Summer I 2026
Public Speaking
SPCH 1315-2A3 – Summer 2026 – Public Speaking CREDIT 3 Semester Credit Hours MODE OF INSTRUCTION Online PREREQUISITE/CO-REQUISITE: None COURSE DESCRIPTION Application of communication theory and practice to the public speaking context, with emphasis on audience analysis, speaker delivery, ethics of communication, cultural diversity, and speech organizational techniques to develop students’ speaking abilities, as well as ability to effectively evaluate oral presentations. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to • Demonstrate an understanding of the foundational models of communication. • Apply elements of audience analysis. • Demonstrate ethical speaking and listening skills by analyzing presentations for evidence and logic. • Research, develop and deliver extemporaneous speeches with effective verbal and nonverbal techniques. • Demonstrate effective usage of technology when researching and/or presenting speeches. • Identify how culture, ethnicity and gender influence communication. • Develop proficiency in presenting a variety of speeches as an individual or group (e.g. narrative, informative or persuasive). INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Kristyn Hunt Cathey, APR Email: khcathey@lit.edu (DO NOT USE Blackboard mail) Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 6-8 p.m.; excluding holidays and weekends REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS Our textbook for SPCH 1315 is Exploring Public Speaking, 4th Edition. This is a free e- book available online at https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/communication-textbooks/1/ in Word, PDF and EPUB (earlier editions) formats. You can also view and download the PDF attachment on Blackboard. Approved: KHC/5-27-26 • 1 package of 3x5 or 5x8 index cards • Material for creating visual aids • Must have the ability to upload/print documents for class • We will be using Blackboard for this course, as well at LIT email. ATTENDANCE POLICY This is a 100% online course. Students must remain active in the course to retain the knowledge and pass the class. For every hour in class (or unit of credit), students should expect to spend at least two to three hours per week studying and completing assignments. For a 3-credit-hour class, students should prepare to allocate approximately six to nine hours per week outside of class in a 16- week session OR approximately 12 to 18 hours in an 8-week session. Online/Hybrid students should expect to spend at least as much time in this course as in the traditional, face-to-face class. DROP POLICY If you wish to drop a course, you are responsible for initiating and completing the drop process. If you stop coming to class and fail to drop the course, you will earn an “F” in the course. COURSE CALENDAR Week/Date Readings/Assignments/Due Dates Week 1 6/1-6/5 1. Orientation to the course – Read Syllabus & Syllabus Addendum 2. Read Chapters 1-4 Week 2 6/8-6/12 1. Read Chapters 5-8 2. Read directions for speech #1 Week 3 6/15-6/19 3. Read Chapters 9-12 4. Speech #1 - Logo Speech due by EOD on Sunday 5. Speech #1 – Logo Speech Evaluation due by EOD on Sunday 6. Read directions for speech #2 and submit topic via email by Sunday Week 4 6/22-6/26 1. Read Chapters 13-15 2. Prepare for Speech #2 3. Complete library assignment by EOD on Sunday Week 5 6/29-7/3 1. Read instructions for speech #3 and submit topic via email 2. Speech #2 - Tribute Speech due by EOD on Sunday 3. Speech #2 - Tribute Speech Self-Evaluation due by EOD on Sunday Week 6 7/6-7/10 1. Complete Listener Report by EOD on Sunday 2. Read instructions for speech #4 and submit topic by EOD on Sunday Week 7 7/13-7/17 1. Speech #3 - Informative Speech due by EOD on Sunday 2. Speech #3 - Informative Speech Evaluation due by EOD on Sunday Week 8 7/20-7/24 1. Begin working on speech #4 2. Read instructions for speech #5 and submit topic by EOD on Sunday Week 9 7/27-7/31 1. Speech #4 - Problem-Solution Speech due by EOD on Sunday 2. Speech #4 - Problem-Solution Evaluation due by EOD on Sunday Week 10 8/3-8/7 1. Speech #5 - Persuasive Speech Monroe’s Motivated Sequence Speech due by EOD on Sunday 2. Speech #5 - MMS Self Evaluation due by EOD on Sunday Final Week of Class Week 11 8/10-8/14 1. Final Exam (Chapters 1-15) opens on Sunday at 8 a.m. and closes on Friday at 11:59 p.m. COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: Speeches (Logo, Tribute, Informative, Persuasive) – 40% Common Assignment (MMS Speech) – 20% Exams (Final Exam) - 20% Assignments (Speech Evaluations 1-5, Listener Report, Library Assignment) - 20% GRADE SCALE • 90-100 A • 80-89 B • 70-79 C • 60-69 D • 0-59 F TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The latest technical requirements, including hardware, compatible browsers, operating systems, etc. can be online at https://lit.edu/online-learning/online-learning-minimum- computer-requirements. A functional broadband internet connection, such as DSL, cable, or WiFi is necessary to maximize the use of online technology and resources. DISABILITIES STATEMENT The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are federal anti-discrimination statutes that provide comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. LIT provides reasonable accommodations as defined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, to students with a diagnosed disability. The Special Populations Office is located in the Eagles’ Nest Room 129 and helps foster a supportive and inclusive educational environment by maintaining partnerships with faculty and staff, as well as promoting awareness among all members of the Lamar Institute of Technology community. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator at (409)-951-5708 or email specialpopulations@lit.edu. You may also visit the online resource at Special Populations - Lamar Institute of Technology (lit.edu). STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT STATEMENT It is the responsibility of all registered Lamar Institute of Technology students to access, read, understand and abide by all published policies, regulations, and procedures listed in the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook. The LIT Catalog and Student Handbook may be accessed at www.lit.edu. Please note that the online version of the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook supersedes all other versions of the same document. