New Course Added for Spring

CMCL-C 121: Public Speaking

(Topic: Speaking Out!  LGBTQ and Feminist Activism)

Class Number: 15671, 15674

MW, 11:15 AM-12:30 PM, SY 004 (#15671)

MW, 1:00 PM-2:15 PM, SY 004 (#15674)

Fulfills CASE A&H Requirement

Fulfills GenEd Breadth of Inquiry A&H Requirement

Instructor: Jamie Hook

E-Mail: jrhook@indiana.edu

Office: C2 244

Phone: 855-8539

“Rhetoric is communication that attempts to coordinate social action.  For this reason, rhetorical communication is explicitly pragmatic.  Its goal is to influence human choices on specific matters that require immediate attention.” Gerard A. Hauser

“I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you… And you… And you… Gotta give em hope.” Harvey Milk

History shows how public speaking has always played a vital role in the social and political activism practiced within feminist and queer liberation movements.  This special topics section of C121: Public Speaking understands rhetoric as communication directed toward social action and will utilize the rhetoric of these equality struggles as the lens through which we will explore and practice the skill of persuasive speaking.  To this end, we will study how public speaking has been used to actualize social change through both the activism of organizations (such as the National Organization for Women) and that of exceptional individuals (such as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States).  We’ll also consider contemporary happenings, such as the It Gets Better Project, in order to explore new opportunities for activism through public speech in the age of new media.  Finally, as this is first and foremost a public speaking class, learners will foster their own activist voices through a series of formal speeches centered on topics relating to and inspired by our course focus.