University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 30

ECTS credits : 15

Level : SCQF level 10

Semester: 2

Availability restrictions: Not automatically available to General Degree students

Planned timetable: 12 - 2pm Friday

The module introduces students to speechwriting, focussing on the historical tradition of eloquence as an educational, political, and literary tool, with analysis and practice of rhetorical figures and strategies. Rooted in close reading of speeches from the Renaissance to the present day, the module examines: Classical models and tropes; the values and practices of Renaissance speechmaking; the rise and fall of 'rhetoric' in the 18th and 19th centuries; and the politics of gender, race, and class in contemporary speechmaking styles. Students will write and deliver their own speeches on a set topic as part of the module. (Group E)

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisite(s): Before taking this module you must pass EN2003 and pass EN2004

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: 2 x 1-hour lectures, seminars and practical classes, and 2 optional consultative hours.

Scheduled learning hours: 22

Guided independent study hours: 278

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: 2-hour Written Examination = 50%, Coursework = 50%

As defined by QAA
Written examinations : 50%
Practical examinations : 0%
Coursework: 50%

Re-assessment: exam = 100%

Personnel

Module coordinator: Dr S J Lodge
Module teaching staff: Dr Sara Lodge

Intended learning outcomes

• Demonstrate familiarity with a range of speeches composed and delivered from the Renaissance to the present day. Such familiarity will involve an awareness of differing versions and conceptions of a 'speech': for example, as preparatory script, oral performance, and published transcript.
• Evaluate and discuss critical materials about rhetoric and rhetoricians (both in essays and via group presentations).
• Identify and analyse a variety of verbal constructions and techniques involved in successful communication.
• Marshal a written argument, giving consideration to matters including: form, language, logic, ethos, and pathos.
• Plan, script, and deliver a speech before an audience of classmates.