COMMUNICATION STUDIES 308 - Persuasion 

 

Spring Semester 2008

Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-1:45 p.m.

Moreau Center for the Arts, Room 114

 

Dr. Michael Kramer

Office Address:  105 Moreau Center for the Arts 

Office Hours:  Tuesday and Thursday, 2:00-4:30 p.m., and by appointment    

Phone:  284-4042 (office), 251-0262 (home)       

Email:  mkramer@saintmarys.edu

Home Page:  http://www.saintmarys.edu/~mkramer/

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

                  This course aims to help students develop a more sophisticated understanding of spoken and written public persuasion.   We will combine the study of persuasion theory with the public performance of speeches, so that students can learn about persuasion both as a consumer and producer of persuasive acts.  This approach also should strengthen each student's writing, speaking, and critical thinking abilities and raise important questions about how humans use language in the pursuit of persuasion.

                  As suggested above, the course is related to the following goals: 

                  1.  Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of communication theory and history, and of critical thinking skills.

                  2.  Students should be able to produce written and oral messages appropriate to a variety of communication contexts.

                  3.  Students should understand the contexts (political, social, legal, ethical and cultural) in which messages are produced, disseminated, and interpreted.

  

REQUIRED TEXTS

 

                  1.  Timothy A. Borchers, Persuasion in the Media Age, Second Ed.  (Boston: McGraw Hill, 2005).

                  2.  Numerous readings will be provided in class for assigned reading or for classroom reading and discussion.

 

ATTENDANCE

 

                  Attendance and participation are an important part of this course.  I will excuse absences that are verified with official written documentation from the college or a physician.  Second, students are permitted 3 unexcused absences during the semester.  Each unexcused absence after that will result in a 10-point deduction from your final point total for the course.

                  Students are held responsible for all material assigned in the syllabus or discussed during the class sessions.  For any absence, you are responsible for obtaining lecture notes and assignments from a classmate.  You cannot make up missed exams or speeches unless you provide the documentation discussed above.   

 

PAPER REQUIREMENTS

 

                  All written work must be stapled, typed, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins and a standard 10 or 12-point font.  Research sources should be cited on a works cited page, using MLA format.  Proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation are expected; the Apologia Analysis paper would be a good sample for your Advanced W portfolio, so paying attention to mechanics now will save time later. Failure to follow any of these instructions will result in point deductions.

 

 

ASSIGNMENTS

 

                  Detailed directions will be provided as we get closer to a particular assignment, but a general description follows:

 

 

1.  PARTICIPATION - Each student is expected to contribute regularly to classroom discussions.

Also, conduct that contributes to a productive classroom conversation, such as listening, attentiveness, and not coming to class late, is important and will be taken into account here.  This course requires an environment that promotes open discussion of persuasion issues, so disrespect for others' opinions will not be tolerated.   Finally, turn off cell phones, pagers, and IM devices before entering the classroom.

 

 

2.  SPEECH PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION

 

Professional Persuasive Speech - (7-10 minutes) You have an idea for a specific project, product, or policy in a professional setting.  This speech's goal is to convince a committee of decision-makers to adopt your idea.  In addition to a strategy report, you must also turn in a verbatim manuscript of this speech.  This speech also requires that you be prepared to field questions from the audience regarding your proposal.

 

Social Transformation Speech - (6-8 minutes) You are a social activist advocating a perspective that is not shared by everyone regarding a controversial issue.  The assignment requires that you craft a message that articulates a social problem caused by specific beliefs held by certain people in society.  You should attempt to modify those beliefs and create an opportunity for the audience to better understand or even accept your beliefs.  In addition to a strategy report, you must also turn in a verbatim manuscript of this speech.

 

Strategy Reports - These reports will be discussed more in class.  While it is not lengthy, the strategy report is a crucial part of each speech assignment.  It helps you prepare for writing the speech in a strategic and more successful manner.  Therefore, to be most useful, the report must be written before writing the speech itself.  The strategy report is due the class period in which you are scheduled to speak.  However, I strongly encourage you to finish a draft sooner and come and talk to me about it.  Also, I will not give feedback on a draft speech manuscript until after you have turned in a draft strategy report.

  

 

3.  PAPERS

 

Persuasion Reaction - You are to complete a 2-page paper identifying and critically thinking about a brief effort made to persuade you in the mass media (advertisement, newspaper editorial, letter to the editor, PSA, etc.)  This assignment will be evaluated based on the specificity, thoughtfulness, and overall strength of your critical insights, not on a lengthy description of the messageÕs content.  Be prepared to discuss your reaction in class on the day that it is due.

 

Apologia Strategy Analysis - In this 4-5 page paper, you will analyze and evaluate a real-life example of apologia persuasion, a type of verbal self-defense used by someone accused of misconduct.

 

 

4.  EXAMS

 

Midterm & Final Exams - The exams will cover the textbook readings, additional readings provided in class, and, most importantly, classroom lectures and discussions.  The format will be essay questions.

