The eloquence of speakers such as Daniel Webster is long gone, some say. Others point to orators such as John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Ronald Reagan to show that public address is indeed a thriving art despite the bumper-sticker mentality of the world in which we live. This class will explore several contemporary speeches, examining them for their rhetorical artistry and political effectiveness. We will also discuss key issues about the study of public address–the ethical dimensions of public address, the criteria we use to evaluate speeches, the limitations on free speech, and the influence of mass communications on public address.
Assignments | Speeches | Class Readings | Resources and Links
Required Textbook:
The readings for this course are available on the internet. Links to the first readings can be found at the course website. All the readings are available in a course reading packet.
Additional Requirements:
Participation in a class field trip to the Old State Capitol is required. We will do our best to accommodate the schedules of all students enrolled in the class. If for some reason you are unable to accompany the class, you must make alternate arrangements with the instructor.
Grading and Assignments:
This classes uses a contract approach to evaluating student work. Every student earns 15% of their grade by turning in a course contract and through course participation. The additional 85% of the grade is based on whatever assignments you select from a range of options. Each assignment is described, directions are given, percentages and page lengths, etc. are specified in a detailed list in the course syllabus and on this website.
Assignments — A list of the various assignment options that students can choose from as part of their work to include in their grade contract. The assignments include directions, grade weights (percentages), page lengths, grading criteria, and expectations.
Grading Contract (This link leads to a version of the grade contract system that is designed for an interpersonal communication class. The page explains how the contract works and details the possible paper topics. Paper topics for the Contemporary Public Address class would obviously be tailored to that class, but the gist is the same.)
Sample Journal Questions — These journal questions can be answered for the journal assignment or they can be used as prompts for other journal questions. The journal assignment has very specific directions and grading criteria, so be sure to look at it. These sample questions can provide a good way to study for exams and they can be used as a study guide. They cover approximately the first third of the class material.
Old State Capitol Fieldtrip Worksheet
Speeches
Bush, Barbara, Wellesley Commencement Address
Bush, George W., 2000 Victory Speech
Carmichael, Stokely, Black Power
Clinton, Bill, I Misled the People
Clinton, Bill, Columbine Speech
Clinton, Hillary, Women’s Rights are Human Rights
Dworkin, Andrea, Pornography Happens to Women
Fisher, Mary, The Whisper of AIDS
Gates, Bill, Washington2Washington Speech
Gore, Al, 2000 concession speech
Heston, Charlton, Winning the Culture Wars
Jenkins, Henry, Congressional Testimony on Media Violence
Jordan, Barbara, Keynote Address to the DNC
Kennedy, John F., Address to the Houston Ministerial Association
Long, Huey, Every Man a King
Malcolm X, The Ballot or the Bullet
Nixon, Richard, Checkers
Reagan, Ronald, Eulogy for the Challenger Seven
Thomas, Clarence, speech before the National Bar Association
Varney, Matt, Columbine Student, A Simple Vision
Readings
Bitzer, Lloyd, The Rhetorical Situation. _Philosophy and Rhetoric_ 1 (1968): 1-14 (.pdf).
Brummett, Barry. 1991. Rhetorical Methods in Critical Studies (Ch.3). In _Dimensions of Popular Culture_. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press.
Brummett, Barry. 1991. Varieties of Rhetorical Criticism (Ch.4) . In _Dimensions of Popular Culture_. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press.
Campbell, Karlyn Kohrs. 1982. Elements of Rhetorical Action. In _The Rhetorical Act_. Belmont, CA.
Campbell, Karlyn Kohrs. 1982. The Resources of Argument. In _The Rhetorical Act_. Belmont, CA.
Campbell, Karlyn Kohrs. 1982. A Rhetorical Perspective. In _The Rhetorical Act_. Belmont, CA.
Carey, James W. 1988. Communication as Culture (Lecture Notes). Unwin Hymen.
Hart, Rod. 1990. The Functions of Rhetoric. In _Modern Rhetorical Criticism_. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman.
Hart, Rod. 1990. Guidelines for Rhetorical Criticism. In _Modern Rhetorical Criticism_. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman.
Hart, Rod. 1990. Narrative and Reasoning. In _Modern Rhetorical Criticism_. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman.
Jamieson, Kathleen. 1988. Eloquence in an Electronic Age. NY: Oxford University Press.
Smith, Donald K. 1969. The Act and its Parts (Ch.2). In _Man Speaking: A Rhetoric of Public Speech. NY: Dodd, Mead and Company.
Smith, Donald K. 1969. The Position of the Speaker (Ch. 3). In _Man Speaking: A Rhetoric of Public Speech. NY: Dodd, Mead and Company.
Smith, Donald K. 1969. The Speaker’s Relation to Audience (Smith Ch 4). In _Man Speaking: A Rhetoric of Public Speech. NY: Dodd, Mead and Company.
Smith, Donald K. 1969. The Question of Ethics (Ch. 8). In _Man Speaking: A Rhetoric of Public Speech. NY: Dodd, Mead and Company.
Links and Resources
Finding Speeches
American Rhetoric — Online Speech Bank
Logic and Argumentation
Constructing a Logical Argument — Includes logic exercises
Analyzing Speeches
Checklist for Analysis of Speeches
Critical Reading — Dan Kurland
Rhetoric Reources
Assignments | Speeches | Class Readings | Resources and Links