978-1285159454 Introduction Part 2

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confused or lost students. An extremely explicit syllabus also minimizes disputes over

confusion regarding course goals and standards. Second, and more importantly, the syllabus

allows students to be prepared. As a result, their confidence increases—always an important

The following list offers suggestions as to what should be included in your syllabus. Bear in

mind that your syllabus should contain the following items at a minimum. You may decide that

other pertinent information should be included. You will also want to check with your course

Course Name, Number, and Credit Hours: This information sounds basic, but it allows students

Instructor’s Name: This is obvious, but including your name is essential in multi-section

courses, especially since the course content and instructional methods might vary depending on

the teacher. You should include how you want to be addressed. (You will want to consider

How to Reach You: This information is one of the most crucial items you will communicate to

your students. You should include specific office hours, noting when and where they are held.

Your office number should always be on the syllabus. If you do not have voice mail, leave the

departmental phone number as well. That way you know that someone will be able to take

accessible website, in whole or in part.

In our high-tech era, email can be an excellent way for students to ask detailed questions and

receive in-depth answers without it being intrusive for anyone. Using email has an added

dividend of encouraging computer literacy in an age where that skill might be necessary for

workplace survival. (Many professors now require students to submit their outlines and written

assignments on email.)

(Hint: No matter how you want your students to contact you, it’s always a good idea to let

them know how long it will reasonably take you to get back to them. Some students need to be

reminded that you aren’t on your computer at all hours of the day and night. Many instructors

tell their students to allow them a minimum of 24 working hours for a response to email or

voice mail messages.)

Overall, here is the type of information you should include to tell how you can be reached:

• Office Location

• Office Hours

need the help). By encouraging students to come in for help and use the time to their

advantage, you may be helping them set far more productive, proactive, and assertive academic

behaviors. Students who do improve with your personal assistance will remember the

experience in positive terms. These conferences can make teaching much more fulfilling and

invariably lead to more positive teaching evaluations.

Full Listing of All Texts and Other Instructional Materials: Listing all the instructional

materials students must buy is a practical matter. Since most trips to the bookstore will be

made the first week of classes, your syllabus provides the official shopping list. You will help

students avoid confusion and delays by listing the complete citations of all books. As an added

Course Objectives: At most institutions, course goals or objectives are required to be listed in

detail on every syllabus. The rationale is that this allows students to immediately grasp the

purpose of the course and to comprehend the general goals the instructor and program have

delineated for the individual student. (You may want to refer back to the earlier section on

“Teaching Philosophy” and utilize that list as a model for developing your own distinct course

(either of which might be on campus) might be especially relevant. Your course objectives,

therefore, reflect how this course is designed to meet the specific needs of the students you teach.

How the Objectives Will Be Achieved: Briefly explain the types of activities that will enable

students to accomplish the objectives. This course always includes “platform” speeches, which

are relatively formal addresses by one person to an audience. Aside from the major speeches,

what other tools will be used to develop skills in oral communication? Beyond the concerns of

students can help instructors and students reach beyond minimum competencies and toward

excellence. Here are the types of qualities you may wish to list on your syllabi:

• demonstrating curiosity about intellectual issues by raising thoughtful,

Attendance Policy: Although the attendance policy you use will be to a large extent the product

of your institution’s guidelines, attendance assumes special importance in this course. Public

speaking is a transactional process. It requires speakers and listeners. The only way a speaker can

improve presentational skills is through the presence of an engaged, attentive audience willing to

offer constructive feedback. Since listening is one of the skills emphasized in the text, it is

logical that students must be present to listen.

There is a lot of disagreement about how to encourage attendance. Some instructors reward

good attendance by giving extra points if students attend. Some education codes, however,

prohibit the grading of attendance. Rather than giving points for attendance or deducting points

Behavioral Expectations: It is no longer viable in any higher education context to assume

automatically that students know what civil behavior entails. Being proactive by explaining

what does or does not constitute appropriate classroom behavior on your syllabus is a good

Honor Violations: It is extremely important to summarize or include in full your institution‘s

policies regarding honor violations. This information might seem redundant, but it proves vital

accessible website, in whole or in part.

