MPPR-­‐885-­‐01: SPEECHWRITING GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: MPS-­‐Public Relations and Corporate Communications Wednesday, 5:20 p.m. – 7:50 p.m. | Spring 2015 Instructor: Michael Long Downtown campus, room C218 • Office hours are by appointment. COURSE OVERVIEW Students will learn techniques for producing speeches such as congressional testimony, commencements, after-­‐dinner talks, eulogies, political speeches, and business announcements. Students will focus on structure, literary and rhetorical techniques, and methods to accommodate the common strengths and weaknesses of various speakers. Students will also read and analyze archetypal speeches, and learn how writing as a profession influences outlook and habits overall. The course prepares students for speechwriting in any environment including business, government, politics, issue-­‐
advocacy, and the non-­‐profit world. Significant class time will be devoted to writing in a workshop environment with review by the instructor and other students. COURSE OBJECTIVES By the end of the semester, students will: •
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be familiar with the structure, categories, and qualities of oral presentations; know how to use a variety of rhetorical and literary devices; be able to write remarks to meet expectations; and come to see that the best writers offer their work as an expression of a rich intellectual life, and not simply as work products. REQUIRED READING Title: Lend Me Your Ears Author(s): Safire, William ISBN: 0393059316 Publisher: WW Norton Year: 2004 Price: $45.00 Title: The Elements of Style Author(s): William Strunk, Jr. and EB White ISBN: 020530902X Publisher: Longman Year: 1999 Price: $9.95 Additional reading: Come to class conversant in current events through daily review of major newspapers such as The Washington Post and The New York Times. ATTENDANCE As outlined by the university, missing more than two classes will result in a final grade reduction of one level (for example, an A will be converted to an A-­‐). Absences for classes, beyond the initial two, will result in further reduction of the final grade. If you are absent for more than four classes, you will be in danger of failing this course. Punctual attendance is critical. If you have to miss a class – family emergency, medical emergency or other act of God – you must let the instructors know in advance and work out a proposal for making up whatever work you will miss. Exceptions will be made only in extraordinary circumstances. CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE, CLASS PARTICIPATION AND OTHER GUIDELINES A successful class depends on the active engagement of all students. Students should turn off all cell phones, pagers or other communication devices while in class. Class discussions should be respectful and considerate of others’ views and opinions. What happens in class stays in class unless you receive permission from the instructor to share something. Students should be seated and prepared for class to begin by its start time. Notify your instructor by email or text if you will be late, and why. Students who are consistently late for class may see their final grade reduced by up to two levels (for example, an A-­‐ may be converted to a B+ or a B). ASSIGNMENTS “Show and tell” items (weekly) Spec sheet and outline* Speech Speech revised to use literary devices Speech using motivated sequence Strunk & White speech Speech revised for alternate opening and closing Speech repaired by “wish list” Speech using metaphor Group-­‐project speech Assignments with an asterisk will be collected at instructor’s discretion. GRADING Your course grade will be based on the following: The instructor will assign letter grades instead of points because assigning points for writing can be arbitrary. (For example, there may be no significant difference between a paper marked 82 out of 100 and one marked 84 out of 100.) All assignments have equal weighted value toward your final grade. (For example, the A you receive for writing a short speech will have the same impact on your final grade as the A you receive for writing a long speech.) To calculate your grade, give yourself 1 point for each A, 2 points for each A-­‐, 3 for each B+, etc. Add these numbers, then divide that sum by the total number of grades. Aside from penalties for being absent or late (see previous sections of this syllabus), the quotient is your current overall grade. (For example, a student with two As, two A-­‐s, two Bs and an F would get 2 points for the As, 4 points for the A-­‐s, 8 points for the Bs and 7 points for the F, totaling 21 points. Divide 21 by the total number of grades: 21/7 =3. By the scale below, a 3.00 is a B+.) Graduate course grades include A, A-­‐, B+, B, B-­‐, C and F. There are no grades of C+, C-­‐ or D. A 1.00-­‐1.49 B-­‐ 4.50-­‐5.49 A-­‐ 1.50-­‐2.49 C 5.50-­‐6.49 B+ 2.50-­‐3.49 F 6.50-­‐7.00 B 3.50-­‐4.49 The instructors will provide a warning by mid-­‐semester to any student who appears to be on track for a poor final grade. UNIVERSITY RESOURCES Georgetown offers a variety of support systems for students that can be accessed on main campus or at the downtown location: • MPS Writing Resource Program 202-­‐687-­‐4246 http://writingcenter.georgetown.edu/ • Academic Resource Center 202-­‐687-­‐8354 | [email protected] http://ldss.georgetown.edu/ • Counseling and Psychiatric Services 202-­‐687-­‐6985 http://caps.georgetown.edu/ STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES POLICY Students with documented disabilities have the right to specific accommodations that do not fundamentally alter the nature of the course. Students with disabilities should contact the Academic Resource Center (202-­‐687-­‐8354; [email protected]; http://ldss.georgetown.edu/index.cfm) before the start of classes to allow time to review the documentation and make recommendations for appropriate accommodations. If accommodations are recommended, you will be given a letter from ARC to share with your professors. You are personally responsible for completing this process officially and in a timely manner. Neither accommodations nor exceptions to policies can be permitted to students who have not completed this process in advance. GEORGETOWN HONOR SYSTEM