Course Assignments and Weight

The Communication Studies Department at Austin Community College requires that all students who take SPCH 1311: Introduction to Speech Communication successfully complete these minimum requirements:

1. Interpersonal Communication Skills:  Students will write and present interpersonal communication scripts using the technique of Perception Checking (p. 65) and the technique of Assertive Communication (p.224). Additional specific guidelines and instructions will be detailed in class as well as on Blackboard. Written documentation and spoken demonstrations of interpersonal skills and knowledge may earn students up to twenty percent of the course grade. Students not demonstrating their work during ZOOM meetings will receive no grade for written work.

Perception Check Documentation Due:                            Week of February 13, 2023

•Language-appropriate scripted draft

            of one objective description of observable behavior                                      25 points

            of two realistic interpretations of observable behavior                                   20 points

            of request for clarification regarding observable behavior                             15 points

•Oral Demonstration of Scripted Perception Check                                                   25 points

Assertive Communication Documentation Due:                    Week of March 20, 2023

• Language-appropriate scripted draft

            of objective description of observable behavior                                             15 points

            of one realistic interpretation of observable behavior                                    15 points

            of expression of feelings related to observable behavior                              15 points

            of description of consequences resulting from observable behavior            15 points

            of description of intentions responding to observable behavior                    15 points

•Oral Demonstration of Scripted Assertive Communication                                      25 points

1. Small Group Discussion Skills, Documentation Due:       Week of April 10, 2023

Students will participate in online group writing activities. When participating in group activities they are to display competent group communication skills, problem-solving skills, decision-making skills, creative brainstorming skills, team building skills. Each students will separately document each of these skills in an analysis exercise or demonstration.

            Problem-solving skills: Identifying a Problem                                                20 points

            Problem-solving skills: Analyzing a Problem                                                 20 points

            Problem-solving skills: Brainstorming a Problem                                          20 points

            Problem-solving skills: using Nominal Group Technique                               20 points

            Decision-making skills using Consensus Building                                         20 points

            Decision-making skills using Majority, Minority or Expert Choice                 20 points

            Team Building skills using Active Listening/Supportive Responses              20 Points

1. Public Speaking Skills: Documentation Due:                     Week of April 10, 2023

Students will research, organize, rehearse, and deliver an informative public speech using information discovered via the ACC Library’s database or journal subscriptions. Students are expected to present one Individual Informative Speech delivered extemporaneously about one of the speaker’s interests or areas of expertise.

• Informative Speech Documentation:

                        Informative Speech Purpose Statement (pp. 295-296)                     20 Points

                        Informative Speech Formal Outline (pp. 322, 340-341)                    80 Points

                        Informative Speech Bibliography with at least three academic sources

                                                                                                                                    60 Points

                        Informative Speech Evaluated                                                           100 Points

1. Exams: Tests will be multiple-choice.  They will include content from the text and from supplementary media sources linked to on the course Blackboard Site.  There will be tests that cover individual chapters; tests that cover related information found in multiple chapters; and tests that cover material from lectures. There will be no comprehensive final exam.   Specific instructions will be detailed in documentation that accompanies each test as well as on Blackboard.  40 percent of overall course grade will be based on test grades.  Exam deadlines are listed in course calendar below and on Blackboard.

    •    Chapter Tests:    500 Points

Grading Policy/Schema

If you have any questions regarding the expectations of an assignment, contact me for clarification at dhumphr2@austincc.edu. Specific grading criteria will be provided for every assignment. If you have any questions regarding the expectations of an assignment, please do not hesitate to seek clarification. Use of clear grammar and punctuation is a requirement for all assignments. If you have concerns regarding a grade given on an assignment, please wait 24 hours before contacting instructor. During those 24 hours, please review the assignment, the grading criteria, and the feedback on the work. Contact instructor if you still have questions about the grade awarded on the assignment. Don’t wait too long however. Grades are only open for discussion during the current semester.  Please track your points/grade throughout the semester.

Course Textbook & Supplies

Understanding Human Communication, 14th edition: Ronald B. Adler; George Rodman; Athena du Pré. Oxford University Press.

ebook ISBN: 8220111374940.  Paperback ISBN: 9780190925697

• Computer with access to Internet, and Blackboard (Bb)

Course Rationale

Developing communication skills can give students a competitive edge in their professional and academic career. Not only are communication skills highly valued in the workplace, communication courses taken at ACC transfer to all colleges and universities in Texas. Communication skills are essential to personal and professional success. Yet, for many people, communication skills are often some of the hardest skills to develop. Introduction to Speech Communication provides an overview of communication as a discipline. By taking this course, students will develop skills to confidently and competently communicate with individuals, groups, or audiences.

Course Description

Introduction to Speech Communication explores the theories and practice of speech communication behavior to promote communication competence in interpersonal, small group, and public speaking situations. (Credit Hours: 3; Classroom Contact Hours per Week: 3)

Instructional Methodology

This class is a classroom in-person learning course. Students work in-person with classmates to develop and complete individual and group projects; to study textbook and other written sources, as well as to view and discuss video and audio sources that illustrate and explain communication concepts. Students complete tests online

General Education Outcomes

Civic and Cultural Awareness

Analyzing and critiquing competing perspectives in a democratic society; comparing, contrasting, and interpreting differences and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices.

Critical Thinking

Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information.

Personal Responsibility

Identifying and applying ethical principles and practices; demonstrating effective learning, creative thinking, and personal responsibility.

Interpersonal Skills

Interacting collaboratively to achieve common goals.

Written, Oral, and Visual Communication

Communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Foundations of Human Communication
   1. Apply the techniques of communication competency in a variety of settings.
   2. Develop skills in selecting and using a variety of communication strategies and responses based on situational contexts, goals, and human needs.
   3. Integrate self-monitoring strategies to increase personal communication competence.
   4. Analyze the role of perception in communication and employ various perception checking methods to enhance competency.
   5. Recognize the power of verbal and nonverbal messages and adapt messages effectively.
   6. Evaluate listening habits and practice effective listening skills.
   7. Identify the dimensions of cultural diversity and their influence on communication.
   8. Examine the influence of using communication technologies on human interaction.
2. Interpersonal Communication
   1. Identify, analyze, and apply effective interpersonal communication skills.
   2. Recognize personal conflict style and demonstrate effective conflict management.
3. Small Group Communication
   1. Engage in and evaluate the dynamics of small group communication.
4. Public Speaking
   1. Develop, research, organize and deliver an effective formal public speech.