The most common honor violation is plagiarism, where a student will employ the words or

ideas of someone else without proper acknowledgment. While this sometimes occurs out of

ignorance, in many cases it is done deliberately and is becoming perhaps more pervasive given

the ease of instant access to Internet sources. This Fifth Edition of Hamilton’s text expressly

addresses plagiarism on pages 17-18. This issue should be discussed and defined in class

during the first weeks of class. A concise and helpful discussion of plagiarism is also included

in: Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Seventh ed. New York:

Modern Language Association of America, 2009, pp. 52-61. Similar discussion can be located

in: The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Sixth ed. Washington

D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 170. Most dictionary definitions of

plagiarism are also sufficient, providing you take time to explain them in class. Many

incoming freshmen may have no concept of the process of footnoting or sourcing and why it is

important. You want to be certain that they are clear as to how they should cite their sources

and that they understand that ignorance of the procedural requirements is not an excuse. You

may wish to determine what style manual is endorsed by your department and refer your

students to that source. You will want to cover citation style and bibliographies in class, and

many instructors find it helpful to provide a Modern Language Association (MLA) or

American Psychological Association (APA) “cheat sheet” handout for more common forms of

bibliographical entries, such as books, periodicals and journals, interviews and on-line sources.

(Note: in communication, most journals now specify APA style).

Be aware that plagiarism applies to oral presentations as well as written material. (Although

usually a “canned” speech composed by a previous student and pulled from a file is easy to

spot. Such students rarely take the time to update their bibliography and sources.) To deter

plagiarism and to allow documentation of charges in a case where you detect plagi arism, you

might want to collect the speaker’s notes immediately after the speech, and then return the

notes with the speech grade. That way you have firsthand knowledge of whether the speech

was original. If you do suspect plagiarism, a meeting in office hours might be useful. Having a

third party present at this informal meeting, during which you may wish to ask the student

questions about their research to determine whether or not they actually did the research, can

be helpful. As with all honor code violations, generally students are “innocent until proven

guilty,” so it is important to proceed with caution and avoid dramatic accusations unless you

possess iron-clad proof. In any event, you should know in advance what your institution’s

policies and standards are regarding such matters.

Missed Assignments, Late Assignments, and Make-Ups: You need to develop a consistent

policy on make-up work and late assignments. If you are new to teaching this course, consult

with your department chair and senior faculty members to find out what the customary policies

are in your department. The important thing to remember is that your policy should be

enforced uniformly to assure fairness to all students.

accessible website, in whole or in part.

emergency (death or serious illness in the immediate family), religious holidays, official school

activities, such as debate, athletics, or academic conferences (make sure you are notified of

these schedules at the beginning of the term).

You want to note that religious holidays generally have to be excused by law or by institutional

policy. You want to be careful and discreet in handling these situations. Even in legitimate

situations it is still the student’s responsibility to apprise you of their situation and to make up

all missing work at a time that the instructor finds mutually convenient or viable. In situations

involving long–term illness that prevents the student from attaining enough equity in the class

to be graded, you will wish to consult your supervisor for policy advice on an arrangement for

an “incomplete” grade or other options.

In all cases, to separate potential “pinnochios” from those with legitimate reasons for absence,

you will want to require reasonable documentation for absence, such as doctor’s excuses,

funeral announcements, etc. This policy guarantees fairness.

Special Needs: To accommodate any special needs students have, it is helpful to have your

students fill out confidential “personal data” sheets on the first day of classes. These forms can

provide you with useful information about the student‘s class standing, background, and initial

goals. Adding a section that asks if they have any particular learning challenges, medical

Written Work Copies: It is a good idea to require students to retain hard copies of written work

they perform for the class. This avoids problems if the instructor’s briefcase is stolen or a paper

Sample Course Syllabus

(Please note that this syllabus is offered only as a suggestion; your own syllabus and calendar

will reflect your own institutional needs and teaching style. The following syllabus is for an 18-

week term with class meeting twice a week for one hour and twenty minutes each.)

