Communication Commons^™

Recruiting And Nurturing A Pipeline Of Future Basic Course Directors, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Cheri J. Simonds

Basic Communication Course Annual

This essay responds to the Basic Course Forum question about best practices for recruiting to and/or from the basic course.

Basic Course Forum: Section Introduction

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of The Basic Communication Course In The First-Year Experience: Implications For Retention, Tim Mckenna-Buchanan, Stevie Munz, Anna Wright, Jeremy Williams

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study examines the basic communication course (BCC) as it relates to students’ first academic year at a university. Specifically, we compared students completing both a first-year experience (FYE) course and BCC against students completing only an FYE course. Data was collected over two cohorts of students and after analytical procedures, we found that there is an association between courses taken (both a FYE course and BCC or just a FYE course) and retention at the university. Additionally, the results revealed that the combination of both a FYE course and BCC during the first-year fostered emotional support and classroom connectedness, …

What’S In A Name? Exploring The Definitions Of 'Public' And 'Speaking', Joseph M. Valenzano Iii

Basic Communication Course Annual

The purpose of this essay is more of an intellectual exercise than an attempt at a pragmatic redesign of the basic course. Essentially, I submit that we as a discipline have lost sight of what the phrase “public speaking” actually means and have erroneously and dangerously equated it with simply delivering formal presentations. When the term is broken down into its component parts of “public” and “speaking” it is understood as something much broader, and thus allows for the curricular flexibility forwarded by Hess (2012), West (2012), Valenzano (2013) and Wallace (2015), to name a few. In this essay, I …

Can Course Format Drive Learning? Face-To-Face And Lecture-Lab Models Of The Fundamentals Of Communication Course, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Andie Malterud, Anthony Arciero, Katherine E. Hyatt Hawkins

Basic Communication Course Annual

Combining traditional classroom instruction and online instruction, or hybrid/blended learning, has emerged as a popular option to mitigate rising enrollments and non-traditional student needs while maintaining the known advantages to the face-to-face learning format. We evaluated the effectiveness of a Fundamentals of Communication course (also known as the “hybrid” course) taught in the traditional face-to-face format and in the hybrid/blended learning format, which included the equivalent of one credit taught face-to-face and two credits taught online (graded together as one course).

Students in the blended format had stronger performances in two areas of their speeches (introduction and overall impression), had …

Using Virtual Reality For Speech Rehearsals: An Innovative Instructor Approach To Enhance Student Public Speaking Efficacy, Brandi N. Frisby, Renee Kaufmann, Jessalyn I. Vallade, T. Kody Frey, Joe C. Martin

Basic Communication Course Annual

Basic communication courses (BCCs) are evolving, and technology is a driver of this change. Guided by self-efficacy theory, this study examined the use of virtual reality speaking rehearsals as one technology that instructors can adopt to enhance students’ public speaking efficacy. Students (N = 32) in this study practiced their final informative speeches in virtual reality 360-degree videos. They perceived their efficacy was enhanced in five ways including preparedness, realism, self-awareness, feedback, and comfort level. Conversely, efficacy inhibitors included the lack of presentational aids, technology issues, and lack of audience realism. The results are used to provide practical advice …

Where Do You Turn? Student-Identified Resources In The Basic Course Experience, Sources Of Information, Feedback, And Help-Seeking Behaviors, Ashley Jones-Bodie, Lindsey B. Anderson, Jennifer Hall

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study explored the formal and informal resources students enrolled in a basic communication course use to gather information and receive feedback about their course experience, including presentations and work in the class. To do so, an online survey was completed by 393 students at three universities. The data were analyzed thematically using an iterative process facilitated through NVivo coding software. This process not only allowed for a descriptive summary of the students’ responses and the creation of a typology of resources, but also revealed four emergent themes related to student motivations to seek out and use sources of information/feedback: …

Measuring Essential Learning Outcomes For Public Speaking, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Karla M. Hunter, Joshua N. Westwick, Angela Hosek, Kristina Ruiz-Mesa, John Hooker, Lindsey B. Anderson

Basic Communication Course Annual

Basic Course Directors (BCDs) are typically expected to assess course learning outcomes, but few formal guidelines and resources exist for new BCDs. As one part of a larger multi-methodological assessment tool development project, this manuscript maps existing quantitative measures onto the six essential competencies and associated learning outcomes established by the Social Science Research Council Panel on Public Speaking. This manuscript compiles dozens of measurement resources, aligned by outcome, and also identifies areas where future assessment measures development is needed. While there are many measures available for evaluating outcomes related to creating messages, critically analyzing messages, and demonstrating self-efficacy, there …

Research Articles: Section Introduction

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Editor's Page, Joseph P. Mazer