All students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic and personal integrity in pursuit of their education at Georgetown. Academic dishonesty in any form is a serious offense, and students found in violation are subject to academic penalties that include, but are not limited to, failure of the course, termination from the program, and revocation of degrees already conferred. All students are held to the Honor Code. The Honor Code pledge follows: In the pursuit of the high ideals and rigorous standards of academic life, I commit myself to respect and uphold the Georgetown University Honor System: To be honest in any academic endeavor, and To conduct myself honorably, as a responsible member of the Georgetown community, as we live and work together. PLAGIARISM Stealing someone else’s work is a terminal offense in journalism, and it will wreck your career in academia, too. Students are expected to work with integrity and honesty in all their assignments. The Georgetown University Honor System defines plagiarism as "the act of passing off as one's own the ideas or writings of another.” More guidance is available through the Gervase Programs at http://gervaseprograms.georgetown.edu/honor/system/53377.html. If you have any doubts about plagiarism, paraphrasing and the need to credit, check out http://www.plagiarism.org. SYLLABUS MODIFICATION
The syllabus may change to accommodate discussion of emerging topics. Also, the schedules of guest speakers may require some shifting of the agenda. The instructors will make every effort to provide as much advance notice as possible for any alterations. COURSE SCHEDULE DATE/TOPIC WEEK 1 (Wednesday, January 14) Basics of Speechwriting: Process, Structure, and Spec Sheets READING DUE Assignment: Read Edmund Burke Makes a Case for Conciliation with America (ex. Persuasion) WEEK 2 (Wednesday, January 21) Basics of Speechwriting Assignment: Read Pericles' Funeral Oration WEEK 3 (Wednesday, January 28) Basics of Speechwriting WEEK 4 (Wednesday, February 4) Basics of Speechwriting WEEK 5 (Wednesday, February 11) Listenability via Literary Devices Assignment: Read William Faulkner Charges Writers with Duty/Accepts Nobel Prize (ex. Listenability and literary devices) ASSIGNMENT DUE Assignment: Find an item for show and tell IN-­‐CLASS ACTIVITIES LECTURE: Syllabus and procedures LECTURE: Attitude toward writing and speechwriting; preparation and process (Part I) Assignment: Prepare a Show and Tell spec sheet and outline elements for a speech, LECTURE: Speech topic from instructor Structure (Part II) Assignment: Find an item for show & tell Assignment: Complete Show and Tell outline elements; translate into ten-­‐
LECTURE: Completing minute speech the speech (Part III) Assignment: Find an Review student item for show & tell outlines and spec sheets Assignment: Revise Show and Tell speech Review student Assignment: Find an speeches; allow edits item for show & tell during discussion Submit: Speech #1 Show and Tell Assignment: Revise Review Student and improve speech speeches; allow edits #1 using literary during discussion devices; mark each in margin using track LECTURE: Listenability change comments using literary devices devices; Safire and Assignment: Find at mark them with yellow least 12 examples of post-­‐it notes literary devices in WEEK 6 (Wednesday, February 18) The Motivated Sequence Assignment: Read Barry Goldwater Ignites the Conservative Movement (ex. Persuasion) WEEK 7 (Wednesday, February 25) Strunk & White Assignment: Read Strunk & White WEEK 8 (Wednesday, March 4) Alternate Openings and Closings Assignment: Read Salman Rushdie Crise Out from a Life "Trapped Inside a Metaphor" (ex. Alternate openings and closings) Safire; mark each with a Post-­‐it note for classroom discussion next week Assignment: Find an item for show & tell Assignment: Write a speech using the motivated sequence Assignment: Find an item for show & tell Submit: Literary device homework #1 Submit: Motivated sequence speech Assignment: Write a five-­‐minute speech about two of the most important ideas from S&W. Obviously, be brief and to the point. Assignment: Find an item for show & tell Assignment: Revise a previous speech of your choice to include an alternate opening and an alternate closing. Remember to use literary devices and to otherwise adhere to standard Show and Tell Discuss Faulkner (esp. for literary devices and interesting language) Discuss student-­‐
identified examples in Safire Review literary device speech revisions LECTURE: The motivated sequence Show and Tell Discuss Goldwater (esp. for persuasive qualities) Review and revise motivated sequence homework Show and Tell Discuss Strunk & White/deliver brief speeches LECTURE: Alternate openings and closings WEEK 9 (Wednesday, March 18) Lessons from Songwriters WEEK 10 (Wednesday, March 25) Wish-­‐list Repair WEEK 11 (Wednesday, April 1) Metaphor-­‐driven speeches WEEK 12 (Wednesday, April 8) State of the Union Group Project structure or motivated sequence SUBMIT: Speech w/alt open or close Assignment: Find an item for show & tell Assignment: Repair speech according to wish list Assignment: Find an item for show & tell Assignment: Write a metaphor-­‐driven speech (topic from instructor) Assignment: Find an item for show & tell (last time) Submit: Wish-­‐list-­‐
repaired speech Submit: Metaphor-­‐
driven speech Assignment: You will be divided into groups of five to seven students each. The instructor will appoint a chief speechwriter for each group, and you will create a State of the Union address, approximately 6000 words in length, for delivery by the Show and Tell Discuss Rushdie Review openings and closings LECTURE: What speechwriters can learn from songwriters Show and Tell LECTURE: Wish-­‐list repair Show and Tell Review wish-­‐list repair speeches LECTURE: The metaphor-­‐driven speech Review speeches WEEK 13 (Wednesday, April 15) State of the Union Group Project WEEK 14 (Wednesday, April 22) State of the Union Group Project WEEK 15 (Wednesday, May 6) State of the Union Group Project President of the United States. Note that a "surprise development" in the world will be announced some time before the end of the semester, and you will need to revise your speech to accommodate it. Workshop Workshop Assignment: Turn in SOTU Workshop