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Title Page

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

Editors and manuscript reviewers for Volume 11 of Basic Communication Course Annual

The Basic Communication Course At U.S. Colleges And Universities: Vi, Sherwyn P. Morreale, Michael S. Hanna, Roy M. Berko, James W. Gibson

Basic Communication Course Annual

This is the sixth in a series of investigations of the basic communication course, begun in 1968 by members of the Undergraduate Speech Instruction Interest Group of the Speech Association of America. This study was replicated in 1974, 1980, 1985, and 1990. Each of these studies gathered and reported information on instructional practices and administrative issues in the basic course at two- and four-year colleges and universities. In this study, the survey instrument from 1990 was revised to reflect contemporary concerns and mailed to the National Communication Association mailing list of 1500 schools. Data were analyzed and presented from 292 …

How Basic Course Directors Evaluate Teaching Assistants: Social Constructionism In Basiccourseland, Nancy L. Buerkel-Rothfuss

Basic Communication Course Annual

This essay examines the ways basic course directors assess their teaching staff. In particular, the study describes ways course directors from a variety of disciplines use language to evaluate teaching competence and to differentiate among staff members with regard to job performance. As would be expected, most course directors in this sample used evaluation terms such as good/bad or effective/ineffective. Only a few used other types of differentiation schemes, such as those based on maturity of the teaching assistant or attitudes toward teaching.

Get Your Modem Runnin', Get Out On The I-Way: Encouraging Internet Investigations In The Basic Course, Glen Williams, Joni M. Johnson-Jones

Basic Communication Course Annual

The Internet can be a valuable resource for instructors and students alike. Students need to develop Internet savvy to take advantage of its holdings and to use it responsibly. Instructors can help students develop such savvy by providing pointers for its use as well as by taking them through a few exercises. Once students have learned to proceed efficiently and judiciously, the Internet can be a powerful vehicle for assisting their investigations.

Will The Dazzling Promise Blind Us? Using Technology In The Beginning Public Speaking Course, Mary Mino

Basic Communication Course Annual

Because proponents of technology promise that by using electronic media, such as computer and video technologies, students' communication skills will improve, many public speaking instructors are using or considering using various types of technology. However, the effectiveness of various technologies as vehicles for delivering communication skill instruction have yet to be examined extensively. Therefore, communication educators need to assess the value of technology as compared to conventional delivery systems and consider the challenges before incorporating technology into the beginning public speaking course. This essay presents an overview of some of the uses of technology in the public speaking course, describes …

Communication Apprehension, Self-Efficacy, And Grades In The Basic Course: Correlations And Implications, Karen Kangas Dwyer, Dennis A. Fus

Basic Communication Course Annual

This article presents a study examining the relationship among communication apprehension (CA), self-efficacy (S-E), and grades in the basic communication course. Data were gathered from 208 undergraduate students enrolled in a public speaking course that fulfills a university-wide core curriculum requirement. Respondents completed MCroskey's (1982) Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24), the Self-Efficacy in the Class scale (SECL) adapted from Pintrich and DeGroot's (1990) Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, and two researcher-designed questions regarding S-E for college (SECOL). Results indicated that although trait and context CA are significantly correlated with final grades. In fact, multiple-regression showed that S-E contributed significant …

Branching Out To Meet The Needs Of Our Students: A Model For Oral Communication Assessment And Curriculum Programs, Patricia A. Cutspec, Kevin M. Mcpherson, Julie H. Spiro

Basic Communication Course Annual

Two of the multiple primary tasks facing post-secondary institutions across the country are revisiting and revitalizing general education or core programs and developing appropriate techniques for assessing the value of these programs. Following years of development and refinement, Western Carolina University has created an oral communication general education program that not only meets the needs of individual students, but also encouraged consistency across the curriculum emphasizing and assessing the skills learned in the basic course. We have answered the call for revisitation and reform regarding the best pedagogical and epistemological strategies for developing competent communicators, and our results have been …

Analyzing C-Span In The Basic Communication Course, Jim Schnell

Basic Communication Course Annual

Use of C-SPAN in the basic communication course as data for analysis is described. Specific focus is on Persian Gulf War presentations made August 2, 1990 - January 16, 1991 by President George Bush. Analysis of these presentations exemplifies how similar analysis can be done of other public speakers. An explanation of how to procure C-SPAN videotapes is provided.

Commentary: An Idea For Restructuring The Basic Communication Course: A "Time When Needed" Modular Approach, Donald D. Yoder

Basic Communication Course Annual

This commentary suggests a different way of structuring the basic communication course. Instead of trying to teach a variety of communication course, this commentary develops a modular approach to the basic course to be taught in smaller units and at times in a student's studies when the communication skills in the specific units are more relevant. A tentative schedule for the units is suggested.

Author Information

Basic Communication Course Annual

Biographical information about the authors who contributed to Volume 11 of Basic Communication Course Annual.

