Malloy College
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Public Speaking is a fundamental skill that all to often stands between people and success in life. Most careers require some level of public speaking ability, whether it involve making a proposal to your group or management at work, making a sales presentation, teaching people how to use a product or system, or making a presentation to your employees as a manager. We will sometimes face other public speaking situations, including teaching young people how to do something, making our opinion known at a public meeting, or commemorating special events. This course is oriented to helping you become a more effective and confident speaker. Many of the skills that are required to be an effective public speaker are applicable in other situations as well, and this course will also focus on providing listening, critical thinking, and research skills that will be valuable to you throughout your life.
· Daly, J. A. and Engleberg, I. N. (2008). Presentations in Everyday Life, Third Edition:. Houghton Mifflin.
The Schedule and Assignments for this section are available on the Internet. See http://davis.foulger.info/molloy/spring2010/publicspeaking/index.htm.
The Communicating Across the Curriculum requirement for writing, speaking, and critical thinking is integral to all assighments.
1. 7% Participation in Class Discussions.
2. 7% Submission of Questions based on the course readings. Each student should submit two questions based on each set of readings before the class at which those readings are due.
3. 7% Submission of Think Assignments assigned over the course of the trip. Each student should respond to any think assignment provided before the class at which it is due.
4. 12% Group Presentation
5. 16% Informative Speech
6. 21% Persuasive Speech
7. 12% Mid-Term Exam
8. 18% Final Exam
Attendance is mandatory. This class depends on your participation in class, giving speeches, and acting as an enthusiastic audience for other students speeches. While I am unlikely to lock the door, I will take account of missed class time in computing grades. You should not, as a general note, ask me for "permission" to miss class. While I will try to be understanding of documented emergencies, the basic reality (which has more to do with your ability to learn when you aren't in class than anything else) is that absences make your grade grow smaller.
I have caught a number of students attempting to pass off other people's work as their own. Such behavior is unacceptable in any classroom, and I won't accept it in mine. My usual practice will be to zero any assignment on which a student has been found to be cheating and consult with the department chair on what other actions may be appropriate
Examples of cheating include:
- Duplicate test answers. I cannot prevent students from studying together or comparing notes on a take home exam (should I give any). Test answers should always be in your own words (e.g. not copied out of a book or off of someone else's test paper).
- Plagiarized term paper content. I encourage you to look at content from a wide variety of sources, but the content of your term paper should be in your own words.
- Unreferenced term paper content. Where, in the course of writing a term paper, you present the ideas of others, you must indicate where they came from with a reference. This is true even when you have stated the ideas in your own words or if the ideas or their sources seem obvious.
Bottom line: Write in your own words and reference the ideas you use to the sources you read them in.
It is your responsibility to ensure that all assignments are submitted by the due date. I will reduce the grade on an assignment by one half letter grade if one period late and one full grade thereafter. As a general rule, it is always best to turn in assignments on time, but not turning in an assignment at all is far worse than turning them in late. A letter grade penalty is far less onerous than a zero.
Students who have a disabling condition which might interfere with their ability to successfully complete this course are encouraged to speak to me confidentially. I will be happy to cooperate in identifying alternate means of demonstrating such mastery where there is a demonstrable need.
If you have a question I encourage you to ask it in class. There are no stupid questions; only answers that didn't need to be. If you don't know the answer to a question it is likely someone else is curious as well. Please ask. The worst that can happen is that I defer my answer to a meeting after class or during office hours.
If you have a problem in the class I encourage you to contact me as quickly as possible. Several means of contact are listed at the top of my Molloy College home page, including telephone, e-mail, and instant messenger. I also maintain regular office hours. Note, in particular, that I will not grant an incomplete for the course unless you talk to me about it in advance or I am aware of conditions which would make it impossible for you to do so.