Syllabus

Purpose

This course is designed to provide you with basic theories and skills that are essential to giving effective presentations. Topics include audience analysis, organization, persuasion, credibility, delivery, and use of visual aids. You should be able to apply these skills in a variety of academic and job settings. As a member of the class, you will also become an active listener and learn to analyze, critique, and evaluate the presentations of others.

Assignments

The classroom presentation and critique experience is the most important aspect of this course. You will give the following five presentations of several different types: 1) personal experience, 2) informative, 3) problem-solution, 4) teaching, and 5) technical presentation. The first two speeches should be based on your research and knowledge of an ethnographic subject/people group, hopefully one to which you have personal ties or about which you have a heartfelt interest. The third and fifth presentations involve communicating technical material, and the fourth presentation takes the form of teaching the class. You will additionally have assigned readings that will form the basis for randomly given quizzes.

On the day that you give each speech, you will be required to turn in a typed, double-spaced outline and bibliography in proper form. (See The Speaker's Handbook, or a writing style manual such as The MLA Handbook or Strunk and White's Elements of Style for specifics.)

Attendance, punctuality, and participation

This course depends on audience response and discussion, so it is important that you be there and on time. Especially on speech days, it is disrespectful to subject the performer and audience to the distraction of a late entrance. You have one absence you may take without penalty. After that, each absence counts as four percentage points off your final grade. Late arrivals count as 2 percentage points off your final grade. Absence and late arrival penalties will count for a maximum of 20% of your final grade. I expect you to take an active part in discussions. Every one of you has a unique perspective, and should not hesitate to share it, even if others seem to know more about the topic than you do.

You will be evaluating each speech as it is given, both on paper and verbally during class.

Grading Criteria

Letter grades are assigned on a curve at the end of the semester. If you feel that you deserve more points than you have been given on a quiz or assignment, you must see the instructor about this within one week of the time the work in question is first returned to the class. After this deadline, no claims will be considered, justifiable or not.

General

You are expected to do your own work for the course, to work independently, and to give credit for all materials used in your research. If there is any question about citing sources, please ask me.

Remember, mutual respect is a key practice in this course. We are learning and growing together, and together we must build an atmosphere which promotes innovation and experimentation. When critiquing a speech, always look BOTH for positive and negative aspects to highlight. Affirm the positive first if possible, and be ready with helpful suggestions to accompany the negative. Let's take one another at our current skill levels, and challenge one another to move beyond that point in a spirit of helpfulness.

Make sure that you are on the class email list. Please send me email requesting to be added to the list if you are not on it. I'm assuming students check email every day. All critical announcements, changes to assignments, etc. will be distributed via email. Be sure to check the course web pages for further information, handouts, assignment descriptions, and hints.

(Credit goes to Forrest Inslee for suggestions on how to structure this class, activity ideas, and text suggestions.)