Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

Making The Case For The Basic Communication Course In General Education, Kristina Ruiz-Mesa, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post

Basic Communication Course Annual

Authors were asked to prepare an essay as if they were writing a letter to their dean (whose academic training was in another discipline) who (1) asked that enrollment in each basic course section be increased to a level that compromises the pedagogy of the basic course or (2) proposed that the required basic communication course be eliminated from the university’s general education program.

In this essay, the authors discuss the academic, career, and social benefits stemming from strong effective communication skills.

Engaging Students In The Basic Course By Asking Big Questions, Bryan Abendschein, Grace Giorgio, Adam D. Roth, Jennifer Bender

Basic Communication Course Annual

This paper advocates for the inclusion of big questions into the basic course curriculum. It begins by exploring the nature of big questions as those that engage pressing and perennial civic and global issues, and details their effectiveness in encouraging students and faculty to think about interpersonal responsibility and social space as dynamically interfacing and mutually reflexive, thus challenging us to negotiate the civic call of engaging in democratic processes. The basic course, whether public speaking or hybrid, offers a crucial opportunity for big questions to emerge because it brings people together to critically question and produce messages about the …