Call For Papers

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Back Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 11

Basic Communication Course Annual

Full issue (192 pages, 7.056 MB)

Millennial Rhetoric At The Turn Of The Millennium, John Robert Stanley

Masters Theses

Millennial rhetoric has predominately had an apocalyptic theme in the past; however, the current rhetoric about the millennium can be seen as more positive, optimistic, and enthusiastic. By treating the texts Deep Impact and Armageddon, various news sources, and five web sites as part of what Becker (1971) defines as a "mosaic," it was found that the current view of the millennium presents various tensions present in our current society. These tensions include unity versus individualism, technological advancement versus technological limitations, and optimism versus angst. The analysis suggests that unity is preferred over individualism to overcome current obstacles at …

Impact Of Singing Intervention On Vocal Fatigue Effects: A Single Subject Study, Nancy Devine Ferguson

Dissertations and Theses

This single subject descriptive study investigated the efficacy of singing intervention on the effects of vocal fatigue on the speaking voice of a non-singing individual. Baseline measures were taken on a single subject prior to voice treatment. Data were collected before and after the subject performed a vocally fatiguing task of 1 hour of prolonged reading at 80% of his maximum vocal intensity level. Data collection consisted of the following acoustic and aerodynamic characteristics of the subject's speaking voice: fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, maximum intensity level, and maximum phonation duration, as well as obtainment of the subject's self-perceptions of vocal …

Unwilling Actors: Why Voluntary Mediation Works, Why Mandatory Mediation Might Not, Gary Smith

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

This article examines the debate over the introduction of mandatory mediation in civil litigation. It analyzes why and how voluntary mediation works in order to measure how the process might change under the new regime being implemented in Ontario. The underlying narrative structures of mediation are exposed using semiotic theories commonly employed in the study of theatre. This article will show that mediation, when imposed on unwilling parties, will hinder its efficacy and compromise its theatrical processes. The author concludes that the best way to ensure that making mediation mandatory does not discredit the efficacy and benefits of the process …

Ua3/9/5 Somerset Noon Rotary Club Speech, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell to the Noon Rotary Club in Somerset, Kentucky.

Ua3/9/5 Opening Faculty/Staff Meeting, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell at his first fall convocation. He discusses priorities, strategic planning, institutional peer group, programs of distinction, campus construction and improvement, traffic and parking, information technology, student compensation, athletics, employee benefits and policies, community relations, fund raising and student recruitment.

Ua3/9/5 Master Plan Speech, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell to the incoming Class of 2002.

Ua3/9/5 Hopkinsville Kiwanis Club, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Talking points used by WKU president Gary Ransdell at a meeting of the Hopkinsville Kentucky Kiwanis Club regarding Western Kentucky University.

An Empirical Test Of A Communibiological Model Of Trait Verbal Aggressiveness, Kristin M. Valencic, Michael J. Beatty, Jill E. Rudd, Jean A. Dobos, Alan D. Heisel

Communication Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to test Beatty and McCroskey's communibiological model of trait verbal aggressiveness. In general, this model views trait verbal aggressiveness as an expression of temperament; specifically, that trait verbal aggressiveness represents low thresholds for the fight or flight (FFS) neurobiological system. This model further contends that behavioral inhibition circuitry (BIS) moderates FFS activation by tempering aggressive impulses, otherwise FFS activation would manifest itself in the form of physical rather than verbal attacks. Beatty and McCroskey (1997) propose that low thresholds for stimulating the behavioral activation system (BAS) should be related to trait verbal aggressiveness to …

Ua3/9/5 Address To The Duke University Talent Identification Search Program, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell to students involved in the Duke University Talent Identification Search Program.

Information Content In American Television Advertising: A Replication And Update, Laura Kathleen Sandgren

Dissertations and Theses

Three hundred and seven randomly selected American network television commercials aired between October 18 and November 18, 1997 were analyzed to determine their informational value using the fourteen criteria established by Resnik and Stem in 1977. The results of this study were compared with Resnik and Stem's 1991 study, revealing that there has not been any significant change in the amount of information in American television commercials since Resnik and Stem's replication sample.

This study also used Resnik and Stem's (1977) criteria to further examine if the amount-of information contained in TV commercials varied depending on the gender or age …

Ua3/9/4 Inaugural Address, Gary Ransdell

WKU Administration Documents

Inaugural address given by WKU President Gary Ransdell on May 8, 1998.

Speech Intelligibility Of 4-Year-Old Children, M. Jane Firestone

Dissertations and Theses

While speech-language pathologists routinely measure and report speech intelligibility when assessing young children with speech impairments, normative data have not been available for comparison purposes. When assessing children to determine if their communication abilities are at or below that of peers, one must first know what the normative standards are. Knowing the normal distribution for speech intelligibility at several ages would allow for more precise uses of the intelligibility information than is currently possible. Only a few available studies exist to allow tentative normative comparisons of speech intelligibility data.

The goals of this pilot study were to collect normative data …

Ua3/9/5 Leadership For The New Millennium, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell to the Association of College Honor Societies. He was asked to speak on "what is needed to build a more vigorous and robust academic and social opportunity for our students."

Front Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Rhetoric And The Aids Virus Hunt, Carol Reeves

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

By comparing the papers produced by the laboratory teams of Robert Gallo and Jean Luc Montagnier during the AIDS virus hunt, we have an opportunity to discern the fine line between a bold, explicit rhetoric that may convince as well as offend and a bald, reserved rhetoric that may actually conceal important implications. Going too far in either direction may create misunderstandings and ethical dilemmas as will be demonstrated in a textual analysis deepened by an exploration of historical context and interviews with key participants. Since a public health crisis calls upon communication that thwarts misunderstandings, scientists should understand the …

Ua3/9/5 Russellville Speech, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell at unidentified function in Russellville, Kentucky.