Communication Studies 101 Course Description

This course is a fully online course intended to help you to become a more effective, confident, and competent communicator. It emphasizes the development of skills that will enable you to prepare and deliver various types of speeches.  Communication Studies 101 meets the CSU general education requirement in area A-1 and Oral Communication and area 1C of the IGETC general education plan. 

Instructor Contact

• Name:  Barbara Anderson
• Email:  andersbm@piercecollege.edu
• Optional Zoom Office Hours:  Tuesdays, 11:30-12:05 pm, and by appointment 

Email is the best way to communicate with me.  During the week, I generally respond within 24 hours.  On the weekend it may take up to 48 hours for me to respond.  I care about your success and meeting your needs for this course.  

Course Modality and General Expectations

This is an entirely online course. This course will be delivered entirely online through the learning management system, Canvas. You will use your Pierce College username and password to log in to the Canvas course. 

In Canvas, you will access online lessons, course materials, and resources. At designated times throughout the semester, we will participate in a blend of self-paced and group-paced activities using Canvas, Zoom web-conferencing and other internet-based technologies. Activities will consist of online assignments, discussion forums, and announcements. All student work is submitted/posted online in Canvas.

This is a three unit course and will require approximately nine hours per week in order to read course materials, watch course lectures, film and upload prepared speeches, and participate in course assessment activities. 

Goals and Learning Objectives

This is a beginning public speaking course.  We are all continuing to learn and grow in our ability to understand others and to effectively communicate our own ideas.  In this course, we work on skills that you can apply to your academic, professional, and personal life.  The focus of this class is public speaking, but the benefits go beyond that.  Let's work together to make this an excellent class for you and your classmates.  

Communication Studies 101 Student Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to deliver an extemporaneous speech before an audience of their peers.
• Students will be able to demonstrate clear organization using the guidelines discussed in lecture and textbooks.
• Students will support and produce well researched speeches.

Required Course Materials

For this course we are using free Open Education Resource materials.  Our online text can be accessed here:  Stand Up, Speak Out  

Stand up, Speak out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking is adapted from a work produced and distributed under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA) in 2011 by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution. This adapted edition is produced by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing through the eLearning Support Initiative.

Grading Policy 

There are 1,000 points possible in this class.  Your grade will be based on the following three assignment categories:

1) You will present (via uploaded video on Canvas) four graded speeches, 600 points possible:

Self-introduction Speech (75 points), True Story Speech (75 points), Message in the Music Speech (150 points) and your Final (Persuasive or Demonstration) Speech (300 points)

2) Three 25 question quizzes worth 50 points each, 150 points total possible.

3) Discussion posts, speech prep assignments, feedback for classmates, and acknowledgement of my feedback for your speeches, combined are worth a total of 250 points possible. 

900-1,000 points = A, 800-899 = B, 700-799 = C, 551-699 = D, 550 or less = F

Pierce College Policies

There are important college policies that you should be aware of, such as the Academic Integrity, Discrimination and Harassment, Add/Drop, and Student Conduct policies. - LAPC College Student Services]

Office of Special Services/DSPS

Special Services is the program on campus providing services to students with disabilities. This program has been serving students since 1974. Each semester over 900 students with disabilities receive a wide range of support services that are not provided by other departments on campus and many services that are. This "One- Stop" approach creates a more user-friendly atmosphere for all our students.

• DSPS Website 

Student Health Center

• Phone: (818) 710-4270
• Student Health Center Website