COMS 101 Graded Assignments & Point Values/Syllabus Addendum
Dr. B. C. Shea
COMS 101 (Public Speaking) is a GE & B Area A communication course, which
requires a substantial amount of research, writing, and public speaking. In
addition to taking a comprehensive final exam, each student will present to
the class one ungraded and four graded speeches, which vary according to
point value, time limit, and purpose. As the quarter progresses, your
speeches will increase in length, amount of research and preparation
required, and point value. Since most public speaking students improve
throughout the quarter, this "progressive" grading system should benefit
you.
The university requires each student enrolled in this course to complete a
minimum of 2500 words of written work. Therefore, on the days of your
presentations, you will submit typed outlines, notes, or briefs. For the final
two speeches, each student will submit in addition to an outline or brief, a
references page (APA style) that includes a minimum of five research
articles from scholarly/peer-reviewed journals.
On the final
examination day, students will submit a reflective essay/self-analysis paper
that discusses how this class helped them develop as a public speaker.
Each student should have access to a computer, printer, and stapler.
Classroom projectors are equipped with VGA and HDMI cables, which should
work with most PCs and Macs. If students plan to use their laptop for visual
aids (e.g., slides, charts, graphs, photos, videos), then they must ensure that
their device is compatible with the hardware in the classroom.
Graded Assignments
The following paragraphs briefly explain the graded speech assignments and
the reflective essay/self-analysis paper.
For further explanation and
instruction, consult PolyLearn, your lecture notes, and the course guidebook,
which includes sample outlines, argument briefs, and speeches.
On the
PolyLearn site, you will find several more examples of A-quality briefs
completed by other students enrolled in this course.
Critique Speech (35 points)
Students will prepare and present a 4-5 minute oral critique of a relevant
book (fiction or non-fiction) they have read recently or an appropriate film
they recently have viewed. Students must have first-hand experience with
the artifact (book or film). Presentations may include a brief discussion of
the plot, major points/ideas, or characters. However, you should avoid
getting "bogged down" in long plot descriptions or detailed summaries.
1
Instead, presentations should focus on your evaluation and analysis of the
artifact and/or your own views about the material contained therein. Offer
insight into the themes, messages, lessons, and so on. Presentations should
be more analytical/critical than descriptive.
On the day you present your speech, you will submit a typed outline with a
minimum of 125 words. Please attach pages with a single staple in the
upper left hand corner and include your name and page number on each
page.
Interview Speech (50 pts.).
Using the interview as the primary research tool, each student will prepare a
5-6 minute* speech, which may be person-centered or topic-centered. You
should explain why you chose to interview this particular person or persons.
Person-centered: Using the interview as the primary research tool, your
speech should focus on an individual who is interesting to you and the
audience. The person or persons you choose to interview need not be
"famous" but should have experience, knowledge, or a background which is
interesting or relevant to the audience.
Topic-centered: Using the interview as the primary research tool, your
speech should focus on an interesting topic that is relevant to the audience.
You may conduct multiple interviews and collect information from other
sources such as periodicals, books, journals, and so on, but that is not
required. Most of the information should come from the interviewee. This
speech may integrate information about the topic with information about the
source/interviewee, including personal anecdotes about the interviewee.
On the day you present your speech to the class, you must submit a typed
outline/notes with a minimum of 250 words. Please bind pages with a single
staple in the upper left hand corner, and include your name and page
number on each page.
Informative Research Speech (100 pts.).
Each student will prepare a substantive 7-8 minute* speech which provides
in-depth information about a specific topic. This assignment requires that
you share knowledge with your audience about an interesting or relevant
theory, concept, object, institution, practice, or philosophy. The primary
purpose of this speech is to give insight into a particular substantive topic
rather than to change the audience's attitudes, beliefs, or behavior.
However, after learning more about a topic, listeners often will alter their
2
perceptions.
Note:
This not a demonstration speech or a slide show; rather the
presentation is more akin to an interesting research paper. In order to
prepare for this speech and meet the basic research requirements, students
will consult and cite a minimum of five articles from scholarly/academic
(peer-reviewed) journals. For more details, please consult this Research
unit in this Guide and your class lecture notes.
Informative Research Speech Outline & Bibliography/References
Page (10 pts.)