POINTS AND GRADE DISTRIBUTION

 

Participation                                             50 points

Persuasion Reaction                          25 points

Apologia Analysis                                 75 points

Professional Persuasive                  100 points

Social Transformation                        75 points

Midterm Exam                                         75 points

Final Exam                                                100 points

TOTAL                                                        500 points

 

Final Grades will be based upon the following scale:

 

Percentage                            Points                                               Grade

93-100                                      465-500                                                     A

90-93                                         450-464                                                     A-

87-90                                         435-449                                                     B+

83-87                                         415-434                                                     B

80-83                                         400-414                                                     B-

77-80                                         385-399                                                     C+

73-77                                         365-384                                                     C

70-73                                         350-364                                                     C-

67-70                                         335-349                                                     D+

60-67                                         300-334                                                     D

  0-60                                          0-299                                                           F

 

GRADE DISPUTES AND INCOMPLETES

 

                  Students who disagree with a grade on an assignment or exam must submit a written appeal to me within one week of the assignment being returned.  That appeal should make an argument as to why the grade should be changed.  Incompletes are allowed only in rare and extraordinary situations.   

 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

 

                  Consult the Saint Mary's Academic Honesty Code, which states:  ÒWhen students submit any work for academic credit, they make an implicit claim that the work is wholly their own, done without the assistance of any person or source not explicitly noted, and that the work has not been previously submitted for academic credit in another area.  Students are free to study and work together on homework assignments unless the instructor stipulates otherwise.  In the case of examination (tests, quizzes, etc.) students also implicitly claim they have obtained no prior unauthorized information about the examination, and neither give nor obtain any assistance during the examination.  Moreover, students shall not prevent others from completing their work.Ó 

 

                  Also, according to the policies of the Department of Communication Studies, Òa student who violates the policy will be given an ÒFÓ (0) on the assignment at issue.  A student who violates the policy twice in the same course will receive an ÒFÓ in the course.  A student who violates the policy in two or more courses will be dropped from the major.Ó  

 

                     I interpret the above policies to apply to giving speeches that you have already used in a different class, using another student's speech, or copying a speech from the Internet.  With current computer search engines and discussion within the department, it is not difficult for me to ascertain the authenticity of a speech.  If there are doubts, I may ask you to produce your research and research notes to prove that the work is original.

COURSE CALENDAR - schedule may be modified if needed

 

T               1/15                          Syllabus and Overview

TH            1/17                          Attempting to Define Persuasion   READ Chapter 1 (for 1/17 class)

                                   

T               1/22                          ***Persuasion Reaction Due***; Discussion

TH            1/24                          Advertising      READ Chapter 13

                                                     

T               1/29                          Apologia:  Self-Defense Persuasion    

TH            1/31                          Apologia     READ and analyze Edward Kennedy speech

                                                     

T               2/5                             Fear and Persuasion     READ Chapter 11, pp. 308-311                      

TH            2/7                             Persuasion and Health Communication    READ Rogers, et al. article 

 

T               2/12                          Social Learning Theory and Cognitive Dissonance Theory

TH            2/14                          Ethics and Persuasion   ***Apologia Strategy Analysis Due***

 

T               2/19                          Field Theory  & Elaboration Likelihood Theory   READ Chap 2, pp. 48-51  

TH            2/21                          Credibility and Evidence      READ Wells speech handout and pp. 277-280                                  

T               2/26                          Argument and Refutation     READ Chapter 10, esp. section on Toulmin Model

TH            2/28                          ***MIDTERM EXAM***

 

MID-SEMESTER BREAK – MARCH 1-9 

                                                     

T               3/11                          MonroeÕs Motivated Sequence; Speaking in Professional Environments

TH            3/13                          Interpersonal Persuasion; READ Chapter 14,  pp. 383-401

 

T               3/18                          Deliver Professional Persuasive Speeches

TH            3/20                          Deliver Professional Persuasive Speeches

 

EASTER HOLIDAY – MARCH 21-24

 

T               3/25                          Deliver Professional Persuasive Speeches                        

TH            3/27                          Deliver Professional Persuasive Speeches

 

T               4/1                             Social Movements and Persuasion     READ Chapter 12, pp. 325-335 & 347-356

TH            4/3                             Combining Burke & Perelman:  Identification and Values in Persuasion

 

T               4/8                             Style, Language, and Delivery; Sorensen video   READ Chapter 15, pp. 430-442

TH            4/10                          Class Cancelled – Central States Communication Association Convention          

 

T               4/15                          Discussion - Language Strategies in Social Activism Speeches of                                                                                                        Frederick Douglass and Stokely Carmichael   READ speeches handout

TH            4/17                          Visual Persuasion and Enthymeme   READ Chapter 6                         

 

T               4/22                          Persuasion in ÒReal LifeÓ:  Case Studies  READ handout articles  

TH            4/24                          Deliver Social Transformation Speeches

 

T               4/29                          Deliver Social Transformation Speeches

TH            5/1                             Deliver Social Transformation Speeches; Course Wrap-Up

 

FINAL EXAM (CUMULATIVE) - Thursday, May 8, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  (Moreau 114)