Entry requirements

General entry requirements

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student is expected to be able to:

• prepare and deliver public speeches, with attention to vocal and bodily expression, storytelling and other techniques;
• analyse and constructively comment upon the public speaking techniques used by others;
• speak and write with heightened attention to detail, incongruity, and elegance of expression.

Content

A workshop in becoming a captivating speaker with your own expressive style. Weekly exercises and individual coaching in basic and more advanced skills, including storytelling, body language, use of humor, sharing vulnerability, conveying moral urgency, debating opponents, responding to hecklers, using technology, and being interviewed in public. No previous experience is needed; the course seeks to be a forgiving milieu that enables experimentation and growth.

Instruction

Course instruction includes lectures by the instructor but concentrates on practical exercises. During most weeks, students prepare and present mini-speeches or segments of speeches to practice particular skills (such as how to start a lecture, or how to use gestures and other body language). The course concludes with a final speech by each student, presented in class and also submitted in writing together with an analytical reflection (how the student crafted the speech and what she/he was trying to achieve with the techniques used).

Teaching is given in the form of lectures and seminars. Participation in the seminars is compulsory. Instruction is in English.

Assessment

​The course is assessed on the basis of active participation in the weekly class meetings (0 credits, but required in order to pass the course) and the final oral (4 credits) and written (3,5 credits) assignments.

Grading scale for seminars: Fail-Pass (U-G). Grading scale for all other assessed components: Fail-Pass-Pass with distinction (U-G-VG).

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.

Other directives

Good reading and speaking skills in English are required. The student must be capable of working independently throughout the course.

Transitional provisions

Students retain the right to be examined on the course according to this syllabus for 3 semesters after their course instance has ended. Normally, instruction will be given according to the latest version of the course syllabus only.