SPH106-05

Fundamentals of Oral Communication

Fall 2015

3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Prerequisite(s)

Course
Description

Student
Learning
Outcomes

Class days and

time
Campus and
Class location
Required
textbook and
Course
Materials
Last Date of
Withdrawal

Make-up
policy

Class
Participation
Final
Examination

RDG085 or ENG093 or higher placement. Students are required to complete

prerequisites for this course. Students who enroll without completing prerequisites for
this course may be withdrawn by the College and may not qualify for a refund of tuition.
It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all course prerequisites are
completed and documented at the College.
This is a performance course that includes the principles of human communication:
intrapersonal, interpersonal, and public. It surveys current communication
theory and provides practical application.
Students will:
1. Become aware of the importance of communication skills.
2. Gain experience in interpersonal, group, and oral communication.
3. Develop writing, research, and organizational skills by adapting to a diverse
audience and learning to produce a formal sentence outline for an
extemporaneous speech.
4. Demonstrate the ability to effectively use eye contact, facial expressions, voice,
posture and movement, clarity of message, and use of presentational aids by
presenting a speech extemporaneously.
Mondays & Wednesdays, 4:00 5:15PM
Martin Campus, Room 2927
Adler, R. B., Rodman, G. (2012). Understanding Human Communication. 12th Edition.
November 10, 2015
STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND ALL CLASSES FOR WHICH THEY ARE
REGISTERED. STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND CLASS ON TIME AND ARE
EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN CLASS FOR THE DURATION OF THE PUBLISHED
CLASS TIME. Student absences are calculated from the first day of classes. When a
student registers late, the classes that the student missed from the first scheduled class
date are counted as absences. Make up exams or speeches shall be conducted for
excused absences on a case-by-case basis. Possible acceptable, documented, excused
absences include military service, accidents, court appearance, representing the College
in sponsored activities, illness of the student or an immediate family member, or the
death of an immediate family member. Work-related excuses, child-care issues, and/or
travel will not excuse an absence. The student must submit appropriate documentation
of extenuating circumstances to the instructor and make arrangements for any make-up
work within one week of the last day covered by the excuse. It is the students
responsibility to make arrangements with the instructor to make up missed work. Any
missed material will not be re-taught by the instructor. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
THE STUDENT TO KEEP A RECORD OF ABSENCES.
Students are expected to have the required textbook for every class session.
Participation in classroom activities may require the textbook and/or any materials that
are distributed by the instructor throughout the course.
December 16, 2015

Tutors and
Office of
Specialized
Student
Services

Emergency
Preparedness
and Sexual
Misconduct

Shelton State Community College is dedicated to the success of its students.

To further that goal, free tutoring is available to all currently enrolled students. If you
need additional assistance to succeed, contact Annette Cook at acook@sheltonstate.edu.
If you have a disability and need accommodations to help you be successful, contact
Michele Minor at m.minor@sheltonstate.edu or visit her in the Office of Specialized
Student Services.
Shelton State Community College continues to be committed to a safe
teaching and learning environment for students and employees. In an effort
to further strengthen efforts at keeping the College Community free from weapon
related violence and to eradicate sexual misconduct crimes and infractions, SSCC has
recently enacted the following policies that address these areas specifically. Sexual
misconduct is an often underreported crime and victims should be aware that SSCC has
a confidential process in place for reporting such actions and for helping victims identify
resources for assistance. Links to these policies and other important emergency
preparedness related topics may be found on the college website:
http://www.sheltonstate.edu/discover_sscc/emergency_preparedness.aspx.

Instructor Information
Course
Instructors
E-mail and
phone
number
Student
hours and
location
for Student
Hours
Division
Chairs
E-mail and
phone
number

Candace Medlock
cmedlock@sheltonstate.edu
(205) 246-5337

After class and by appointment.

Jim Wilson
jwilson@sheltonstate.edu
(205) 391-2998

College Policy Information

Academic
Misconduct

Attendance
Policy

Standard
College
Policies

Student
Email
(Bucs Mail)

Quality
Enhancement
Plan

Students are expected to be honorable in all college assignments. Suspected cases of

academic misconduct are reported to the Dean of Academic or Technical Services.
SSCC Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend all classes for which they are
registered, to be prompt, and to remain in class/lab for the entire time. Attendance will
be recorded at every class/lab meeting. On the final grade report, instructors are required
to identify the last day of attendance for all students who receive a grade of F or U.
Students who are unable to attend class regularly, regardless of the reason or
circumstance, should withdraw from the class. Withdrawal from class can affect eligibility
for federal financial aid.
If a student is unable to attend at least 80 percent of class meetings, regardless of the
reason or circumstance, it is recommended that the student withdraw from that class;
excessive absences interfere with the students ability to successfully complete the course.
The college catalog and website detail standard college polices for all teaching and
learning activities. This class syllabus is intended to give further detail about the policies
and expectations in this class. Students are expected to be aware of and abide by College
policies in every class.
All students who are or have been registered for classes at Shelton State Community
College are provided an e-mail account. Students who are currently registered must have
an e-mail account. Electronic mail is the official method of communication for delivery of
information. Shelton State designated communicators may use this e-mail account to
send official communications to the student body. Student -email addresses will be
recorded in the colleges electronic directories and records. To activate/sign in to your
Bucs Mail account, visit the Bucs Mail icon at www.sheltonstate.edu.
Shelton States Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
Improving Student Success in Online Classes

