SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies

CRS 325

PRESENTATIONAL SPEAKING

3 Credit Hours

Course #39582 Section M001

Spring 2024

Mon-Wed 3:45-5:05pm

Sims Hall 135

 

Professor: Jim Dunagan Office Hours: Monday/Wednesday 1-2PM
Email: jadunaga@syr.edu Cell Phone: 315-882-2435
Office: Sims 141 Mailbox: 100 Sims Hall (CRS department office)

 

REQUIRED TEXT

Gunn, J. (2021). Speech Craft (2nd ed.).  Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. ISBN: 978-1-319-34387-3 (Note: DO NOT purchase this textbook before class begins. You will be provided access to the text and online learning materials during our first meeting)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

(From the course catalog)

Conceptual and practical dimensions of formal presentations in organizational settings. Analysis, adaptation, strategic arrangement, and development of ideas, verbal and nonverbal presentational skills.

(From me)

We will examine the art and craft of public speaking and presentations from several perspectives and contexts. You’ll work independently on activities designed to solidify your understanding of communication skills necessary to becoming a better public speaker, including regular demonstrations of your presentation abilities both on video and in the classroom. We will hopefully have some fun together as we grow in our abilities to speak informatively and (often) persuasively to others.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course, it is expected that you will be able to:

  • Understand the importance of listening to be a good speaker
  • Predict with some accuracy what kind of audience your speech will have
  • Identify the purpose and topic for a speech and know how to research it
  • Know the major speech genres and when they are appropriate to use
  • Organize and outline a speech, incorporating introductions, transitions, and conclusions
  • Incorporate style into a speech by way of language and delivery
  • Adapt your presentation style to particular situations

COURSE SCHEDULE

The course schedule is provided in a separate document and is subject to change.

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION

  • Class discussion, student interpretation/reaction to work
  • Learning module content delivered via Common Ground Scholar learning environment
  • Feedback/evaluation of recorded and live speech presentations

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

  • Attendance in-class participation and professional conduct
  • Complete all Scholar learning module updates, satisfy contribution requirements
  • Completion of all required recorded and live speech presentations

GENERAL POLICIES

Presentational Speaking is a highly desired skill, yet about 3 out of every 4 people are afraid to speak in public.  My aim is to conquer that fear by helping all of you learn what it takes to feel confident when speaking in front of others. A good deal of your work in this class will be done via what’s called “asynchronous” content (online only), thanks to a new tool (for many of you) called Common Ground Scholar. It is an online learning community which we will start working with right away.

Attendance– Ultimately, it is your responsibility to be present for all class sessions, but I do understand that life often interferes with our best-laid plans. If you find you must be absent from class, you will find me both understanding and fair in my dealings with you, provided you keep me informed.  That said, I reserve the right to implement any and all of the policies below:

  • Excused absences will be permitted if I am notified in advance for an appropriate reason (illness, personal/family issues, etc.) Doing work for another class or some related reason will not be excused.  An excused absence cuts you a moderate amount of slack in terms of my attendance policy, but it does not relieve you of your class responsibilities.  If you face serious life/family/health difficulties, please let me know and I will help you to figure out what to do.
  • Unexcused absences are simply any absences that are not excused. They can result in a zero for any work done in class that day and/or a zero for any class participation grade. If you have more than two unexcused absences, you WILL face final grade consequences unless you take action. Request a 1-on-1 meeting with me to get you back on the right track. Without such a meeting, you will be subject to a deduction of up to 100 points on your final grade. If you have more than six unexcused absences, you will receive a failing grade in the class.

Participation – Class participation is crucial in our work together. It is often my best indication that you understand the concepts that we are talking about. There will be several different ways you will be graded for participating, including both impromptu and prepared speeches. You are ultimately responsible for keeping track of your progress for each of these activities by regularly monitoring My Grades in Blackboard.

