1.1: Why A Public Speaking Course?
- Page ID
- 161016
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Image 1.1 Graduating Student
Welcome to Communication Studies 101 here at Cal Poly SLO!
Have you ever wondered why a public speaking course is required for university students all over the nation? There are plenty of reasons why public speaking is desireable and required.
What is a General Education Course?
As described in an article by Kate Knapp, 2022, general education courses at US universities are designed to promote critical thinking across multiple subjects. By learning about subjects that differ from their chosen major, students gain a broader understanding of a range of topics. This equips them with highly desirable skills — communications, teamwork, ethics, time management, problem-solving, and more — while also providing necessary tools to positively impact the future.
So Why COMS 101?
Each of us needs the ability to communicate within our culture to other members of society and this need arises is many forms:
Career Skills
Skills learned in this course are among the top career each of us needs as we move forward in our academic and professional careers. As we learn to communicate we become better listeners, flexible and creative thinkers who come from a place of vulnerability and authenticity. Gone are the days of blundering through the workplace relying on privilege and sheer force of will in order to find success. Forbes lists verbal communication as the 5th most important skill. In addition to being able to clearly write our ideas, employers want us to be able to clearly verbalize our ideas.
Freedom of Speech
Democracies throughout time have had a long tradition of oral communication as a way to express the ideas and desires of a country's population. Collectively, here in the United States, we believe in that democratic tradition and that tradition is guaranteed to us in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. In order to participate effectively in a democracy that provides space for freedom of expression, it is necessary to build our communication tool kit to include the skills associated with public speaking. (Image 1.2 Bill of Rights)
Public Advocacy
As part of our democratic freedom of expression, you may find yourself in a situation that requires you to advocate - speak for - yourself or others. Maybe the college parking fees are too expensive, but no one has shared that opinion with the campus president. Through this course, you will develop the skills to advocate in front of the administration - given the opportunity - to lower the parking fees.
University GE Requirement
You can read more about the specific requirements of the Cal State system here: California State Universities GE Requirements.
As stated at the beginning of this chapter, public speaking has a long tradition within the context of our democratic society and we cover the history of public speaking in the next section.
References
General Education Policy | CSU. (n.d.). https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/...on-policy.aspx
Knapp, K. (2022, December 19). What Are General Education Courses at US Universities? Shoreline. Retrieved March 19, 2023, from https://shorelight.com/student-stori...s-universities
Panel, E. (2022, August 11). 15 Skills Employers Seek In 2022 (And Ways To Gain Them Midcareer). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesc...h=38ee598b481a