SPCH 1315: Speech Communication Syllabus (F2F)

The North Central Texas College (NCTC) Course Syllabus provides the following as required by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB):

1. a brief description of the course including each major course requirement, assignment and examination;
2. the learning objectives for the course;
3. a general description of the subject matter of each lecture or discussion; and
4. any required or recommended readings. 

Contact information for the instructor is also provided. The Course Syllabus also provides institutional information to indicate how this course supports NCTC’s purpose and mission. Information specific to a particular section of the course will be included in the Class Syllabus and distributed to enrolled students. 

Course Name & Number: SPCH 1315 (Public Speaking)

Semester & Year: Spring 2021

Catalog Description Application of communication theory and practice to the public speaking context, with emphasis on audience analysis, speaker delivery, ethics of communication, cultural diversity, and speech organizational techniques to develop students’ speaking abilities, as well as the ability to effectively evaluate oral presentations. [Rev 8-14-17]

Instructor's Name:   Shelley Rover

Office Phone #:940-498-6413 (Department Assistant)

Email Address:  srover@nctc.edu or Inbox via CANVAS 

Online Office Hours:  MWF  8:00am -9:30am and 11:00am-1:00pm; TTh 1:00pm -3:00 pm

Textbooks & Materials: 

•  Stand Up, Speak Out:  The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking.  This is an open educational resource, which means it is FREE

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
CC BY-NC-SA

You can access it using this link:  http://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/

• White 3x5 notecards

COURSE AND COLLEGE INFORMATION

Learning Outcomes. Students who successfully complete this course will meet the following learning outcomes:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the foundational models of communication.
2. Apply elements of audience analysis.
3. Demonstrate ethical speaking and listening skills by analyzing presentations for evidence and logic
4. Research, develop, and deliver extemporaneous speeches with effective verbal and nonverbal techniques.
5. Demonstrate effective usage of technology when researching and/or presenting speeches.
6. Identify how culture, ethnicity, and gender influence communication.
7. Develop proficiency in presenting a variety of speeches as an individual or group (e.g. narrative, informative, or persuasive).

Foundational Component Area:  Communication

Core Objectives. Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively.  Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.

• Critical Thinking Skills (CT)- to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information
• Communication Skills (COM)- to include effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication
• Teamwork (TW)- to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal
• Personal Responsibility (PR)- to include the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making [Rev. 5-2014 THECB]

Institutional Learning Goals. A quality general education curriculum in all associate degree programs.

• Quality freshman and sophomore level courses in arts and sciences parallel the lower division offerings of four-year colleges and universities.
• Quality technical programs leading directly to careers in semi-skilled and skilled occupations, and quality technical education programs up to two years in length leading to certificates and associate degrees.
• Quality programs and services in support of adult literacy and basic skills development as a means of workforce enhancement and expanding access to higher education.

Course Type: Academic General Education Course (from Academic Course Guide Manual but not in NCTC Core). Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course. WECM Course

Program Purpose Statement. NCTC seeks to implement its goal of providing quality freshman and sophomore level courses in arts and sciences that parallel the lower division offerings of four-year colleges and universities by offering a coherent sequence of courses with appropriate breadth and depth to prepare a student for transfer to a university.

Departmental Purpose Statement. The Department of English, Speech, and Foreign Language provides quality instruction to students pursuing their academic and career goals.

STUDENT SUPPORT and SERVICES

Last day to Withdraw: Last day to drop a class with a grade of “W” is  April 5, 2021.

Instructions for Withdrawing from a Course - https://www.nctc.edu/current-students/drop-withdraw-course.html

Scholastic Integrity – Plagiarism: Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but not be limited to cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion. See Student Handbook “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct [FLB- (LOCAL)]” #18.

Disciplinary Actions [Student Handbook, #5] “When cheating, collusion, or plagiarism has occurred beyond any reasonable doubt, the instructor may give the student or students involved an “F” on a particular assignment or in the course. [See Scholastic Dishonesty FLB (Local)] The instructor shall make a written report of the incident and the planned action to his Department Chair. The Department Chair shall report the incident and action to the appropriate instructional dean who shall review the case, notify the student, and, if necessary, take further action. This may involve either probation or suspension of the student or students in question. If such disciplinary action is deemed necessary, the Dean of Student Services shall be notified, and the action shall be taken through that office.”

