Influencing Discourse
Communication graduates recognize the importance of communication in everyday life. They use their communication and research skills to frame and evaluate personal, local, national, and global issues, in order to productively respond to those issues. In doing so, they are strong advocates for applying best practices in communication within various contexts.
S- In Spring of 2023, I was a student in my ACOM course, Persuasive Presentations. I was learning how to effectively conduct a persuasive speech and present research to my peers that pertained to a national, international, or global issue.
T- To choose a topic or policy issue that interests me. Decide on a topic that could be a national issue, and gather research on that topic by reading peer reviewed articles, books or website articles relating to the topic. Take all the data and resources found on the issue and put it all together in a macro structured presentation outline. Create a google slide presentation and present a persuasive speech to an audience of my peers that expresses the concerns I have with the topic and why it is actually a policy issue.
A- I conducted research on the topic of police brutality. I read several articles, books, and website articles pertaining to this topic. I compared police brutality statistics in the United States to other countries. I spoke with a retired police officer and one that is still an active police officer to get their points of view. After gathering all my research, I refined it and placed my findings in the macro structured presentation outline template provided by my instructor. I allowed other peers to see my rough drafts and offer me feedback before my presentation. I then took my information and created a google slide including information on police brutality. I wrote speaker notes and then presented a persuasive speech about police brutality to my peers.
R- Influenced healthy dialogue and discourse amongst myself, professor, and peers. We were able to engage about the information I shared and many of my peers asked questions and shared their own personal stories about my topic. I was able to act as an advocate and use communication practices to provoke response.
S- In Fall of 2023, I was a student in my RHET course, Persuasive Writing. We learned about different types of persuasion and how persuasive messages are all around us from commercials, social media, and even things many people don’t think about such as alarm clocks. We also learned about pathos, ethos, and logos, and the purpose of demonstrative and deliberative arguments and how they are used to persuade and influence discourse.
T- Find a topic that is personal to me, a topic that could possibly be viewed as problematic or something that has room for improvement. Once the topic is chosen, conduct research on the topic, figure out the best way to use pathos, ethos, or logos, and write up a deliberative argument demonstrating how I would possibly present this issue to an audience if I had to. Then create an infographic that correlates with the writing and demonstrates the pros and cons of the topic with the purpose of influencing my audience to want to do something about the issue.
A- I communicated through writing that there is an issue with the Special Education process in school. I chose to write about the downside of the special education system, specifically during the transition from elementary school to middle school. In my deliberative argument, I gave examples of several things that are lacking and that need to happen in order to bridge the gap between the quality of special education elementary aged students receive compared to middle and high school aged students. I expressed in my writing that the information I found would be presented as a speech in a school board meeting amongst parents, administrators, and educators in order to persuade them to help address and mend the issue. I submitted my draft to a peer of mine for feedback and suggestions on my writing. Afterwards, I created an infographic showing the pros and cons of the special education process and how to go about bridging the gap.
R- Created an argument that was effective, influential, and I benefited from using a different form of context that was still relevant. Strengthened my ability to advocate for something that was personal to me and I found real solutions on how to address the issue