I have provided basic syllabus and calendar information here. For the specific course syllabus which includes a course calendar, please access the link below:

Full Course Syllabus for Spring 2020: SPCH 1311-002 CYP TTh 10:30-11:50 AM

Every student who takes SPCH 1311: Introduction to Speech Communication at Austin Community College must complete the following assignments, at a minimum: one (1) graded demonstration of interpersonal communication skills, one (1) graded demonstration of small group discussion skills, one (1) individual graded oral presentation, and two (2) Exams. In this course, you will complete the following assignments for grades:

Course Assignments with Brief Descriptions:

1. Active Listening Demonstration – 15% of your course grade

You will demonstrate specific active listening skills during a live discussion with another class member.

Meets the departmental requirement of one graded demonstration of interpersonal communication skills.

2. Group Decision-Making Discussion – 15% of your course grade

You will demonstrate decision-making and group communication skills in a live discussion with a small group. The main outcome of this discussion is to select a topic for your group’s Informative Speech Symposium. The parts of this assignment are: 1) attend scheduled group meeting, and 2) submit group decision.

Meets the departmental requirement of one graded demonstration of small group discussion skills.

3. Informative Speech Symposium – 15% of your course grade

You will plan and present a researched symposium with your group. A symposium is a series of individual speeches. Your group’s symposium will provide information about a topic that your group selected during the Group Decision-Making assignment. The parts of this assignment are: 1) submit group Works Cited to list all research sources used in the symposium, 2) submit group Speech Plan, and 3) deliver symposium during a scheduled class meeting. 

Meets the departmental requirement of one individual graded oral presentation.

4. Three (3) Exams - 21% of your course grade, 7% per exam

You will demonstrate knowledge of textbook material by completing a 70-question multiple choice and true/false exam. You will complete one exam per unit of study: Exam 1: Foundational Communication Skills, Exam 2: Collaborative Communication Skills, Exam 3: Public Communication Skills

Exceeds the departmental requirement of a minimum of two (2) exams.

5. Chapter quizzes – 14% of your course grade, 1% per quiz - 3 lowest scores dropped

You will demonstrate knowledge of individual textbook chapters by completing chapter quizzes in LaunchPad. I recommend accessing these quizzes through Blackboard to ensure that scores transfer from LaunchPad to Blackboard. Quizzes are mastery learning: each quiz may be repeated as many times as you would like to earn your target score. I will automatically drop your lowest 3 quiz scores in Blackboard.

6. In-Class Work – 20% of your course grade, 10 points per class meeting

You will participate in class discussions and activities to learn the material. Your daily participation in class is worth. Each class meeting, you will submit an entry ticket. Entry tickets are collected at the beginning of class. If you arrive less than 20 minutes after the entry tickets have been collected, you may turn in your ticket, but you will not receive points for it.

On your entry ticket, you should write:

*Usually, the announced topic will be a big takeaway from that day’s chapter reading. Big takeaways should be topics that you would expect to see covered on the exam for this unit of study. Be specific – the title of the chapter is not an adequate response.

If you are absent for a class meeting, please contact a peer to get information

I will use the Qwickly Attendance tool in Blackboard to record daily grades. You will receive one of the following grades:

• Present – 10 points: You were in class for the full class meeting, turned in your entry ticket, and actively participated in the day’s work.
• Absent – 0 points: You were not in class for any part of the class meeting.
• No entry ticket – 5 points: One of two things happened:

1. You were in class for the full class meeting and actively participated in the day’s work but did not turn in the day’s entry ticket.
2. You were in class for the full class meeting and actively participated in the day’s work. Although you did turn in the day’s entry ticket, that entry ticket failed to address the assigned topic, provide a specific response, or noted that you were not present at the previous class.

• Disengaged – 0 points. One or more of the following things were true for that day’s meeting:

1. You missed more than 20 minutes of class,
2. You indulged in behavior that says you lack engagement in the material or that distracts others (e.g., sleeping, working on material for other classes, using electronics in the classroom at times other than when I’ve said you may use them),
3. You used behavior that undermines the climate of the classroom (e.g., being argumentative, failing to show respect or act with civility to your professor or peers).

Grade Distribution:

Grading System: This course uses a standard percentage grading for the course grades:

A = 89.5-100%

B = 79.5-89.4%

C = 69.5-79.4%

D = 59.5-69.4%

F = 59.4% or lower

Extra Credit: I offer a single extra credit opportunity in this course: use of a presentational aid for the Informative Speech. I offer extra credit only to the class as a whole, so I will not offer extra credit to individual students.

Required Textbook: Choices and Connections: An Introduction to Communication, 2^nd edition, by Steven McCornack and Joseph Ortiz, with LaunchPad Access (ISBN 9781319115173)

FIRST DAY ACCESS: This section includes a fee to cover the costs of required digital materials and/or an electronic textbook, provided at a discounted rate from the ACC Bookstore.

IMPORTANT! The digital materials fee will be added to your tuition and fees when you register. You may choose to opt out of this fee and receive a refund if you wish to purchase the course materials separately. Opt-out requests must be received prior to the official reporting date on 9/11/2019 for a full refund. For more information see austincc.edu/firstday

Recommended Handbook: Research and Documentation in the Digital Age, 7^th edition, by Diana Hacker and Barbara Fister (ISBN 9781319152437) 

If you already have a handbook showing how to use current MLA documentation, you may substitute that one.

Required Materials:

• Computer with reliable internet access – you may use a computer at home or one available in any ACC student computer lab.
• ACCmail address (provided to every ACC student)
• Google Docs and Slides, provided as part of ACCmail
• 3X5 index cards

Learning Outcomes:

Course Objectives: What will you learn after completing this course?

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, analyze, and apply effective interpersonal communication skills.
8. Recognize personal conflict style and demonstrate effective conflict management.
9. Engage in and evaluate the dynamics of small group communication.
10. Develop, research, organize, and deliver an effective, formal public speech.
11. Identify the dimensions of cultural diversity and their influence on communication.
12. Examine the influence of using communication technologies on human interaction.

General Education Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, you will demonstrate competence in:

• 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.

Below, I provide a basic 16-week schedule for this course. This schedule may be altered for shorter sessions or to accommodate holidays. Please note that schedule changes may occur during the semester. Any changes will be announced in class and posted as a Blackboard Announcement.

For specific information about what will happen in each class meeting, please consult our specific course calendar included in the course syllabus.