Director: J. A. Kuypers
Senior Lecturer J. A. Kuypers.
21. Informative Speaking
05S: 10A
Preparation and presentation of speeches to inform. Emphasis is upon selection and organization of materials. Students will become familiar with course material designed to help facilitate the development of their own speaking style. In addition to the above, heavy emphasis will be placed upon the development of a formal style of delivery and the use of visual aids. The understanding of speaking anxiety (stage fright) and how to overcome it will also be stressed. No prior speaking experience is necessary. Students are videotaped.
Limited enrollment. The course is designed for students from any academic background. Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: ART. Kuypers.
22. Public Advocacy
05S: 2A
Preparation and presentation of speeches to advocate a position. Emphasis is upon identification and understanding of situations where public communication may have an impact, and the understanding of rhetoric as the strategic use of communication for achieving specifiable goals. Students will give speeches on a single contemporary political controversy. (Past controversies have included: partial birth abortion; women in combat; school vouchers; the D-Plan; business ethics; the Student Life Initiative; democratization in the Middle East; and SDI.)
The use of evidence, reasoning, and refutation are stressed. Students will engage in disputation, the practice of arguing two main sides of an issue. The course will culminate with students presenting a speech representing their true position. Students may be videotaped.
Limited enrollment. Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. No prior speaking experience is necessary. Dist: ART. Kuypers.
25. Persuasive Speaking
05W: 10A
Preparation and presentation of speeches to persuade. Students will be introduced to the basic principles of rhetorical theory, especially the use of artistic proofs (logical, emotional, and ethical proofs—the keys to winning your argument). Emphasis will be upon policy speeches and the use of the above mentioned proofs to convince, strengthen beliefs, and motivate listeners to overt action.
This course stresses the functional aspect of communication, and focuses upon the dynamics involved with persuading a specific audience to overt action. Because of this, audience analysis will assume an important role in this course. Students will choose their own topic to speak on throughout the term, and will receive feedback following each speech in order to determine the effectiveness of their presentation. No prior speaking experience is necessary. Students are videotaped.
Limited enrollment. Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: ART. Kuypers.
27. Criticism of American Public Address: Post-World War II
05W: 2A
This course examines the rhetoric of post-World War II America. Students will read, listen to, and view speeches from speakers such as Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Ronald Reagan, Elizabeth Dole, Newt Gingrich, William Clinton, and others. Questions to be asked are many: Why are these speakers considered good speakers? Why were some of their speeches considered great? What made a particular speech effective? Students will learn several basic perspectives from which to analyze the situation in which a speech is given, as well as techniques for analyzing speeches and their effectiveness. A portion of the course will be devoted to understanding how the press affects, and often changes, the intended meaning of a speech. This course will culminate with students choosing an historical speech to deliver. The course is designed for students from any academic background. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: NA. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Kuypers.
29. African American Oratory (Identical to African and African American Studies 32)
04F: 10A
This course examines the rhetoric of black American orators from the early 1800’s to today. Students will read and listen to speeches by Henry Highland Garnet, Frederick Douglas, Francis Ellen Watkins Harper, William Edward Burghardt DuBois, Louis E. Lomax, Malcolm X, Condoleezza Rice, and many others. Questions to be asked are many: Why were some speeches delivered by these speakers considered important? What differentiates the oratorial effects of black Americans from those of white Americans? Through close textual analysis, students will learn how to analyze the situation in which a speech is given, as well as techniques for analyzing speeches and their effectiveness. A portion of the course will be devoted specifically to contemporary black speakers and their unique contribution to the American political scene. This course is not a comprehensive historical survey. Instead, it examines—chronologically—selected speakers whose rhetorical efforts helped to define public debate and the American moral conscience. Dist: ART. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: NA. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: CI. Kuypers.