course syllabus
For a list of due dates, please click Assignment Due Dates above.
The weekly lessons open on Tuesdays, at 17:00 UTC (10:00 am Pacific daylight time), beginning April 7, 2015.
Week 1: Course Overview, Key Terms, and Introductory Speeches (opens April 7)
1. Course Overview
2. Getting Started: A Rhetorical Approach to Public Speaking
3. Think Like A Speaker!
4. Practicing and Posting Your Speeches
5. Your Introductory Speech
6. Weekly Wrap-up and Additional Resources
Week 2: Preparing Impromptu Speeches (opens April 14)
1. Welcome to Week Two
2. What is the impromptu speech? Why should I do it?
3. Elements of Argument
4. Inventing, arranging, and phrasing your main points
5. Supporting your claims with evidence
6. Weekly wrap-up
7. Optional: Evaluating sample impromptu speeches
Week 3: Delivering Impromptu Speeches (opens April 21)
1. Welcome to Week Three
2. Discussing your evidence
3. Putting it all together: Speech structure
4. Dealing with your fear of public speaking
5. Delivery
6. Weekly wrap-up
7. Posting your impromptu speeches
8. Optional: Evaluating more sample impromptu speeches
Week 4: Informative Speech Basics (opens April 28)
1. Welcome to Week Four
2. Overview of the informative speech
3. A process for preparing speeches
4. Planning out your informative speech
5. Informative speech goals
6. Weekly wrap-up
7. Optional: Informative speech evaluation
Week 5: Preparing Informative Speeches (opens May 5)
1. Welcome to Week Five
2. Inventing and arranging informative speeches
3. Refining your speech invention and arrangement
4. Developing and discussing your support and/or details
5. Weekly wrap-up
6. Optional: More informative evaluation
Week 6: Delivering Informative Speeches (opens May 12)
1. Welcome to Week Six
2. Informative introductions and conclusions
3. Ethos overview
4. Informative ethos
5. Informative delivery
6. Weekly wrap-up
7. Optional: More informative evaluation
Week 7: Persuasive Speech Basics (opens May 19)
1. Welcome to Week Seven
2. What is the persuasive speech?
3. Status quo and burden of proof
4. Stock issues
5. Weekly wrap-up
Week 8: Preparing Persuasive Speeches (opens May 26)
1. Welcome to Week Eight
2. Persuasive counter-arguments
3. Calls to action
4. Persuasive arrangement
5. Fallacies
6. Weekly wrap-up
7. Optional: Persuasive Evaluation
Week 9: Delivering Persuasive Speeches (opens June 2)
1. Welcome to Week Nine
2. Strategic language
3. Stylistic language
4. Delivering your style well
5. Vocal projection and vocal health
6. End of week 9
7. Optional: Persuasive Evaluation
Week 10: Course Conclusion (opens June 9)
1. Welcome to Week Ten
2. Next steps
3. Thank you
4. Quizzes and surveys
5. Behind the Scenes Look