Course

Credit Type:
Course
ACE ID:
OOSL-0052
Version:
5
Organization's ID:
COM101
Organization:
Location:
Online
Length:
14 weeks (75 hours)
Minimum Passing Score:
70
ACE Credit Recommendation Period:
Credit Recommendation & Competencies
Level Credits (SH) Subject
Lower-Division Baccalaureate 3 Communications
Description

Objective:

In an era where effective communication drives social change, this course empowers students to become confident advocates for issues they care about most. Students explore public speaking as a tool for civic engagement and positive change, developing personal, informative, and persuasive advocacy presentations that transform their passions and knowledge into effective public communication. Building on these foundational skills, the course emphasizes audience-centered approaches, evidence-based argument development, and ethical communication practices. Students will progress from sharing personal experiences to researching and presenting complex information to crafting persuasive appeals for local change. Throughout this journey, they will master techniques for managing speaking anxiety, structuring compelling narratives, using visual aids effectively, an adapting their message to diverse audiences. By course completion, students will have developed a comprehensive toolkit of communication skills that enables them to engage meaningfully in democratic processes, influence policy discussions, and inspire action within their communities--turning them into effective agents of positive change in both local and broader civic contexts.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand what it means to “be an advocate,” and to participate in civic discourse
  • Engage in information discovery, analysis, and application by searching for, and synthesizing, relevant sources for advocacy-driven public speaking projects
  • Apply deep critical thinking skills to guide broad topic exploration and the formation of specific arguments guided by focused thesis statements
  • Critically consider how one’s values, assumptions, actions, and communication affect a desired outcome
  • Deploy rhetorical techniques such as elocution, style, verbal/nonverbal delivery and visual aids, to enhance audience engagement
  • Create effective introductory, informational and persuasive proposition projects with the following considerations: engaging opening, well-articulated thesis, argument structure, substantive conclusion, relevant and integrated source material, effective transitions, and appropriate verbal and nonverbal cues
  • Integrate knowledge of rhetorical strategies when crafting an argument
  • Design multimodal communication presentations that align with project purpose, intended audience, and desired outcome
  • Create coherent preparation and speaking outlines that demonstrate awareness of strong organizational strategies and employ the scaffolding required for successful communication centered around a clear purpose
  • Demonstrate an ability to analyze civic discourse as an audience member
  • Reflect on individual strengths and opportunities for growth, as applicable to communication situations and opportunities

General Topics:

  • Checkpoint 1: Public Speaking as Civic Engagement Checkpoint 2: Advocacy Communication Capstone 1: The "My Advocacy" Speech Checkpoint 3: informative Communication Capstone 2: The Informative Speech Checkpoint 4: Persuasive Communication Capstone 3: The Persuasive Speech Checkpoint 5: Reflective Communication Capstone 4: Reflective Analysis Speech
Instruction & Assessment

Instructional Strategies:

  • Audio Visual Materials
  • Computer Based Training
  • Learner Presentations
  • Lectures

Methods of Assessment:

  • Presentations
  • Quizzes
  • Written Papers
Supplemental Materials
Equivalencies