Catalog 2011 - 2012

Theory and practice in the fundamental skills needed to create and deliver effective speeches before an audience.

This course is designed for students who wish to participate in intercollegiate debate and speech competitions. It will lecture/discussion sessions and mock debates. Students may compete and attend lecture/discussion sessions without enrolling for credit. Only three units of credit will count toward the major in Politics and Economics or International Political Economy. Marked Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.

A broad-based introduction to oral communication in daily life. Includes theory and experience in communication models, interpersonal communication, group discussion and formal public speaking.

Prerequisites: SPE-101

The course will identify and explain the concepts students must know and the steps they must take when constructing an argument. The course will emphasize argumentation as a communicative activity in which students advance claims and their grounds, then strengthen and refine them using compelling evidence that will resist the refutation of others. Real life application of the theories of argumentation will be stressed along with the importance of academic debate of current social issues. Students will participate in debates and presentations designed to build their skills in argumentation. Students will also be tested on their understanding of argumentation models starting with Aristotle and the Greeks, then concluding with Chomsky and other modern critics of rhetoric.

Prerequisites: SPE-199

It is designed for students who wish to participate in intercollegiate debate and speech competitions. It will have lectures, discussion sessions and debates. Only three units of credit from SPE-199/399 will count toward the Speech Rhetoric Minor. May be repeated. Marked Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.