Speech -- information update
- Due Mar 10, 2024 by 11:59pm
- Points 100
- Submitting a discussion post
Note: This comment below is from a previous semester when I taught this class in person. I post it here for the purpose of comparing what an in-person class experience might be like, compared to our asynchronous, online course. We might try to capture some of the aspects of this in-person class in our own way within the limitations of an asynchronous, virtual class.
Hi, Everyone! I was very happy to see a big turnout for our class on Monday. I hope everyone (including those who missed Monday's class) are here on Wednesday. We will focus on setting up partners to work in class developing a pro and a con (one in each partner group will be pro, one will be con), considering how to approach developing a persuasive approach using logos, pathos, and ethos, and, if possible, have one or two students make their personal/narrative presentation. As the semester moves along, and we become pressed for time, it might be a good idea for students to do some of their presentations on video, at least initially. Then, students can watch them at home, and we could invite the students to come to the front for a follow-up Q & A with the class. You can also record your videos within Canvas. I will be sure to set up a section for that there. How does this sound? I want the class to keep moving along conceptually. That's why I'm going ahead with getting our feet wet with persuasive speaking. I think most students are already familiar with informative speech, as you hear it from your professors all the time, so I have kind of passed over that for the moment. As we will find, persuasive speech incorporates some aspects of informative speech, so it makes sense to jump ahead. I think it also accesses your general interest in life and what's going on around us in the world. This young generation certainly has and will continue having great challenges, so why not access all of that thinking and feeling and enlist that energy for our course purposes.
I've posted the following materials in Canvas, in Modules, in a category called "HELPING STUDENTS WITH PERSUASIVE SPEAKING," and another one called "LOGOS, ETHOS, AND PATHOS." There are also other sections there which I've already posted in. I hope you are reading these...
In terms of the class functioning, it was pointed out to me after class by a couple of students that I teach more in the "graduate" style (i.e., post-BA). Well, I have to plead guilty to that. I personally became much more active and interested in learning and education when I went to graduate school. The first thing that hit me was that from the outset, I was treated as a resource for the program I was in, as someone who had something to contribute, rather than as someone who was being asked to do what I was directed to do. So, yes, this is what influenced me to become a teacher myself, and this is how I regard my students--as resources. So, while I do observe and keep track of what you are doing in the class, I personally feel rather degraded by an approach which asks me to tell you what to do and rewards or punishes you according to that. That's not why I became a teacher. I think it might be very productive to have a conversation about this in class, and I would ask for students to share openly your thoughts about the functioning of the class. I often hear that this is not how other teachers teach, but I do know many teachers who do teach this way--they were my teachers, and the ones who influenced me the most, and energized me the most.
OK, I hope to have a good class Wednesday. I will ask you to write down your 2 or 3 topics of interest, and then we wil compile them for the class, and we will try to form 2-student partner groups on a single topic, and then I will ask you to consider the framework of the argument, and begin developing--as partners--the pro and con positions. This will help you better understand and use the techniques and devices of persuasive speaking, and also help you develop some independence between your personal views and the argument you present in the class.
I will also send this to you as an email to your QC email, and I will post it also as an Announcement and Assignment. This is just to be sure that everyone see it somewhere. I know it's perhaps confusing, but I'd rather get it out any way I can. Thanks. - Leor
The New York Times has a great section called "The Learning Network," and within that they have special sections, including on pursuading an audience using logos, pathos, and ethos. Here it is.
https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/skills-practice-persuading-an-audience-using-logos-pathos-and-ethos/
I hate to make you read through this entire article. I normally read several opinion pieces in the New York Times every day. This one caught my attention because of the title, and then as I read through it, I spotted a paragraph which contained the words "Logos" and "Pathos," and spoke about these as oppositional within the context of contemporary US culture. It was very related to our discussion in class on Monday. I suggest you open this page, and search "logos", and you will come to that paragraph. Then you can browse the rest of the article for some context.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/opinion/education-outrage-morality-shaming.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region®ion=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region
I read another newspaper, from Israel, kind of on the same level as the New York Times. I read it in both English and Hebrew. I found an article here supporting Trump on the Iran treaty issue (as we discussed in class also). Here is that article. Interestingly, the author seems to agree with much of the opinions expressed by the class initially, on the personal, social, communicative, etc., aspects of him and his presidency (which we saw had been put into quotes in the article we read in class)
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-1.817453
Finally, the Learning Network section of the NYTimes has a whole section of controversial topics which could serve as the basis for your persuasive speech. We can review these in class--and you can certainly prepare at home--if you need a topic for your persuasive speech.
https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/learning-writing-prompts Links to an external site.