COM 103: Public Speaking

Instructor: Elizabeth Atwood Nelson

Phone: 919-513-4340

Assignments:

• There will be five speaking assignments: introductory speech, demonstration speech,

informative speech, persuasive speech, and a final speech as well as two impromptu

speeches. Students must speak at their assigned time or receive a zero for the speech. The

only exceptions will be in cases of true emergencies.

• A typed outline of the demonstration, informative, and persuasive speeches are due on the

Final Speech 50 points

Impromptu Speeches 25 points

Critiques 25 points

Quizzes 50 points

Other assignments 25 points

Total: 500 points

Mastery Level:

90-100% A

80-89% B

70-79% C

60-69% D

59% and lower F

Requirements:

Attendance/Make-Up Policy/Late Assignments: Each student must attend class unless excused

by the instructor. An excused absence consists of a documented illness, family or work

emergency, or school-related activity (but does not include studying for another course or

If a student’s behavior is disruptive to the classroom learning environment, he or she will be

asked to leave the classroom. Such action will be counted as an unexcused absence. If a student

is asked to leave the room again, a meeting will be scheduled with the Dean of Instruction. The

following are examples of disruptive behavior:

• Talking while the instructor is talking.

• Excessive tardiness (three late arrivals equal one absence).

• Leaving class early without prior notification (talk to the instructor before class). Three

*If your phone does ring, turn it off immediately. Do NOT answer it! Repeated incidents of

electronic device disruptions may result in any of the following measures: confiscation of the

offending item, dismissal from the class, and/or a pop quiz for the entire class. If you must have

your phone on for emergency or work reasons, talk with me about this outside of class.

Students are responsible for dropping courses they no longer wish to be enrolled in. Do not

assume the instructor will drop you if you simply stop attending class. If you do drop a course,

print the page as verification of having executed the drop.

Academic Dishonesty Policy: Anyone caught passing off someone else’s work, words, or ideas

as his or her own can be failed. Additionally, students working together on assignments, quizzes,

or examinations when they are expected to work independently (this includes work done on

BlackBoard) are also violating academic honesty policies. (See the catalog and student handbook

for more information.)

Academic Accommodation: If you have a verified need for an academic accommodation or

materials in alternate media (i.e.: Braille, large print, electronic text, etc.) per the Americans with

Disabilities Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, please contact your instructor as soon

as possible.

Course Outline

Chapters are to be read prior to coming to class the first day of the week they are assigned.

Week One Chapter 1

Monday, January 14 Overview and Introduction

Wednesday, January 16 Public Speaking Basics

Week Two Chapters 2 & 3 Quiz #1

Monday, January 21 NO CLASS—Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Wednesday, January 23 Assign Introductory Speech

Week Five Chapters 7 & 8 Quiz #4

Monday, February 11 Demonstration Speech Due/Assign Informative

speech

Wednesday, February 13 Impromptu Informative Speech

Friday, February 15 Lincoln’s Birthday—NO CLASSES

Week Six Chapter 11 Quiz #5

Monday, February 18 President’s Day—NO CLASSES

Wednesday, February 20 Work on Informative Speech

Week Seven Chapter 9 Quiz #6

Week Eleven Chapter 13 Quiz #8

Monday, March 24 Work on Persuasive Speech

Wednesday, March 26 Impromptu Persuasive Speech

Week Twelve

Monday, March 31 Work on Persuasive Speech

Wednesday, April 2 Work on Persuasive Speech

Week Thirteen Quiz #9

Monday, April 5 Work on Persuasive Speech

Wednesday, April 7 Critique of Outside Speaker Due

Week Fourteen

Monday, April 14 Work on Persuasive Speech