Grading Information
Assignment

Point Value

Introductory Speech

75

Preparation Outlines
- Informative (25)
- Persuasive (25)

50

Informative Speech

125

Persuasive Speech

150

Participation

100

Total

500

Students Score

Letter grades will be assigned according to the following:

Percentage
Grade

Point
Value

Letter
Grade

90-100

450 and above

80-89

400-449

70-79

350-399

60-69

300-349

59 and below

299 and
below

The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its admissions,
programs, and services in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, and
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. - See more at:
http://www.sheltonstate.edu/discover_sscc/eeoc_statement.aspx#sthash.ZEfKOVpJ.dpuf

Schedule Information
SPH106: FUNDAMENTALS OF ORAL COMMUNICATION
Last day to withdraw from classes
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Date
Topics*
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Course Overview/Syllabus
Monday, August 24, 2015
Ch. 1 Communication: What and Why?
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Ch. 2 The Self and Communication
Monday, August 31, 2015
Introductory Speech Discussion
Wednesday, September 02, 2015
Peer Interviews
Monday, September 07, 2015
All Classes Dismissed Labor Day
Wednesday, September 09, 2015
Introductory Speeches
Monday, September 14, 2015
Introductory Speeches
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Ch. 3 Communication and Culture
Monday, September 21, 2015
Ch. 4 Language
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Ch. 5 Listening
Monday, September 28, 2015
Ch. 6 Nonverbal Communication
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Ch. 7 & 8 Interpersonal
Monday, October 05, 2015
Ch. 9 & 10 Group Communication
Wednesday, October 07, 2015
Ch. 11 Preparing/Presenting Your Speech
Monday, October 12, 2015
Ch. 12 Organization and Support
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Ch. 13 Informative Speaking
Monday, October 19, 2015
Ch. 14 Persuasive Speaking
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Topics and Organization Patterns
Monday, October 26, 2015
Outlines and Sources
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Presentation Aids and Delivery
Monday, November 02, 2015
Audience Analysis and Speech Anxiety
Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Speech Assignment Discussion
Monday, November 09, 2015
Informative Speech Workshop
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
All Classes Dismissed Veterans Day
Monday, November 16, 2015
Informative Speeches
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Informative Speeches
Monday, November 23, 2015
Informative Speeches
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
All Classes Dismissed Thanksgiving
Monday, November 30, 2015
Persuasive Speech Workshop
Wednesday, December 02, 2015
Persuasive Speeches
Monday, December 07, 2015
Persuasive Speeches
Wednesday, December 09, 2015
Persuasive Speeches
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Final Exam 1:00-3:00

*Schedule topics are tentative and subject to change

at instructors discretion with prior notification.

Grading Policies
Participation
I will only take roll occasionally for institutional purposes. Your participation grade will
not be based on attendance; however, you have to attend class to participate!
During most class sessions, we will be doing an in-class activity associated with the
subject material. You should bring your textbook and scrap paper to EVERY class
session (except on speech days). I will give you a sheet of instructions or instruct you to
use a sheet of notebook paper. You should make sure that your name and the date are
on these documents. These documents will be turned in at the end of class. I will mark
down the grades in my gradebook (either full credit or no credit/usually out of 5 points
per activity), and I will return these documents to you at the beginning of the following
class session.
You are responsible for holding on to these documents until the end of the semester in
case you have any questions or concerns about your participation grade. If you cannot
produce evidence, the grade in my gradebook/Blackboard will stand.
Speeches
For each speech assignment, you will receive a packet of documents containing the
following items*: (1) Assignment; (2) Outline; (3) Peer Workshop; (4) Peer Evaluation;
(5) Instructor Evaluation; (6) Self-Reflection; (7) Grading Rubric.
*Some speeches have one more or one less, but this is the basic set of documents for
each speech.
If you lose a document, they are available to you on Blackboard in the appropriate
speech folder under the Speeches tab. If you are late on the day of your speech, you
will be moved to the end of the days order and lose 10 points. If you are absent on the
day of your speech and cannot provide evidence of an excused absence (as detailed in
the make-up policy), you will receive a 0 on the speech assignment.
You will lose 1 point for every 10 seconds that you go over or under the specified speech
assignment time. You will be graded based on the categories listed on the Instructor
Evaluation and defined on the Grading Rubric documents.
Due Dates for Speech Assignment Components:
Full Sentence Preparation Outlinesmust be submitted on Blackboard by
midnight prior to the first day of speeches
Peer Workshop Formsmust be turned in at the end of the class session during
which you give your speech
Peer Evaluation Formsmust be turned in at the end of the class session during
which your assigned speaker presented his or her speech
Self-Reflection Formsmust be turned in at the end of the class session that falls 1
week after all speeches have been presented