Cal-GETC Area 1C (Oral Communication)

In this course, students learn and apply foundational rhetorical theories and techniques of public speaking in a multicultural democratic society. Students discover, develop, and critically analyze ideas in public discourse through research, reasoning, organization, composition, delivery to a live audience and evaluation of various types of speeches, including informative and persuasive speeches.

This course provides students with the foundational knowledge of argumentation and debate concepts and theories to successfully dissect and deliver arguments in distinct contexts and public speaking settings and to critically evaluate the arguments of others. The course covers concepts, such as Aristotle’s proof of ethos, pathos, and logos, audience analysis, ethics in argumentation, critical listening, and effective verbal and nonverbal practices for effective argumentation. Lastly, the course includes analysis of strong evidence and the process of reasoning needed for effective arguing and presentation of arguments to live audiences.