Bridging the Gap between the Broadcast Tower and the Ivory Tower: Integrating Telecommunications into Speech Communication Curricula

The erosion of students' ability to use the printed word caused by electronic media has led some communication scholars to predict that a new literacy of communication may be needed for the future. Activities enhancing awareness and analysis of telecommunications and performance in telecommunications can easily be integrated into the speech communication class. Some suggested assignments are as follows: (1) the monitoring assignment, in which students keep a diary of their telecommunications usage; (2) the survey assignment, in which students construct a simple questionnaire on media usage; (3) the informative speech, for which a topic in the communications field is assigned; (4) the term paper, for which the research topic assigned is one related to analysis of telecommunications; (5) the original research project, in which students research an area of communications in which they are particularly interested; (6) the persuasive speech, in which the student argues a premise based on analysis of telecommunications; (7) video recording of speeches, from which students can observe their nonverbal communication skills; (8) the interview assignment, in which students interview their peers who role-play a current news maker; and (9) the manuscript speech, in which students read a prepared newscast or radio drama. (HTH)