AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Department of English and Translation
ENG 205 Syllabus
Fall 2023-2024
__________________________________________________________________

INSTRUCTOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

OFFICE: ENGLISH DEPARTMENT—BLOCK A, 5TH FLOOR

Instructor Email
Fady El-Hakim fhakim@aust.edu.lb
Dina Bdeir dbdeir@aust.edu.lb
Peter Daaboul pdaaboul aust.edu.lb
Celine Chalhoub cchalhoub aust.edu.lb
Badih Chemali bchemali@aust.edu.lb
Huda Janom hjanom@aust.edu.lb
Sanchez Saliba sasaliba@aust.edu.lb

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Most careers require some level of public speaking ability, whether it involves making a
proposal to your group or management at work, making a sales presentation, teaching people
how to use a product or system, or making a presentation to your employees as a manager.
Sometimes we face other public speaking situations; including teaching young people how to do
something, making our opinion known at a public meeting, or commemorating special events.
Thus, the aim of this course is to help you become a more effective and responsible speaker and
listener. It will encourage you to communicate more openly in different settings (speeches, group
discussion, interviews, etc.). It also helps you acquire the necessary skills needed to become
more articulate in verbal communication. This course will also focus on providing listening,
critical thinking, and research skills that will be valuable to you throughout your life. The
emphasis will be placed on organization, supporting material, delivery, and audience analysis.
Further attention is given to the study of social relationships and the communication process.
COURSE OBJECTIVE

 To help students differentiate between the basic forms of speeches; informative,

persuasive, and so on.
 To become active participants in discussion and debates.
 To encourage articulateness in speech making
 To enhance the objective ability of the student to evaluate in-class speeches

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

 Students are responsible for reading the assigned chapters before coming to class. They
are also expected to participate actively in class discussions.

 Students are expected to comply with the requirements of this course. These are clearly
shown in the “weekly distribution” section of this syllabus.

 Students are expected to attend regularly. Those whose absence exceeds three times will
see their grade affected negatively.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The term plagiarize is defined as to “take (ideas, writings, etc.) from (another) and pass
them off as one’s own” in Webster’s New World Dictionary. In other words, plagiarism is
stealing! Thus, do not represent the words or ideas of another scholar or individual without
proper attribution or reference. In a nutshell: You will fail the assignment and possibly the
course if caught engaging in plagiarism, cheating, or fabrication. A pattern of these offenses
can even result in dismissal from the university.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

First Speech: Informative Speech

When you least expect it, you might be invited to speak briefly at a meeting or gathering.
Students should prepare informative speeches that should be accompanied with an
audience analysis, a presentation outline, a delivery outline, and visual aids.

The Informative speech is a five to seven minute speech (including the time needed for showing
the visual aids).
Second Speech: The Persuasive Speech

The Persuasive Speech is a seven to ten minute speech (including the time needed for showing
the visual aids).

Evaluation of the informative and persuasive speech is divided between written and oral work:
The Preparation Outline, Visual Aids (required for informative, optional for persuasive) and the
delivery of the speech itself in class.

Oral Work

1. Students must prepare visual aids for their speeches following the suggestions in ch.12.
Failure to bring any aids results in their loss of the percentage allocated for that section.

2. The instructor will provide the students with a Speech Evaluation Form in advance.

ASSESSMENT PLAN AND GRADING CRITERIA

Attendance/Class Participation 5%
Informative Speech(IS) 20%
Persuasive Speech (PS) 25%

Exam I (EX1): 10%

Exam II (EX2): 10%
Final Exam 30%
Both exams are obligatory with 70% for the higher grade and 30% for the lower one.

(5 marks are deducted for each absence.)

COURSEBOOK

 Public Speaking- Finding Your Voice, Eleventh Edition, Kathleen J Turner, Randall
Osborn, Michael Osborn.
 Michigan Proficiency Final Countdown Practice Tests.
POLICIES
 Attendance is mandatory.
 Punctuality is a value, and respecting class time is also a must.
 Absences should be validly justified in order to be excused by the dean of students.
 Students who have 2 absences sign a first warning. Four absences and above entail
signing a final warning.
 Students who exceed the number of absences and do not answer phone calls to justify
their absences will be given an AW (Academic Withdrawal).
 Examination dates should be respected, and examinations should not be missed because
no make-up exams are given.
 Assignments should be prepared diligently and handed in on time.
 Plagiarism is not condoned and results in a failing grade on the assignment

Week Chapter Objectives Language Development

1 Public Understand the benefits of public

Speaking: speaking. Michigan Proficiency
Chapter 1: Appreciate the contemporary
Finding Your perspectives of public speaking. Practice Test 1
Voice Appreciate the ethics of public
speaking.
Chapter 2:
Building Your Understand and manage
Confidence as a communication
Speaker
2 Design and develop your first
Public speech for a successful
Speaking: presentation. Practice Test 2
Chapter 3

Your First Speech

3 Public Overcome barriers to effective
Speaking:
Chapter 4 listening and become a more

Becoming a effective and critical listener

Better Listener
4 Public Understand audience
Speaking: demographics and
Chapter 5 psychographics.
Adapting to Your Adjust your message to the
Audience and speaking situation.
Situation

5 Public Discover and explore your topic area.

Speaking: Refine your topic for speaking.
Chapter 6 Exam I ( November )

Finding Your Exam I

Topic

6 Public Prepare speeches that create vivid

Speaking: description, demonstrate a process, or
Chapter 13 explain how something works. Practice Test 3

Informative
Speaking

7 Presentation + Assessment of students’ performance

Critique of
Informative
Speeches

8 Public Types of Supporting Material

Speaking: Select and combine appropriate
Chapter 8 supporting material. Practice Test 4

Understand principles of a well -

Supporting
structured speech.
Your Ideas Prepare introductions and
conclusions
Public Prepare a formal outline.
Speaking:
Chapter 9
Structuring and
Outlining Your
 Speech

9 Public Learn the power of language to shape

Speaking: perceptions, arouse feelings, unite
Chapter 11 listeners and move them to action. Practice Test 5
Putting Words
Together
Understand the importance of
delivery for effective speaking.
Public Become versatile in various methods Exam II ( December )
Speaking: of presentation.
Chapter 12
Delivering Your
Speech

10 Public Understand the process of

Speaking: persuasion.
Chapter14 Explore the types of persuasive Practice Test 6
speaking.
Appreciate how proofs can be used to
Persuasive
develop persuasive speeches.
Speaking

12 Public Focus persuasive issues and gather

Speaking: evidence.
Chapter 15 Understand the process of
constructing persuasive arguments. Practice Test 7 & 8
Use various patterns of persuasive
Building
reasoning to support persuasive
Persuasive speeches.
Arguments

Presentation of Assessment of students’

Persuasive performance
Speeches

13 Cont’d: Assessment of students’

Presentation of performance
Speeches

14 Review for the Final Exam