Welcome to Comm 2200
Course Policy Sheet
Instructor: Stephen Decker
Steve.decker@mtsu.edu
615-579-5653
Office Hours 12:00 – 2:00 Mon – Thursday
Fridays by appointment
Jones Hall 256
Your ability to clearly communicate and influence others to accept your ideas and comply with your requests ranks as one of the most sought after skills by employers. Mastering the skill of persuasive communication will open doors that remain locked for those who ignore this discipline. We will learn those skills in this course as well as others. Be aware that this is a university level course and will require a significant amount of work.
*COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to develop competency in oral communication with special emphasis on (a) critical thinking in researching and developing oral presentations; (b) ethical and effective decision making in the selection, presentation, and attribution of ideas, arguments, and supporting materials; and (c) evaluation of presentations through critical listening. Students make major informative and persuasive presentations to the classroom audience, and they analyze and criticize a variety of speeches and presentations.
*STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: after the successful completion of this course students will be able to: distill a primary purpose into a single, compelling statement that is appropriate to the topic, the audience and the occasion; order major points that are appropriate to the topic, the audience and the occasion in a reasonable and convincing manner based on that purpose; develop their ideas using rhetorical patterns that are appropriate to the topic, the audience and the occasion (e.g., narration, example, comparison/contrast, classification, cause/effect, definition); employ correct diction, syntax, usage, grammar, and mechanics appropriate to the topic, the audience and the occasion; manage and coordinate basic information gathered from multiple sources, and appropriate to the topic, the...