ENGL 2050: Self Staging: Oral Communication in Daily Life
Pafford 308, 1-4:25
Dr. Joshua Masters, TLC 2244
Phone: 678-839-4862
Email: jmasters@westga.edu
Website: http://www.westga.edu/~jmasters/
Office Hours: M-F 12-1 & 4:30-5:30
Dr. Josh Masters
In Self-Staging: Oral Communication in Everyday Life, we will study the public “self” in relation to a variety of audiences, understanding how the personas we construct and the roles we play differ in relation to different audiences. The course will be broken up into three units, each culminating in individual oral performances crafted in group workshops. We will begin by exploring the nature of public performances that have a human spectacle at their center, such as in a museum, at a cultural exposition, or even in a freakshow. How and why do we stage ourselves as monsters, curiosities, and “others” that we then consume? Our second unit focuses on the comedic self, the self who entertains an audience by telling stories and creating a persona—a persona that might resemble the “real” self (Chris Rock), act as its ironic opposite (Stephen Colbert), or be purely invented (Borat). Our final unit will examine the professional self, with a potential employer as one’s primary audience.
Required Texts
All readings will be available on course reserve through the library. See “Reading Assignments” below for details.
Requirements
One of the most important requirements is sustained engagement with the class for three and a half hours a day. In other words, one’s “student self,” and one’s ability to play the role of an interested learner in a meaningful community of learners, will be a huge component of the final grade. Daily reading quizzes, short writing assignments in preparation for class, performance-building workshops, and three oral presentations will make up the rest of the final grade.
Students with disabilities should meet with me at the beginning of the semester, and we will make any necessary arrangements.
Explanation of Course Requirements
Final Grade: To pass the course, students must complete all three oral presentations plus the six short writing assignments. Your final grade will be calculated as follows: Presentation #1 (The Self as Spectacle): 25%; Presentation #2 (The Comedic Self): 25%; Presentation #3 (Job Interview): 10%; Attendance and Participation: 25%; Reading Quizzes: 15%.
Note: I am always happy to discuss your progress in the class with you and explain my evaluation of your work. You can expect to receive the grade you earn in this class; please refrain from telling me what grade you “need” in the class (for Hope, for athletics, to fulfill a dying relative’s final request, etc.), or what grade you “really want” (presumably an A).
Reading Assignments: All reading assignments are on the library’s Docutek system. You must print out each reading assignment and bring it to class on the day that it’s due. To access the reading, go to the Ingram Library website: http://www.westga.edu/~library/
click “Course Reserves” under “Find Information”
click “Electronic Reserves and Reserve Pages”
type “Masters” into the white box
click “ENGL2050”
in the password box, type “staging”
Quizzes: At the beginning of each class, you will take a comprehensive, fact-based quiz on the day’s reading assignment. Once the quiz is distributed, the door to the class will close, and you will have about five minutes to complete the quiz. If you arrive late, you will not be allowed to take the quiz, and you must wait outside until the quiz is completed. If you are absent for whatever reason, you will not be allowed to retake a quiz. Under no circumstances will I give make-up quizzes. However, each student can arrange to take one quiz in advance. All quizzes are open note (but not open book), and you are encouraged to bring notes based on the reading to class.
Writing Assignments: Despite this being an English class, it requires very little formal written work from you. Your performances will need to be scripted, of course, but they will be presented orally rather than in writing. Your scripts will be composed in such a way that best suits each individual student—whether typed, written on note cards, power-pointed, or written on cocktail napkins. The department requires ten pages of typed writing for this class, however. You will therefore be writing two short exploratory essays about the reading materials for units one and two. In addition, following each oral performance, you will have two days to write up an evaluation of your work. These must be typed and at least 500 words.
Discussion and Attendance: Students are expected to attend every class and arrive on time, prepared, and eager to spend over three hours in a stuffy classroom while all your friends are at the beach. Your participation grade is based upon your performance in the class in terms of workshops, discussion, and attendance habits. You are expected to demonstrate genuine engagement with the material, actively contribute to discussion topics, show adequate preparation for each class, and respect the ideas of your classmates.
