This course is designed to introduce the student to principles of effective communication and public speaking and to provide numerous practical opportunities to use these principles in both structured and unstructured speaking situations. While 201 is in some sense a performance course, the students is expected to participate extensively as a listener and critic, as well as a speaker. The theory of speech will be applied through discussion and use of speech principles in simulated speech situations. Speaking performances will be guided and graded by both the instructor and the audience. The aim, then, is to merge theory and practice of communication and persuasive speech throughout the entire course.
Students are responsible for five speaking assignments.
Each speaker will be expected to read and prepare extensively for the topics selected. In addition, class members will be responsible for their assigned roles of critic, questioner or speaker, on each speaking situation. Additionally, there will be evaluated, but ungraded, impromptu speaking. This course focuses on the issue of practical ethics in communication. We explore the notions of communicative choice and responsibility as it relates to specific problems and questions in real-world communication situations.