It’s safe to say that every student at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) is well aware of the inevitable course that is speech. I can also say with certainty that an overwhelming majority of students see speech as a useless and forgettable course. The bottom line is that speech class serves a minuscule purpose at best for quite a few reasons.
One glaring issue with this class is the fact that it’s only worth one credit, despite its workload. With a course that has no specific subject matter other than the sole skill of speaking, it’s difficult to retain any of the points from the class. When you create a class that’s only one credit hour and covers no detailed subject, it’s no surprise that it becomes pointless and forgettable.
What also makes speech a useless credit is the fact that the Maverick Milestone essentially overlaps it. In order to take a speech class, one must enroll in a milestone of their choice synchronously. Moreover, the Milestone course can actually be enjoyable and even covers a detailed topic, which overshadows the mundane nature of the speech class. While these courses must be taken together, the Maverick Milestone could easily replace the speech class altogether.
While speech is supposed to be an easy way to initiate and inspire lower-division students in a low-stress class teaching basic skills, I found the reality is quite different. Many people I took the required course with online were not from the freshman cohort, including myself. Everyone has different schedules and quite often it’s taken later in one’s academic career in order to get it out of the way or fill a schedule up.
On the flip side, many other essential learning requirements spark inspiration for the future and foster a sense of curiosity, even though they are involuntary as well. All these essential learning courses are three credits making them worth the time and even influential to one’s academic future.
By requiring the class, CMU dismisses the fact that many other classes already shape assignments or instruction to teach better speaking and presentation skills. Whether it’s a lower-level or upper-division course, the majority are focused on developing analytical skills and constructing an argument, not just memorizing information.
Many ESSL courses in my experience have had presentation projects or at least discussions required for a grade. Once a student reaches their upper divisions, discussion and participation are a large component of the class itself, on top of topical presentations in front of a class.
It’s without a doubt that developing speaking and presenting skills are vital for success. The only problem is that the motive for it isn’t pushed forth strongly enough because it’s only one credit. It’s best to let the fields that require these skills most develop them within classrooms focusing on the subject they are majoring in.
Structuring these skills around more major-relevant content is a way to both gain knowledge and skill at the same time without having to attend a one credit course no one wants to be at. Until then speech is just going to be a class that will be loathed forever.
