HARVARD UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SCHOOL 51 BRATTLE STREET CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138 Syllabus: SPCH E-125, PERFECTING ORAL COMMUNICATION Dates: Fall Term, September – December 2015 Faculty: Professor J E Hollingworth Emerson College Office: 120 Boylston Street, The Walker Building, 8th Floor, Room 806 Mail: 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116-4624 E-mail: ted_hollingworth@emerson.edu Home Phone: 978-369-5499 Staff: Rebika Shaw Bendayan (SVP at WorldCare International, Inc.) Benjamin Assa (Programmer/Analyst at Wentworth Institute of Technology) GENERAL INFORMATION 1) Meetings – Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Emerson Hall #101 (Harvard Yard) Workshops – Emerson Hall #101, #104, and #106 2) Attendance – See the “Harvard University Extension School 2015-2016” catalog for the official academic policy Be aware that a significant amount of the final grade in this course is based on classroom participation and performance If you have to miss a class for any reason, inform your section leader either before or immediately after “If a student is absent from a class for any reason, including registering late, it is the student’s responsibility to make up all work from that class.” (Catalog 2015-2016) We are aware that you may have outside obligations Just keep us informed so that we may assist and advise you 3) Library – The Grossman Library for University Extension, 3rd floor, Sever Hall, is a reading and study library only See Course Catalog for hours of operation Be aware of your city and town libraries, as well as business and other sources -2- 4) Text – Crannell, Kenneth C., VOICE AND ARTICULATION, Wadsworth (Thomson Learning) This is available at The Harvard Coop, via Amazon.com, or directly from the author, CrannellConsulting.com The current edition is #5, although any of the recent editions should be adequate The syllabus is based on edition #4 The textbook is excellent and is an essential part of this course Be sure that you have access to a copy It will prove to be very useful in the future, also 5) Grading - Weekly papers 20% Final portfolio 20% Final exam 20% Workshops 40% (prepared readings, sight readings, prepared presentations, impromptu presentations, interactive discussions, general improvements) 6) Description of the Course – This course is focused on the speaking voice and body language as instruments of human communication The major emphasis is placed on each participant’s development of appropriate speaking skills for various needs and contexts ranging from personal to professional Topics addressed include breathing, volume, pitch, rate, tone, emphasis, vocal variety, pronunciation, the International Phonetic Alphabet, and the anatomy of speech Second language accents, primary language regionalisms, and overall correct usage of American English are fundamental to the course 7) Learning Objectives – Understand and use the International Phonetic Alphabet Describe the basic structure of the human vocal mechanism and how it works Control (appropriately) breathing, inflection, projection, pitch, tempo, tone, emphasis, vocal variety, mannerisms, and pronunciation in both reading aloud and speaking situations Appreciate (and adapt to) the overall critical role of oral communication as part of the human experience Application of these skills and information to the chosen professional career of the individual learner Completion of an individual portfolio containing basic voice and articulation facts, personal and faculty assisted analyses, and future/continuous improvement plans (See Description of the Course above and Extension School course description) -3- STUDENT OBLIGATIONS 1) Lectures, Discussions, Workshops, Readings, etc – Keep notes and other information on all class activities and assigned work 2) Written Exam – There will be a final, two-hour written exam on Wednesday, 16 December 2015, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Emerson Hall #101 An actual copy of the final exam will be given to all students on Wednesday, December 2015 for study purposes A “clean copy” will be distributed on Wednesday, 16 December 2015 3) Weekly Papers – There will be a one-page, double-spaced, 12 pt font, typed synopsis of the assigned text chapter of the week, due each week (No more than one page will be read unless otherwise noted.) Be sure to cite the text as your source A second page (or less) will be attached to the above focusing on that week’s information and how it relates to you personally (This will also be doublespaced, 12 pt font, and typed.) This personal analysis could range from “not a problem and why” to “a problem or challenge and why.” Faculty, staff, classmates, and the text will aid and abet this process throughout the semester These papers will be graded as follows: √+ √ √- = excellent = satisfactory (fair) = unsatisfactory (poor or incorrect) Suggest doing it again Quality, presentation, and timing will be considerations in the grading process 4) Final Portfolio – A personal, final portfolio will be submitted by each student on December 2015, then graded and returned the following week (16 December) a) Include all weekly synopsis papers, corrected and upgraded as necessary (clean copies) b) Include all weekly attached personal analysis papers, upgraded and corrected as necessary c) Add a third page to each weekly topic outlining your future plans regarding the section d) Include a coversheet with your name, the date, course title and number, the college, professor, your section leader, and title of the portfolio e) Include a table of contents, paginated f) Include a bibliography, primarily the text g) Value will include content, presentation, and