Q:  What resources do you have in the Speaking Center (12 EPB) that can help me as a rhetoric instructor?
A:  We have close to a hundred videotapes of historical, student, and political speeches that you can check out and use in your class.  We can consult with you regarding your speaking assignments.  We have public speaking textbooks that you can check out.  We have a file full of sample speaking assignments and activities.  Come visit us to find out more!

Q:  What is the purpose of this web resource and how can it help me better design and evaluate student speeches?
A:  The purpose of this web resource is to assist instructors in designing and evaluating student speeches in a manner consistent with the guidelines and objectives of the Rhetoric Department.  While we have a file of speech assignments from previous instructors that is available in room 12 EPB, on this website we are concerned with providing model assignments and commentary on how to construct effective speech assignments.

If you are a new instructor, you will soon learn that inventing student assignments is one of the most challenging aspects of being a good teacher.  You have to construct - out of nothing - something that will 1) accommodate diverse responses from the student, 2) require students to incorporate course materials and skills into coherent form, and 3) confirm that you have adequately prepared students to succeed on the assignment.  Assignments are as instructive to teachers as they are to students because they inform you - sometimes with cruel honesty - whether or not you have done your job well.

Designing and evaluating speech assignments presents additional challenges, due both to the inherently fleeting nature of speech and to the fact that forensic or deliberative speaking of the kind practiced in Rhetoric courses has become a largely forgotten capability for most people in the contemporary U.S.  One of your tasks as a Rhetoric instructor is to show students that the ability to speak publicly about and around important topics is NOT an innate talent that only a few people possess, but rather that it is like a muscle which everyone possess but must nevertheless be conditioned through practice, reflection, and guided experience.  This kind of conditioning is also necessary for speech instructors, and this web resource should be viewed as a resource to help you improve this ability which is one of singular importance in your role as an instructor.