ENGL 2050: Self Staging: Oral Communication in Daily Life
Pafford 308, 5:30-8:55
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
Description
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 as a spectacle? 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%.
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. All quizzes are open note (but not open book), and you are encouraged to bring notes based on the reading to class. Quizzes will be written in a large blue book which you must purchase for Tuesday’s 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 Texting: Use of electronic messaging devices of all shapes, sizes, and forms is absolutely forbidden inside the classroom and during workshop. In a class of this length, one which involves out-of-class workshops, you feel sorely tempted to check your messages and perhaps even send one or two. Resist the urge. Each evening there will be a ten minute break at which time you can text, twitter, and chat. Otherwise, show the class, your classmates, and especially your group-mates the respect of your undivided attention. Each violation of this contract will diminish your final grade by 5% (seriously). And I love tattletales.
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 two percentage points from your final grade. If you were to miss one class, that’s six percent off your final grade (which is easily overcome through doing excellent work). Miss two classes, and that’s twelve percent off (or a full letter grade). Students who miss the first class and who do not contact me will be administratively withdrawn from the course before the second class.
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 18th
Introductions and Syllabus
Mini-Workshop and Micro-Presentations: The Multiple Self
Tuesday, May 19th
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 20th
Reading Due: “Of Men, Missing Links…” (Cook) & “Cuteness…” (Merish)
Discuss readings; watch part two of Bamboozled
Workshop continued
Thursday, May 21nd
Reading Due: “The Dime Museum…” (Dennett) & “Good Country…” (O’Connor) 15 point quiz
Discuss Readings and first writing assignment
Workshop, Workshop, Workshop
Friday, May 22rd
Writing assignment on readings due
Oral Presentations: The Self as Spectacle
Week Two: The Comedic Self
Monday, May 25th
Memorial Day Holiday; no classes
Tuesday, May 26th
Self-assessment of first oral presentation due
Reading Due: Candyfreak (Almond) & “Me Talk Pretty…” and “Tics” (Sedaris) 15 point quiz
Discuss readings; watch first set of comic clips
Discuss second presentation and begin workshop
Wednesday, May 27th
Reading Due: Comedy Writing Secrets
Discuss readings and second writing assignment; watch second set of comic clips
Quiz Point Contest: Five quiz bonus quiz points will be awarded to the funniest group.
Workshop continued
Thursday, May 28th
Second writing assignment on readings due
Workshop till we collectively drop
Friday, May 29th
Oral Presentations: The Comedic Self
Week Three: The Employable Self
Monday, June 1st
Reading Due: TBA
Discuss reading, watch something fun
Interview Workshops: Staging the Worst Interview Ever
Tuesday, June 2nd
Employment Interviews; Self-assessment of second oral presentation due
Thursday, June 4th
Self-assessment of job interview due