  • In-class discussions I will initiate with you (minimum of 5 at 10 points each, extra credit possible for more)
  • Two short presentations about the content you create in Scholar (2 at 10 points each)
  • 3 specific speech presentations: Impromptu (50 points), Informative (60 points), and Persuasive (70 points)
  • There will be a total of 13 video activities over the semester (at least one every week) to complete using a fun tool called “Flip.” You must do a minimum of 10 at 10 points each with extra credit possible for doing additional videos
  • Everyone will be asked five times at random over the semester to speak on an impromptu basis on a particular topic. The first two will be worth 10 points, and you will earn the points basically by being in front of the class and coming up with something meaningful to say. The last three will be worth 20 points, and the expectations will be greater. Your grade will be based on completing the speech within a 1 to 2-minute range, speaking clearly and thoughtfully on the topic, and sharing something of substance with the class. There will be new topics every week posted on the Professor Dunagan website. It will be your responsibility to know what each topic is and be ready to give a speech on it if you are called upon to do so.
  • Punctuality – Being on time is so important to our ability to accomplish all the things we need to do. I reserve the right to consider repeated episodes of tardiness as unexcused absences. Please do your part by being on time and to let me know if something will cause you to be late.
  • Deadlines – As a rule, I do not like deadlines. I find them somewhat arbitrary and unnecessary for students able to manage their workloads. However, they are useful for students who struggle with time management. So, there will be deadlines established when necessary and I will retain discretion as to whether or not I will consider any such work as “late.” You will be expected to keep up with the weekly updates from Scholar and to complete the required activities. Since Scholar is not designed to be particularly deadline-friendly, you should also periodically meet with me in a 1-on-1 session to review your Scholar progress. In addition, you will have a writing assignment to complete within Scholar that has milestone dates for completion that you will need to meet.
  • Technology – Our class work requires that you have a mobile device in class, so I am asking you to bring your laptop to each class meeting. You may also use a phone or tablet if you prefer. However, please limit any device use to classroom activity.  If you have a pressing need to call or text someone, please leave the classroom so as not to distract other classmates.
  • Communication – In the event that you need to email me, please use only your “syr.edu” email account. Please be sure to in the subject line “CRS 325.”  I will do my best to respond to you in a timely fashion, but don’t assume I have forgotten about you if it’s less than 24 hours after sending me a message.
  • Scholar – Common Ground Scholar will be the principal learning environment for this class. Please visit my Professor Dunagan website for help with creating a Scholar user account and then joining our class community, which is called “CRS 325 Spring 2023 Presentational Speaking.” We’ll spend a significant amount of time during the first week in class making sure everyone understands how it works and how you will contribute to it. Please let me know if you are having any specific problems related to Scholar or Scholar activities.
  • Blackboard – We won’t be using Blackboard extensively in this class, but it will have a major purpose. It will be where you can keep track of your grade progress (exclusive of Scholar). In addition, you will use Blackboard as an interface for accessing the textbook as well as tailored online assessments provided by the textbook publisher. You will automatically have access to this content from Day 1 of the class. Your bursar account should already have been billed $73.65 for these materials. Obtaining the online content alone separately is more than the “bundle” price.

Grading – You will have constant and real-time access to your grade progress during the course.  Via the My Grades tool, you can follow your progress in completing LearningCurve assessments via the Achieve online content in Blackboard. You can also note your completion of in-class presentations. In addition, you will be able to monitor your progress in Scholar via the Analytics module.  As you complete Scholar activities, you will be assessed a score based on the individual metrics of each activity. It’s a bit complicated but it will make sense as we progress through the semester. My goal for each of you is to encourage you to do your best possible work, In any case, please remember that I will always be happy to work with you on succeeding in this class. That said, it is ultimately your responsibility to make sure you have received credit for the work you have done, which means monitoring My Grades in Blackboard and the Analytics tool in Scholar. I will always be happy to make sure your grades are correct, but I will not be making such changes as a result of last-minute requests at the end of the semester. Once a final deadline for requesting changes has been established and communicated to you (which will be done well in advance), NO REQUESTS FOR GRADE CHANGES WILL BE CONSIDERED.