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STATEMENT Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) recognizes the recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, have changed the landscape of many career disciplines and will impact many students in and out of the classroom. To prepare students for their selected careers, LIT desires to guide students in the ethical use of these technologies and incorporate AI into classroom instruction and assignments appropriately. Appropriate use of these technologies is at the discretion of the instructor. Students are reminded that all submitted work must be their own original work unless otherwise specified. Submissions that are more than 25% AI will not be accepted and will result in a zero. Students must disclose their usage of AI by attributing information used to a source and are 100% responsible for the content when submitted for a grade. Submitting AI-generated content as original work without disclosure (for exams/assignments), submitting fake data or citations or impersonating of another person’s work will not be allowed and will result in a zero for that assignment. If the infraction occurs more than once, the student may be in violation of the college’s Academic Integrity Policy. Students should contact their instructor with any questions as to the acceptable use of AI/ChatGPT in their courses. STARFISH LIT utilizes an early alert system called Starfish. Throughout the semester, you may receive emails from Starfish regarding your course grades, attendance, or academic performance. Faculty members record student attendance, raise flags and kudos to express concern or give praise, and you can make an appointment with faculty and staff all through the Starfish home page. You can also login to Blackboard or MyLIT and click on the Starfish link to view academic alerts and detailed information. It is the responsibility of the student to pay attention to these emails and information in Starfish and consider taking the recommended actions. Starfish is used to help you be a successful student at LIT. ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES/INFORMATION 1. Academic Dishonesty (Cheating, plagiarism, etc.) will not be tolerated. On the first offense, you will fail the assignment. On the second offense, you will fail the class. 2. Student assignments are accepted solely on Blackboard, unless otherwise noted by instructor. It is the student’s responsibility to learn to use Blackboard appropriately. Blackboard training is offered to students at no cost. 3. Speech requirements are listed below. Failure to comply with all requirements on a speech assignment will result in a zero grade for that speech. You must include all four items for each speech. 1. Students must meet all four requirements below to avoid receiving a zero. i. Outlines ii. Works Cited page – unless otherwise noted iii. Visual aid – unless otherwise noted iv. Speech video 2. Student speech videos must clearly show the front of the student. Failure to do so will result in a zero. 3. Videos must be unedited. Edited videos will result in a zero. 4. Students should have at least three (3) people in their audience when delivering a speech, if possible. For dual-credit students, your classroom is sufficient. 5. Videos must be correctly uploaded to YouTube or Google Drive with an “unlisted” or “public” privacy setting. If you set it to “private” I will not be able to view it and therefore it is as if you didn’t turn it in. Videos not uploaded properly in Blackboard will receive a zero. 6. Videos must be focused (not blurry, fuzzy, etc.) and must not have background noise such as babies, children, pets, TVs, cell phones, etc. 7. Speeches should not include media with other people talking; this does not count as a visual aid, and points will be deducted at a high manner for doing this. 8. Students are expected to dress appropriately and stand fort the entirety of their speeches. Sometimes in the online course people get “too comfortable” when speaking in their own homes. Wearing of ball caps, inappropriate clothing or chewing gum, not wearing shoes, etc. during a speech will result in a letter grade penalty. Remember this course is college course and you are giving professional/formal presentations. Think about the impression your dress might make on your audience. 9. You are expected to WATCH your videos. Watch them before you post to YouTube. Ask yourself “Is this my best work?” If not, you may have to record again. Do not let the first ‘take’ be the only time you do your speech. You should practice many times before you ever bring in the audience and the camera. 10. Speeches that are read will be penalized per the information in the rubric. The rubric can be found where you submit your speeches. The goal of this class is to speak extemporaneously; well-researched, well-rehearsed, effective use of notecards, and overall well-prepared speeches are the expectation. Reading is not effective or acceptable. 11. For each of your four speeches and two written assignments, the Library Assignment and Listening Report, there are instructions and requirements on Blackboard. See “Assignments” under “Course Content.” It is very important that you review these instructions BEFORE completing your work and that your work fulfills the requirements 12. After you have presented each of your speeches, complete a self-evaluation on Blackboard. Find these under “Assignments.” This is an opportunity for you to look back at your preparation and delivery. What went well? Where can you make improvements? The evaluation for your final speech, the group project, is different in that you will be evaluating not only yourself but also your group members. There’s a form for that attached to the assignment. Students will not receive a grade on an evaluation without uploading their speech. No exceptions. 13. Your final exam is 50 multiple-choice and true/false questions coming primarily from your textbook. This test will be taken online via Blackboard. In advance of the test, I will supply a list of terms for review. 14. Academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, etc.) will not be tolerated. On the first offense, you will fail the assignment. On the second offense, you will fail the class. 15. Incompletes in this course will only be allowed if ALL the following conditions are met 75 percent of the coursework has been completed; a dire situation documented by evidence makes completion during the regular term impossible; and a student formally requests an incomplete. 16. Late work will only be accepted upon approval of the instructor within a reasonable amount of time. If you disappear during the semester, for whatever reason, you won’t get to make up missed assignments when you reappear. It is vital that you communicate with me in a timely manner. Email is your best option.