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Front Cover, Title Page, Contents, Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Challenging Public Rhetoric Justifying Immigrants As ‘Indecent', Aaron Martin, Lisette Lemerise, Riya Chhabra, Sudharshana P. Kanduri, Julia Beleshi

Honors Scholarly Publications

Elites employ various rhetorical strategies in public discourse, including on the topic of immigration. As such, those with influence rely on storytelling to shape views about the narratives related to immigrants as a minority out-group. This has significant consequences, particularly in areas of policy development. Policy shapers have isolated immigrant groups by creating certain ideologically derived criteria well beyond citizenship for them to eventually receive “full American” status. Further, such status first has required immigrants to unduly prove their “worthiness” as exceptional—like being extra hardworking and very law abiding. Our essay seeks to show how foundational rhetoric is often intentionally …

Sorry Is Not Enough: Apology As A Crisis Management Tactic, Amiso M. George

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Public admissions of personal or professional misdeeds, followed by apologies by high profile individuals and organizations are strategies and tactics of image restoration when a reputation is damaged. Although the ritual of an apology is an expected societal norm sometimes, they can make matters worse. Apology is effective depending on the offense, the place, time, language, tone of apology and if the recipient of the apology is willing to accept it. Another important element is the cultural factor. Apology that does not adhere to perceived cultural norms may not be received positively; thereby worsening the crisis situation. In 2018 and …

@Gretathunberg: Navigating Critique And Identity Within Youth Climate Activism On Twitter, Carina Robin Weadock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Youth climate activist Greta Thunberg sat alone on the steps of the Swedish Parliament building in September of 2018, holding a bold black and white sign and demanding action be taken in the face of the climate crisis. Ever since, her activism and Twitter presence have sparked media attention, catalyzed youth activists globally to organize marches and strike from school, and have drawn critique. This thesis employs McKerrow’s (1989) critical rhetoric to uncover dominant discourses within tweets that undermine Thunberg based on identity and to explore the potential that Thunberg’s Twitter presence might or might not hold for future youth …

Effective Teaching Techniques And Strategies, Jaime Garcia

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

Abstract: This Course ensured that faculty learned about—and implemented—the approaches that improve engagement and persistence and promote deeper learning. This 25-module online course concentrated on teaching practices effective in face-to-face instruction. Comprehensive in scope and organized around five units of study, faculty members learned together in cohorts and implement approaches to:

• design an effective course and class
• establish a productive learning environment
• use active learning techniques
• promote higher order thinking, and assess in ways that inform instruction and promote deeper levels of learning

Each interdisciplinary cohort is facilitated by a celebrated CSUSB faculty member. Our local facilitators are 2019 Outstanding …

Assessing Competitive Oral Interpretation Speakers: What We Expect Students To Learn, Kelsey Johnson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Forensic coaches believe and argue oral interpretation events are educational in nature and provide robust learning opportunities for the competitors who participate in oral interpretation. However, while many scholars claim oral interpretation events are educational, learning outcomes (LOs) do not exist to measure what is learned. Therefore, to measure if oral interpretation competitors are learning, I led focus groups consisting of North Dakota speech coaches to determine what we can expect competitors to learn by participating in the oral interpretation events sanctioned by the North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA). Using thematic analysis of the focus groups, I illuminated …

Like A Virgin: Comparing Cross-Cultural Virginity, Anastasia M. Tejada

Communication Senior Capstones

Studies have been conducted about the social construct of virginity inside the United States and cross-culturally. Investigations comparing the United States with these other cultures are limited and focus on the United States as the ideal representation of virginity in men and women. I aim to expand upon the current research provided by adding a new perspective to the analysis. The objective of conducting this analysis is to provide a global perspective defining the connotations of virginity cross-culturally. This study focused on the cultural, religious, and societal impacts on virginity collected through qualitative methods in the cultures of Arab-Americans, Latinx-Americans, …

Informative Speech Guidelines And Rubric, Angela Elbanna

Open Educational Resources

An informative speech is a speech where the goal is to inform the audience about a topic. The audience may already have some knowledge of this topic or they may not know anything at all about it. This speech is based on facts and research, not opinion. The speaker should be unbiased and simply present the information to the audience, not attempt to influence or persuade them in any way. Speakers may choose any topic.

Speech 100 Hybrid Syllabus, Angela Elbanna

Open Educational Resources

This is a syllabus for a hybrid Speech 100 course using OER materials. A hybrid course meets 33 to 80% online.