timing -4- This is actually an accumulation of all weekly papers, corrected and “cleaned up” with an added page of your personal plans regarding each week’s topic 5) Plagiarism – Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class See Extension School Catalog regarding plagiarism, cheating, computer network abuse, or any other form of academic dishonesty Please be well aware of the Extension School’s policies regarding this issue The penalties are severe -5- WEEKLY TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS (All classes will be a mix of mini lectures and personal application workshops.) September 2015 INTRODUCTIONS, SYLLABUS, POLICIES, PROCEDURES VOICE – Motivation and Expectation International Phonetics and the Kenyon Vowel Chart Vocal exercises Read: Chapter One of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due Sept.) Prepare: Oral assignment…as assigned in workshop September VOICE – Breathing The vocal mechanism and the process of breathing Continuation of International Phonetics Vocal exercises Read: Chapter Two of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due 16 Sept.) Prepare: Oral assignment…as assigned 16 September VOICE – Structure and Production Continuation of International Phonetics Vocal exercises Read: Chapter Three of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due 23 Sept.) Prepare: Oral assignment…as assigned 23 September VOICE – Relaxation Continuation of International Phonetics Vocal exercises Read: Chapter Four of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due 30 Sept.) -6- Prepare: Oral Assignment …as assigned 30 September VOICE – Common Problems Continuation of refining phonetics Vocal exercises Read: Chapter Five of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due Oct.) Prepare: Oral Assignment…as assigned October SPEECH – Vowels Continuation of refining phonetics Vocal exercises Read: Chapter Six of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due (14 Oct.) Prepare: Oral Assignment…as assigned 14 October SPEECH – Consonants Continuation of refining consonants Vocal variety and emphasis Vocal exercises Read: Chapter Seven of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due 21 Oct.) Prepare: Oral assignment…as assigned 21 October SPEECH – Pronunciation The blending of phonemes and pronunciation Difficult words, names, and places (pronouncing) Vocal exercises Read: Chapter Eight of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due 28 Oct.) Prepare: Oral Assignment…as assigned -7- 28 October SPEECH – Vocal dynamics Using sound and words to communicate (including facial expressions and body language) Vocal exercises Read: Chapter Nine of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due Nov.) Prepare: Oral Assignment…as assigned November SPEECH – Kinetics Kinetics and speaking correctly Vocal exercise Read: Chapter Ten of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter 10 Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due 11 Nov.) Prepare: Oral Assignment…as assigned 11 November SPEECH – Application to the Speech Occasion Correct speech in different situations Vocal exercises Read: Chapter Eleven of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter 11 Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due 18 Nov.) Prepare: Oral Assignment…as assigned 18 November SPEECH – Four major dialects of American English Regionalisms in the U.S Vocal exercise and demonstrations Read: Chapter Twelve of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter 12 Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due Dec.) Prepare: Oral Assignment…as assigned 25 November Harvard Thanksgiving Break (25-29 November) -8- December SPEECH – Stage speech and foreign dialects Theatre speech Foreign dialects Vocal exercises Read: Chapter Thirteen of the text Write: One page synopsis of Chapter 13 Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due Dec.) Prepare: Oral Assignment…as assigned Final Exam study copy will be distributed December Oral Presentations (All students and staff) Entire class time devoted to individually chosen oral presentations (e.g.: prose, poetry, drama, recitation, briefing, sales pitch, etc.) Staff will also participate Time allotted will depend on class size Submit final portfolio Prepare for exam 16 December Final Exam See page of this syllabus, section #2, for details -9- POSSIBLE RESOURCES Crannell, Kenneth C VOICE AND ARTICULATION (4th edition) Wadsworth (Thomson Learning), Belmont, CA (This textbook is the major resource!) Mayer, Lyle V FUNDAMENTALS OF VOICE AND ARTICULATION (13th edition) McGraw Hill, 2003, Boston, MA Anderson, Virgil TRAINING THE SPEAKING VOICE New York: Oxford University Press (still excellent, but out of print) Also check your textbook "Index," your library(s), and the references in Crannell's and Mayer's books Pay special attention to text Appendixes C "Voice and Speech Evaluation Forms," "Glossary," "Index of Names and Topics," and "Index of authors and Selections." Subject search via Google will reveal a huge list of sources, as will Amazon.com The textbook itself, however, provides the information basic to this subject ... Prepare: Oral Assignment…as assigned Final Exam study copy will be distributed December Oral Presentations (All students and staff) Entire class time devoted to individually chosen oral presentations... reading aloud and speaking situations Appreciate (and adapt to) the overall critical role of oral communication as part of the human experience Application of these skills and information to... Write: One page synopsis of Chapter Add one page (or less) personal analysis (due Sept.) Prepare: Oral assignment…as assigned in workshop September VOICE – Breathing The vocal mechanism and the