Plagiarism, which should be avoided at all costs, includes the following student actions:

1. Turning in someone else's ideas, opinions, theories, or work as your own;
2. Unintentionally or inadvertently turning in someone else's ideas, opinions, theories, or work as your own as the result of failing to document sources both internally and in the Works Cited;
3. Copying words, ideas, or images from someone without giving credit; Failing to put a quotation in quotations marks;
4. Giving incorrect information about the source of information, quotations, or images;
5. Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit;
6. Copying so many words, ideas, or images from a source that it makes up the majority of the student's work, whether or not the student gives credit.

Please be aware that I take plagiarism very seriously:  You may not have another person write, type, edit, or revise any parts of your assignments.  You may not use someone else’s assignments or buy one from a “professional” source.  You may not use the material on the internet or in print sources without documenting it.  Failure to follow the proper guidelines for documentation constitutes plagiarism. 

Considering the severity of the issue, if you ever have any questions or concerns regarding plagiarism, please consider this an open invitation to visit with me about the issue. If I discover that a student has committed intentional plagiarism, the assignment that has plagiarized materials will receive a zero, and I will recommend to the English Department Head that the student fails the course.

ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION and OTHER AREAS OF CONSIDERATION

• College Attendance Policy:  Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered. All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor. It is the student's responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgment by the faculty member. Approved college-sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence. Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work. Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor. A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam. A student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon the recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered adequate cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)  
• For online coursework,  the expectation is that students log in regularly and submit assignments in a timely manner.  Logging in daily is preferable but at a minimum every 48 hours.
• Email Correspondence:  I reserve 24 hours to respond to students’ emails. Emails sent to me become my personal property, and I may disclose them to third parties if I determine it’s necessary. Emails constitute correspondence between instructor and student; therefore, remember your audience when sending me emails. 
• Gender Identity:  This course affirms people of all gender expressions and identities. If you prefer to be called a different name than what is on the class roster, please let me know. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records, and so I may call you by your preferred name and pronoun. 

Grading Policy & Procedures. 

Grades in this course are based on the following point scale:

• A  (90-100%) 
• B  (80-89.9%)
• C  (70-79.9%)
• D  (60-69.9%)
• F  (59.9% and below)

Major Speech Assignments:   All major speech assignments are required. If you fail to turn in one of the major speeches, or the collaborative project, you cannot pass the course. I reserve the right to administratively drop any student who does not submit all major speech assignments.

Late-Work Policy:   A major speech is due on the day listed on Canvas.  If you need an extension, contact me in advance of the due date to make this request. I reserve the right not to evaluate any work submitted more than five days late.

Extra Credit & "Rounding Up" Policy:   From time to time the instructor might provide extra credit.  This will be announced in class or via CANVAS (online). Extra credit is graded in the last four weeks of the semester and students should not rely on it to significantly impact their grade.  However, this instructor does not "round up" your grade at the end of a semester.  An 89% is a B.  Otherwise, the whole concept of grade distinctions loses its meaning. Students are encouraged to "round up" their own grades by completing extra credit to push them over any "rounding up" margins. 

Late-Work Policy:  

• Minor assignments: are due on the day listed on Canvas. However, if you need an extension, please visit with me privately to make any arrangements. Normally, ample time has been allowed for the assignment so you more than likely won't need an extension. 
• Major speeches:  this is the concept of our class, so therefore major speeches are worth the majority of your class points.  Students will need to look at speeches as similar to a major exam or paper in other subjects.  All major assignments and speeches are required. If you fail to turn in one of the major tasks, you cannot pass the course. I reserve the right to administratively drop any student who does not submit all major assignments and speeches or assign an F for the semester.

Attendance:  Class attendance is required. A student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon the recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered adequate cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL).   

• For online coursework, the expectation is that students log in regularly and submit assignments in a timely manner.  Logging in daily is preferable but at a minimum every 48 hours.  Excessive unexcused absences (4 or more) may result in the instructor processing a W or assigning an F for the semester, at the instructor's discretion. Students are responsible for processing their own withdrawals. Per NCTC policy, ALL INSTRUCTORS are required to take attendance at every class meeting for reporting purposes. [Rev. 5-2014]

Professionalism: Your college courses are also opportunities for you to learn what it means to be a “professional” in your field. Therefore, I expect you to act like a “professional” student in this course. Consider these suggestions:

• Prepare and participate meaningfully in online discussion boards.
• Be assertive. (An assertive student exhausts all available resources of information before contacting me. In other words, read the assignment sheet carefully before e-mailing me to ask how many sources are required in your paper, and if you are unsure how to cite a source, look it up in your handbook or a credible, online source—such as The Purdue Owl or the LaunchPad handbook.)
• Consider the quality (and effort) of required outlines, notes, and weekly assignments.
• Turn in assignments on time and as assigned.
• Mind the quality and tone of email correspondence.