Using Bourdieu In Communication And Forensics Research, Stephen P. Hagan

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

As norms in the forensics community are often unspoken and have few identifiable starting points, habitus and Bourdieu seems an apt place to begin an analysis. Further, such analysis can serve as a potential case study for broader applications of Bourdieu to communication studies. Thus, my goal is to provide an overview of Bourdieu’s work through his interconnecting ideas of habitus, field, and cultural capital and use those concepts to discuss college forensics as a case study of how communicative norms and attitudes are shaped in small collective social structures such as forensics. Building from that application, I explore ways …

What We Value: Trends In Value Appeals Of Interstate Oratory Contest Final Round Speeches, Carson Kay, Eric Mishne

National Forensic Journal

Value appeals are crucial to persuasion. However, we wonder if forensic educators prioritize certain values. This content analysis examines the value appeals in the introductions of the three highest-placing persuasive speeches (N = 56) from the 1996-2016 Interstate Oratory Contests. Our two-decade comparison reveals that the diversity of values to which the finalists appealed decreased in the last decade. Drawing upon the Interstate Oratorical Association's historical context, Rokeach's (1973) value appeals, and Social Judgment Theory, we explain this trend and explore practical implications regarding exclusivity and judge bias, as well as methodological implications for future content analyses of value appeals.

1940 - 1949: Understanding The Interstate Oratorical Contest During And After World War Ii, Richard E. Paine

National Forensic Journal

The 1940s began shortly after the first salvos of World War II were fired. That war dominated the decade-for millions of lives touched or ended by the war, for those faced with the task of rebuilding when it ended, and even for the Interstate Oratorical Association. This paper examines the impact of the decade on the speeches presented at IOC and looks at patterns which appeared in the topics chosen, structures used, styles employed, and choice of supporting materials on which speakers relied. Attention is also paid to such logistical aspects of the contest as the tournament's continuing use of …

1990 - 1999: Examining How The Interstate Oratorical Contest Closed Out The 1900s, Judy Santacaterina, Harry Bodell, Jessica Bozeman

National Forensic Journal

This paper examines the top six speeches presented each year during the 1990s at the Interstate Oratorical Contest. Our purpose is to explore how these speeches reflected the political, social, economic and cultural climate of the time as well as the changes our discipline was experiencing in the final decade of the millennium.

The Times, They Were A-Changin': Exploring The Interstate Oratorical Contests Of The 1960s, R. Randolph Richardson, Kathy Brittain Richardson

National Forensic Journal

Since 1874, a handful of American college classrooms have hosted generations of students practicing the art of oratory. Throughout the intervening decades, students involved in the Interstate Oratory Contest have, to varying degrees, addressed the compelling social, political, economic and educational issues of their time. When one considers the shifting socio-political landscape of the 1960s, this decade seems a far cry from the rhetorical contexts that gave rise to speeches for the previous nine decades. Did stock issues give way to Woodstock issues? An analysis of the Interstate Oratory winning orations from the 1960s raises numerous questions. To what extent …

1970-1979: Investigating The Interstate Oratorical Contest During The "Me Decade", Karen Morris

National Forensic Journal

The decade of the 1970s further entrenched the socially progressive values that came to the U.S. cultural forefront in the 1960s. Investing in such activities as the Women's Movement and Vietnam War protests, college students became increasingly vocal about social issues. Those speaking up on such topics included the interstate orators who crafted the IOC speeches of the 1970s. In order to analyze the speeches presented at the Interstate Oratorical Contest between 1970 and 1979, the first part of this paper will explore how this socially important historical time period influenced the speeches themselves. The second section will address the …

Volume 37 - Front Matter, Nfa Journal

National Forensic Journal

No abstract provided.

Volume 37 - Full Volume, Nfa Journal

National Forensic Journal

No abstract provided.

Terministic Screening And Conspiracy Theory In Political Communication: A Critical Analysis Of Trump’S Rhetorical Ties To Fair And Alex Jones Through “Invasion” Immigration Discourse, Emily A. Wiedeman

Masters Theses

This study focuses on the political and social communicative implications that result from mirrored anti-LatinX immigration discourses from three different political entities: President Donald Trump, special-interest hate group the Federation for Immigration Reform (FAIR), and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Through a critical communication lens, the author presents and discusses the influence of presidential communication, and its ability to contribute to and bolster xenophobic political undertones, creating a communicative environment that functions to empower and embolden proponents of racially based discrimination. Further, this study discusses the power presidential communication has to legitimize, normalize, and amplify the racist and xenophobic anti-LatinX discourses …

God Of War: Masculinity And Fatherhood Through Procedural Rhetoric, Andrew A. Morgan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Video games and academia have a long history with one another. Academic researchers have continued to debate the extent to which video games can materialize real world effects. In this thesis, I employ procedural rhetoric and feminist scholarship to analyze the rhetorical power of God of War. I focus on the game’s immersive procedures and the performances of masculinity from Kratos, Atreus, and Baldur. These three characters all perform different masculinities, and their interactions with one another inform the game’s portrayal of masculinity and fatherhood. By engaging in violence and depicting nuanced performances of masculinity, God of War positions the …

Volume 37 - Editor's Note, Richard E. Paine, Emily M. Cramer

National Forensic Journal

No abstract provided.