 16
4/9Prep. day for persuasive speeches
4/12Prep. day for persuasive speeches (all topics due)
4/14PERSUASIVE SPEECH
4/16PERSUASIVE SPEECH
4/19PERSUASIVE SPEECH
4/21PERSUASIVE SPEECH
4/23PERSUASIVE SPEECH
4/26PERSUASIVE SPEECH
4/28PERSUASIVE SPEECH
4/30Speaking on Special OccasionsCh. 17
5/3No class
5/5SPECIAL OCCASION SPEECH
5/7SPECIAL OCCASION SPEECH and semester wrap-up
Final Exam: Wednesday, May 12 8-10:30am
(Do not be late for the final exam. If you are more than 15 minutes late you will not be allowed to take the final.)