Critical Speaking Courses
Critical Speaking seminars utilize oral communication assignments as a primary method for learning and assessment. Critical speaking fellows are doctoral candidates that teach in their respective disciplines. Students enrolled in critical speaking seminars meet with CWiC student speaking advisors outside of class to develop oral presentation assignments. Enrollment is capped at 16 students/course. For questions regarding a critical speaking course listed below, please contact the course instructor.
2008-09 Critical Speaking Courses
The Image of Berlin
GRMN 238.401/COML 244.401
TR 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Instructor: Curtis Swope
E-mail: cswope@sas.upenn.edu
Berlin was arguably the twentieth century’s most important city. It produced some of the world’s most innovative art, architecture, literature, theater and film during the 1920s, yet went on to become Hitler’s capital in the 1930s. It was the iconic city of the Cold War as its Western sectors received U.S. aid during the Berlin airlift and as its neighborhoods were torn asunder by the Wall in 1961. It is a city defined as much by its image and its symbolic force as by the reality of life along its boulevards and in its apartment buildings. This course will examine Berlin’s image in the twentieth century from the heyday of the cabarets to the new palaces of glass and steel in which today’s parliament and chancellor conduct the affairs of state. Key source material will include poetry, political manifestoes, travel guides, short stories and films by Berliners, Germans from other towns and visitors from the English speaking world. Alfred Döblin’s Berlin Alexanderplatz, Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin Stories, John LeCarre’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Billy Wilder’s A Foreign Affair, Bob Fosse’s Cabaret, Wim Wenders’s Wings of Desire and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s The Lives of Others are important texts and films to be treated during the semester.
The Science of Sport
STSC 008:301
T 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Instructor: Andi Johnson
E-mail: andria@sas.upenn.edu
Did Lance Armstrong use drugs or not? Why do Kenyans win marathons? Does Gatorade really work? In this course, we won’t answer these questions ourselves but will explore the world of scientists who do. These scientists produce knowledge about how human bodies work and the intricacies of human performance. They bring elite (world-class) athletes to their laboratories—or their labs to the athletes. Through readings and video screenings, we will find out how these scientists determine the boundary between “natural” and “performance-enhanced,” work to conquer the problem of fatigue, and establish the limits and potential of human beings. Course themes include: technology in science and sport, the lab vs. the field, genetics and race, the politics of the body, and doping. While we will focus in class on the science of endurance sports, you will investigate the relationship between science and the sport of your choice for your final project. This is a Critical Speaking Seminar. In addition to reading about the science of human performance, you will have your own experiences as performing humans, experimenting with several forms of speaking. The oral communication assignments are designed to be both practical and interesting, and we will focus on the art of faking confidence. Requirements will include meeting with a speaking advisor, receiving peer feedback, and reviewing a video of one of your presentations.
2007-08
“According to the Kinsey Report…”: The Politics of Sex and Science in Modern America
STSC 008.401/HSOC 008.401/GSOC 006.401
Spring 2008--Monday 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Paul Burnett
E-mail: pburnett@sas.upenn.edu
Course Description: Want to work on your public speaking skills? You will have a hard time keeping quiet in a critical speaking course about sex and science. We will examine how scientific research has influenced common conceptions of sex differences and sexual behavior during the last century, and how this knowledge in turn has shaped cultural conceptions of gender roles and “normal” behavior. Students will discuss, debate, and deliver formal presentations about these questions as we examine moments from the history of psychiatry, sexology, ethology, anthropology, endocrinology, genetics, sociobiology, evolutionary psychology, and neuro-endocrinology.
Society & Politics In Africa: Continuity & Change
PSCI 398.304
Spring 2008--Tuesday 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Instructor: Marton Markovits
E-mail: martonm@sas.upenn.edu
Course Description: This course will provide a broad overview of politics and its multiple meanings in the African context. It will examine history, politics, culture, and economics on the African continent since independence. It will consider several topics that have political import, including colonialism and its legacies, identity, international relations, state formation, economic crisis, democratization, women, development, and the environment. The course is comparative and targeted at the beginning and or intermediate student of African politics. In addition to oral communication development, PSCI 398 is also designed to enhance critical reading, thinking, and writing skills. The course employs a diverse method of pedagogy and utilizes not only lectures and academic texts, but also films, novels, field interviews, case studies, and oral presentations.
2006-07
Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations 008*
Tales of Travel: A Critical Speaking Course
Instructor: Tracy Musacchio
*Cross-listings: COML 008 & ANTH 008
Course Description: No matter what the destination, whether Cairo or Paris, Bangkok or New York, travel is captivating—so much so that many travelers, modern and ancient, have been compelled to record their experiences. Starting with ancient Egypt and progressing through to the modern world, Tales of Travel will explore the travel experience. By reading and discussing written records of travel, this Critical Speaking course will focus on using our understanding and appreciation of travel writing as a medium for developing and improving oral presentation skills.
Classical Studies 008-301
Ancient Rhetoric and Modern Speaking: A Critical Speaking Course
Instructor: Jacques-Albert Bromberg
Course Description: This course is an introductory-level class in rhetoric and speaking. It has three main goals: to introduce students to ancient rhetoric; to learn how to draw from these Classical principles to put together articulate and persuasive speeches; and to explore the formidable role rhetoric plays in the construction of our own world. Students will study both classical and contemporary speaking. Assignments will teach students to analyze, compose and deliver public speeches, while weekly oral presentations and peer-review will further their understanding of effective argumentation and criticism.