Grading Scale

Requirement

 

 Points

 
“Ready for Scholar” activities (watch videos, join group, complete first update) 50
 Scholar class participation (2 in-class update presentations @10 pts.) 20
15 of 18 LearningCurve activities @10 pts. 150
10 of 13 “Flip” video activities @ 10 pts. 100
5 impromptu speeches (1-2 @ 10 points, 3-5 @ 20 points 80
5 discussion participations @ 10 pts. 50
 In-class speeches (1 celebratory @ 40 points; 1 informational @ 50 pts; 1 persuasive @ 60 pts.) 150
 Final speech presentation 150
Scholar Analytics score, based on “ideal” value of 80 250
Total Points 1000

Grading Breakdown: 1000 – 930 = A; 929 – 900 = A-; 899 – 870 = B+; 869 – 830 = B; 829 – 800 = B-; 799 – 770 = C+; 769 – 730 = C; 729 – 700 = C-; 699 – 650 = D; 649 – 0 = E

OTHER POLICIES

Academic Integrity – Syracuse University’s Academic Integrity Policy reflects the high value that we, as a university community, place on honesty in academic work. The policy holds students accountable for the integrity of all work they submit and for upholding course-specific, as well as university-wide, academic integrity expectations. The policy governs citation and use of sources, the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments, and truthfulness in all academic matters, including course attendance and participation. The policy states that any work a student submits for a course must be solely their own unless the instructor explicitly allows collaboration or editing. The policy also requires students to acknowledge their use of other peoples’ language, images or other original creative or scholarly work through appropriate citation. These expectations extend to the new, fast-growing realm of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as to the use of websites that charge fees or require uploading of course materials to obtain exam solutions or assignments. Students are required to ask their instructor whether use of these tools is permitted – and if so, to what extent – before using them to complete any assignment or exam. Students are also required to seek advance permission from instructors if they wish to submit the same work in more than one course. Failure to receive this permission in advance may violate the Academic Integrity Policy. Under the policy, instructors who seek to penalize a student for a suspected violation must first report the violation to the Center for Learning and Student Success (CLASS). Students may not drop or withdraw from courses in which they face a suspected violation. Instructors must wait to assign a final course grade until a suspected violation is reviewed and upheld or overturned. Upholding Academic Integrity includes abiding by instructors’ individual course expectations, which may include the protection of their intellectual property. Students should not upload, distribute, or otherwise share instructors’ course materials without permission. Students found in violation of the policy are subject to grade sanctions determined by the course instructor and non-grade sanctions determined by the School or College where the course is offered, as outlined in the Violation and Sanction Classification Rubric. Students are required to read an online summary of the University’s academic integrity expectations and provide an electronic signature agreeing to abide by them twice a year during pre-term check-in on MySlice.

In addition, the rise in awareness and popularity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools is a fluid and ongoing matter of some importance. While there are some legitimate benefits in using AI tools, there are also dangers that relate to student academic integrity. For the purposes of this class, any student-created content developed using any AI tools will be considered a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Disability Services – Syracuse University values diversity and inclusion; we are committed to a climate of mutual respect and full participation.  There may be aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion and full participation in this course.  I invite any student to contact me to discuss strategies and/or accommodations (academic adjustments) that may be essential to your success and to collaborate with the Center for Disability Resources (CDR) in this process. If you would like to discuss disability-accommodations or register with CDR, please visit Center for Disability Resources. Please call (315) 443-4498 or email disabilityresources@syr.edu for more detailed information.  The CDR is responsible for coordinating disability-related academic accommodations and will work with the student to develop an access plan. Since academic accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact CDR as soon as possible to begin this process

Religious Observances – SU’s religious observance policy recognizes the diversity of faiths represented among the campus community and protects the rights of students, faculty, and staff to observe religious holy days according to their tradition.  Under the policy, students are provided an opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirements that may be missed due to a religious observance provided they notify their instructors before the second week of classes.  For fall and spring semesters, an online notification process is available via My Slice at Student Services/Enrollment/My Religious Observances and is available from the first day of class until the end of the second week of class.