SPCM 200 Public Speaking

Overview of Course

This course treats public speaking as a dynamic, real-world practice in which students develop, research, design, and deliver messages for diverse audiences. Students will learn how effective speeches are constructed, while exploring how public communication shifts in response to audience expectations and cultural contexts. The Semester at Sea voyage provides an experiential setting in which presentational skills can be developed and refined. Students will research selected countries on the itinerary and use rhetorical concepts such as purpose and audience engagement to analyze communication and to inform their own speech development. As the voyage progresses, students will incorporate insights from different ports into their speeches, adapting their presentations to varied audiences and contexts. In this context, students will prepare and deliver several presentations, including informative, persuasive, and occasion-based presentations. They will engage in structured feedback designed to strengthen speaking and listening skills, with particular focus on refining the ability to adapt messages across cultural contexts encountered during the voyage.