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Received:  by CIOS Mailer; Monday 19 Jul 1999 10:02:56
Date:          Mon, 19 Jul 99 09:47 -0400
To: "Multiple recipients of COMGRADS" 
From: "James Giunta" 
Subject:       speech topics, again

Well my first-time-teaching Public Speaking course got off
to a rollicking good start.  The students are putting a lot
of effort into it, to my surprise.  I backed way off the
reading and writing assignments--instead I produced a
comprehensive guide to the textbook and a list of matching
key concepts.  It seems to be working.

I assigned a reading first, with an intro and a summation.
I gave no guidelines as to performance--just the assignment.
I took careful notes and after the last student spoke I
presented all the things they did well (eye contact, humor,
visual aid, etc.).  They left feeling elated.

Next we move on to points of performance and evaluation.  I
think I'll schedule a session or two in which they can move
around the classroom for some peer evaluation--they can
assess each other on 3-4 specific aspects.

Also: I read to them in every class!  I provide context for
the speech, then I read a famous speech from history.  This
is to focus on context, separate from performance.  I
started with the Gettysburg Address and it was a hit.

This coming week seems right for Bobby Kennedy's statement
following ML King's murder, and Teddy's eulogy of Bobby.
I'm also going to include Lou Gehrig's goodbye message, one
by Mario Savio, and a few other short-but-from-the-gut
speeches.

Hope all's well with y'all,
Jim.


-----Original Message-----
From: James M. Giunta 
To: Multiple recipients of COMGRADS 
Date: Sunday, April 11, 1999 9:39 PM
Subject: RE: speech topics


>It's been awhile since this topic was discussed (or any
>topic, for the last many months).  I'm following the thread
>with renewed interest and appreciation as I've just been
>invited to teach a public speaking course in New Jersey.
>
>I can use all the help I can get.  A couple of weeks ago I
>dreamed it was the first day of class.  All the seats were
>filled--had to be 50 or 60 young people in the room.  I had
>no syllabus.  I hadn't bothered to read the books, couldn't
>remember the titles, and didn't order them at the
>bookstore.  The student seated near the light switch kept
>shutting it off while another student started up a film
>projector.
>
>I was fully clothed.
>
>I'm told by my colleagues that this kind of dream is
>typical.
>
>
>Jim.
>
>James M. Giunta
>Rutgers University
>jmgiunta@andromeda.rutgers.edu
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Lisa R. Barry [SMTP:lrb7  at psu.edu]
>Sent: Saturday, April 10, 1999 7:34 PM
>To: Multiple recipients of COMGRADS
>Subject: Re: speech topics
>
>Stas:
>
>Is the one minute speech an informative or a persuasive
>speech?  Or is it a
>special occasion?  Ten speeches?  I could never get away
>with this . . .
>we're lucky to get four speeches our of our students (one
>of which is a
>group presentation).
>
>I used to have my students deliver a 1-2 minute persuasive
>speech during
>which they had to argue something along the lines of, "X vs
>Y; which is
>better and why?"  I would use totally familiar topics such
>as:
>
>Coke vs Pepsi
>Friends vs Seinfeld
>McDonalds vs Burger King (or Wendy's, or whatever)
>Coffee vs Tea
>Smashing Pumpkins vs Phish
>Country Music vs Alternative Rock
>Ford vs Chevy
>La Femme Nikita vs Ally McBeal
>
>You get the idea.  Depending on who is in the class, I
>often customize the
>topics.  For instance, I once had a class full of Dead
>Heads (all
>engineering students, surprisingly).  So, I threw in a
>bunch of song titles
>from the Grateful Dead for them to choose against.  The
>arguments were
>surprisingly sophisticated . . . for impromptu speeches
>(they had two
>minutes to prepare).
>
>But . . . since I'll probably never teach public speaking
>again . . . (I
>got a job!  In my research area!) . . . I'll likely never
>use this exercise
>again.  If you use it . . . have fun!
>
>Lisa :-)
>
>=======================================
>". . .feminism is a politics with material consequences
>that entails hard
>choices, hard work, and a commitment to collective action."
>                                              --Bonnie Dow
>=======================================
>Lisa R. Barry
>Ph.D. Candidate (ABD)
>The Pennsylvania State University
>234 Sparks Building
>University Park, PA  16802
>lrb7@psu.edu
>http://www.personal.psu.edu/lrb7
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