On the day you present your speech to the class, you must submit a typed
outline/notes (minimum of 500 words) and a references page/bibliography
that includes a minimum of five published scholarly sources cited in proper
APA form. All of these sources must be articles from scholarly/academic
(peer-reviewed) journals accessed via the databases on the Cal Poly library
site. This minimum research requirement EXCLUDES websites, dictionaries,
encyclopedias, books, newspapers, magazines, and such. Please consult the
Research unit in this guide for types of published material appropriate for
this assignment.
Please staple all pages, including the references
page/bibliography, with a single staple in the upper left hand corner. Type
your name and page number on each page.
Argumentative/Advocacy Speech (100 pts.).
Each student will prepare a substantive 8-9 minute* speech which,
recognizing the audience's needs and beliefs, advocates a particular position
on a controversial issue. Avoid issues grounded in fixed beliefs. This
assignment requires you to present a clear, logical, well-researched
piece of argumentative discourse. Your claim or thesis may be one of
fact, value, or policy, and you must support it with logical premises and
strong evidence. Although some emotional appeals may be necessary for
persuasion, using credible sources and logical appeals is often essential for
attitude and behavior change for a well-educated, critically-thinking
audience. This particular assignment emphasizes ethos and logos. Indeed,
the arguments that you present do not necessarily reflect your personal
views about the issue. Students will be required to use their critical thinking
and practical reasoning skills as both a speaker and an audience member.
Each advocate will consult and cite a minimum of five articles from
scholarly/academic (peer-reviewed) journals. For more details, please
consult the Research unit in this Guide and your class lecture notes.
3
Each student will select another student with whom to confer, and each will
present a speech that represents an opposing position. This assignment
does not require students to work as partners, except to select an argument
proposition and a side. Each student will be graded separately, and one
student's performance will not affect my evaluation of the other student.
An important feature of this assignment is the oral defense of your position.
Since many public speaking situations--especially those involving
controversial issues--require advocates to defend their positions when
subjected to rigorous questioning, students must be prepared to maintain
their position and answer questions about the arguments and evidence
presented in the speech. Each student should also be prepared to question
his or her opponent. Remember, however, that the arguments you present
and the answers you offer do not necessarily reflect your personal views
about the issue.
Reflective Essay/Self-Analysis Paper (25 points)
At the beginning of the final examination period, each student will submit a
neatly typed, well-written (mechanically and grammatically sound) 3-4 page
double-spaced, single-sided reflective essay/self-analysis paper (minimum
750 words) that discusses how participating in this basic public speaking
course helped him or her develop as a public speaker and/or audience
participant.
Specifically:
1. Choose at least two areas you perceived needed some work (e.g.,
overcoming nervousness, adapting to a captive audience, organizing your
thoughts, improving research skills, designing effective introductions,
presenting sound arguments, improving listening and attention skills, goalsetting, time management, increasing self-awareness, and so on.)
2. Based on the theories and principles of public speaking detailed in class,
explain why you perceived you needed to work on this area and what you
hoped to accomplish.
3. Discuss how preparing for and completing the speaking assignments
and/or listening to speeches presented in this class helped you accomplish
your goal.
4. Discuss what you learned during the past 10 weeks about yourself as a
public speaker and informed citizen.
Speech Point Values and Grading Criteria
Critique Interview Informative
Advocacy
Introduction: ability to gain attention; generate
10
topic/provide rationale/significance;
establish credibility; state thesis/purpose; forecast
main points.
5
10
5
interest in
Content/Development/Audience Adaptation:
10
35
Topic substance and relevance; ability to keep
audience interested; informative value of speech
content; use of peer-reviewed/scholarly research
articles; supporting material/evidence; strength of
arguments; clear explanation and development of ideas;
variety of appropriately-cited sources; effective use of
language.
15
30
Organization: effective transitions; clear structure;
20
logical arrangement and clear progression
of points.
10
20
Delivery: eye contact; vocal fluency; pace & rate;
25
vocal variety; articulation & enunciation; volume;
gestures; enthusiasm & dynamism; ease with
audience; professionalism & polish; natural,
EXTEMPORANEOUS presentation style.
10
15
30
Conclusion: wind-down/wrap-up; summary of main
10
points/highlights; restatement of purpose; proper
closure.
5
10
Oral defense: ability to answer questions
about topic, claims, and evidence; defend
and support position.
n/a
n/a
n/a
Cr
--------------------------------------------------------Speech Total
35
5
50
100
100
Outline/Notes/Brief, Bibliography: content;
20
organization; grammar and writing mechanics;
appropriate number and variety of published,
refereed sources cited in correct APA format.
Cr
Cr
10
