Abstract

In response to a desire to further develop citizenship skills, a new course, Public Discourse, was created to replace Public Speaking as a general education and foundational course in the Communication Studies major at a small liberal arts college. The new course was developed to provide more instruction in departmental emphases of argument, civic engagement, and citizenship. Public Discourse is structured around a semester-long, experiential civic engagement project that culminates in each student taking direct action in the community on an issue of public interest. In order to assess whether the new course was more successful than Public Speaking at fulfilling departmental objectives, questionnaires were distributed to sections of the final semester Public Speaking course and sections of the first semester Public Discourse course. The questionnaire asked for responses on whether (and how) the course developed skill, increased knowledge, increased interest, and resulted in plans for future involvement in civic engagement. Public Discourse students report significant improvements in civic engagement skills, increased knowledge of the methods of and interest in civic engagement, and noteworthy growth in their plans for future civic involvement.