This paper asserts that by removing speech and rhetoric from the "English" department and making composition a stepchild of literature, Harvard and Johns Hopkins Universities ultimately made it much more difficult for writing instructors today to capitalize on the strong physical underpinnings that speech and rhetoric provide to writing.…

As more and more international students begin attending universities in the United States, the nature of teaching is changing. It is within this change that sojourners experience the "double whammy of intercultural adaptation." International students must learn to deal with and adjust to a completely new cultural and educational…

This curriculum guide contains lesson plans and students handouts for a 12-week (24-class) course on presentation skills. The course has the following objectives: encourage nonnative English speakers to become more expressive and persuasive in their communication; empower students to set and achieve goals; enhance students' ability to convey…

Although academic debate is not viewed highly by many in the critical thinking movement, most of the attacks are based on a misperception of the activity, while others target faults that are not inherent to the activity. Contrary to the claim that debaters seek only to win, this desire is regulated by rules of evidence, time limits, rules…

This module on presentation skills is designed for beginning computer applications classes for nondata processing majors. The module is designed to enhance students' presentation skills and teamwork abilities. The students, working in teams of two, select from a list of software projects. The student teams research, outline, and demonstrate the…

This paper provides an overview for a communication curriculum that has begun to include cultural diversity as part of its overall assessment process. First, the paper introduces the topic of assessment as it relates to cultural diversity and the student at-risk. Then the paper reviews the literature related to students at-risk and…

A study examined the impact of high school sophomore students' mastery of public speaking skills through sociodrama. Student attitudes toward role-play was also surveyed to provide more background information on sociodrama's impact upon student learning. A class of 26 students in southern Cook County, Illinois, prepared role-play characterizations…

A review of the role of theory and research in the teaching of public speaking reveals that although speech models have been an important pedagogical tool since the beginning of systematic instruction in public speaking, research investigating the value of model speeches is limited. A 1966 survey of 861 instructors in public speaking indicated…

Explores the effects of metaphorical language on receiver attention and memory. (MH)

The use of figurative language permeates American Indian discourse, across differences in time, geography, and tribal culture. Traditionally, the presence of figurative language has been attributed to a compulsion for decoration and to a need for mnemonic devices. However, neither of these explanations accounts for changes in the rich tapestry of…

Many secondary school principals in Belize had expressed a desire and a strong need to start developing in their students the many and varied skills to be gained from participating in debate. The principals feel that the educational system of Belize is their greatest asset and that adding debate to their curriculum would make it even stronger. To…

To bridge the gap between broad philosophical claims about the value of forensics and actual current practices and experiences, the concept of the "total" forensic program offers critical components that are educationally valid with numerous advantages for participants and sponsoring departments. The total approach is defined as the most…

The idea of establishing some form of exchange among student debaters from the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC) grew out of the participation of California State University (CSU) (Northridge) in the 1987 debates in Montreal between American and Canadian universities. Since CSU Northridge was in the process of expanding its…

A study investigated the level of black participation in the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) to discover means of increasing and improving black student involvement in forensic activities. Of 64 schools reporting that they compete in CEDA, only 22 reported having black debaters on the team. Additionally, these schools reported a total…

As part of the Speech Communication Association (SCA) 1990 Summer Conference on Communication Competency Assessment held in Denver, Colorado, one work group worked on the development of a speech performance evaluation form and/or process grounded in and driven by the competency paradigm. Prior to and during the conference, the group developed a…