Cellphones and Sleeping: Don’t ever, ever fall asleep in this class, and I never want to see a cellphone. As soon as you see me, get the thing out of sight. If you fall asleep or use your cellphone in class (such as text-messaging and/or message checking), you will be asked to leave class and considered absent for that day.
Email: All official email correspondence must take place through UWG accounts; however, I will also be establishing a class list using your preferred email address for other forms of communication. Your emails should address me (“Dear Dr. Masters,” rather than “yo”), and they must be signed. Please proofread them and write in full sentences.
Tardiness and Leaving Early: If you arrive to class late, you will not be allowed to take the quiz (thus losing valuable points). If you have to leave a class early, the hours of class missed will be noted. Each student can miss two hours of class without penalty.
Absences: Attending each class is essential to your success in this course. Missing a three and a half hour class is the same as missing a week and a half of class during a regular semester. Each student can miss two hours of class without penalty; after that, for each half hour of missed class, I will subtract one percentage point from your final grade. If you were to miss one class, that’s three percent off your final grade (which is easily overcome through doing excellent work). Miss two classes, and that’s ten percent off (or a full letter grade).
Departmental Plagiarism Policy: The Department of English and Philosophy defines plagiarism as taking personal credit for the words and ideas of others as they are presented in electronic, print, and verbal sources. The Department expects that students will accurately credit sources in all assignments. An equally dishonest practice is fabricating sources or facts; it is another form of misrepresenting the truth. Plagiarism is grounds for failing the course.
Course Goals
Students will be able to identify, analyze, and practice the various discursive modes involved in everyday self-presentation.
Students will demonstrate an enhanced awareness of the performative basis of oral communication.
Students will develop the ability to adapt their oral communication to specific purposes and audiences.
Students will demonstrate facility in presenting themselves effectively in both formal speeches and job-related improvisations.
Students will achieve a deeper awareness of how they are perceived by others in specific social and rhetorical situations.
Program Goals
Oral and written communication will be characterized by clarity, critical analysis, logic, coherence, persuasion, precision, and rhetorical awareness (Core Curriculum learning outcomes I)
Cultural and Social Perspectives: Cultural and social perspective will be characterized by cultural awareness and an understanding of the complexity and dynamic nature of social/political/economic systems; human and institutional behavior, values, and belief systems; historical and spatial relationship; and, flexibility, open-mindedness, and tolerance. (Core Curriculum learning outcomes III)
Assessment activities
Speeches, papers, facilitated discussions, presentations, examinations, etc. as determined by the instructor.
All sections must include at least (10) ten pages of writing in order to meet departmental expectations.
Week One: The Self as Spectacle
Monday, May 19th
Introductions and Syllabus
Mini-Workshop and Micro-Presentations: The Multiple Self
Tuesday, May 20th
Reading Due: “P. T. Barnum’s Theatrical Selfhood…” (Frentz) and excerpt from P. T. Barnum’s Struggles and Triumphs
Discuss readings; go over assignment for first presentation; watch part one of Bamboozled
Workshop first presentation
Wednesday, May 21st
Reading Due: “Of Men, Missing Links…” (Cook) & “Cuteness…” (Merish)
Discuss readings; watch part two of Bamboozled
Workshop continued
Thursday, May 22nd
Reading Due: “The Dime Museum…” (Dennett) & “Good Country…” (O’Connor)
Discuss Readings and first writing assignment
Workshop, Workshop, Workshop
Friday, May 23rd
Writing assignment on readings due
Oral Presentations: The Self as Spectacle
Week Two: The Comedic Self
Monday, May 26th
Tuesday, May 27th
Wednesday, May 28th
Thursday, May 29th
Friday, May 30th
Week Three: The Employable Self
Monday, June 2nd
Reading Due: TBA
Discuss reading, watch something fun
Interview Workshops
Tuesday, June 3rd
Employment Interviews; Self-assessment of second oral presentation due
Thursday, June 5th
Self-assessment of job interview due