Final Exam Questions

Drawing from the information covered in this class, please prepare answers to three of the following questions. Be sure to use original examples to illustrate your points. Also, be sure to explain your answer based on theory and terminology learned in the class. Please e-mail your responses to me by Wednesday, December 20th. Do NOT post to this site.

1. What is communication? Explain how the types of communication covered in this class (non-verbal, interpersonal, group, and public speaking) are important/relevant to your career goals (or why they are not). How has what you have learned about communication influenced your perception of how we communicate in the work environment? Give examples.
2. Compare and contrast informative, persuasive, and motivational speeches. Provide examples of when you may be required to provide each type of speech in your career. In what ways can the strategies applied in public speaking be applied to interpersonal communication situations? In what ways does public speaking differ from interpersonal communication?
3. Define nonverbal communication, and explain how meaning is communicated nonverbally. How do we ascertain meaning from nonverbal communication? Does context influence the meaning, why/why not? Give an example to illustrate your point.
4. The United States is a widely diverse country. How do our cultural, racial, and religious differences influence communication? Consider how meaning is derived, how messages are shaped, how we interact with each other, and how we play into norms and roles.

Critique

Please post a written critique of the informative speech. For those not yet assigned a person to critique, you will post yours next week.

Argument Analysis

You must find an example of persuasive discourse in the public sphere and provide an analysis of the argument.

1. Locate an argument. This can be an editorial from a newspaper, a review of a movie, a post on a message board. The only stipulation is that it must be available in the public sphere.

2. List the source (if there is a Web link provide it with your analysis, if it is a publication, then cite the source as you would in a "Works Cited" page.

3. List the THESIS of the argument.

4. Breakdown the arguments provided in support of the thesis, utilizing Toulmin's argument structure (Data-Warrant-Claim). Remember, the claim is likely stated, the Data should be stated, and the warrrant is often implied.

Post the completed assignment to this thread.