FALL 2007 HONORS COURSES

HONR238N: Contributing to the Democratic Conversation: Political Speechwriting
Mondays, 4-6:30 p.m.
Lindsay Hayes, Department of Communication

Speechwriter and author Peggy Noonan once wrote that a “speech is part theater and part political declaration; it is a personal communication between a leader and his people; it is art, and all art is a paradox, being at once a thing of great power and great delicacy… Speeches are important because they are one of the great constants of our political history. For two hundred years, from ‘Give me liberty or give me death’ to ‘Ask not what your country can do for you,’ they have been not only the way we measure public men, they have been how we tell each other who we are. For two hundred years they have been changing – making, forcing – history.”

Political speeches are part of our democracy’s on-going conversation. They persuade, they help us decide which path to choose, and they help define who we are as Americans. We often remember the delivery of notable lines or sound-bytes, but we rarely examine the rhetorical journey that marks the path to the podium. A good speech requires exhaustive research, drafting and revision, writing that captures the speaker’s voice, and rehearsal. And in politics, this process is usually a collaborative effort. In the shadows of our nation’s history, as far back as President George Washington’s First Inaugural Address, lies the ghostwriter.

The premise of this course is that not all of us will give speeches in our careers, but many of us will be called upon to be the ghost. Through course readings, observation and analysis, in-class meetings with speechwriters and political advisors, and writing assignments, this course is designed to prepare students to write speeches that others will deliver. And since no speech can be written – or understood – without examining its historical context, this course will also familiarize students with current events and important milestones in U.S. social and political history. Through an investigation of modern day and historic speeches, this class will examine the nexus between communication, political science, and history.

While this class looks at speechwriting through the lens of politics, the lessons learned can easily be applied to a wide range of professional and academic pursuits. By taking this course, you will learn not only how to be a better researcher and writer, but also how to be a better speaker. You will examine ethical questions about authorship. You will trace the historic origins of contemporary arguments and evaluate their major assertions, background assumptions, and the evidence used to support them. You will gain a better understanding of the nation’s democratic institutions and how they communicate with citizens and each other. And you will become a better consumer of the persuasive messages around you, particularly the kinds of messages that will be part of the up-coming 2008 election cycle.

Students in this course will be evaluated based upon their contributions to class discussions, thought/response papers, quizzes on course readings, research briefs, written speech texts, and a final examination. Readings will be compiled by the instructor into a course packet and will include, but will not be limited to, work by the following authors: Aristotle, Theodore Benson, Carol Gelderman, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Mark Katz, Martin Medhurst, Peggy Noonan, and Jeffrey Tulis. This course will also involve reading and watching major political speeches, both contemporary and historical.

CORE: Social or Political History [SH]