Voices of Public Leadership in the 20th Century

The information contained in this website is designed to provide supplemental information to enhance your learning in COMM 461. Information will be added as the semester goes by and you may wish to check frequently.

Information on the course:	For your daily preparation	Additional resources
About the Course Assignments and Examinations Course Policies Attendance Instructor's Website	Daily Schedule of Activities and Readings Material on Units of the Course Office Hours for the Instructor Email the Instructor	Study Aids Videotapes Films on historical topics Living History and Museums Places where you can read more

Material on Units of the Course

Please note when you open the lecture notes that they are color coded. Brown notes explain the history of the times that create demands on the speaker.  Green notes identify characteristics of American rhetoric that are resources for the speakers to draw upon in meeting their moment. And blue notes explain principles of political leadership that speakers draw upon in formulating their response. 

• Introduction to our Study of Public Discourse
  • Working with Speeches: Step by Step

• The Century Opens: 1900-1920
  • Industrialization: Radical Approaches
  • Progressive Movement
  • Women's Suffrage
  • Internationalism and Isolationism


• The Years of Tumult: 1920-1945
  • Voices of the Depression
  • The War on Facism


• The Post War Years: 1945-1990
  • Rhetoric of the Cold War
  • Movements of the 1960s
    • Civil Rights
    • Black Nationalism
    • Feminism
    • Gay Movement


• End of the Century, 1980-2008
  • The Rise of Conservatism
    • Ronald Reagan
  • Globalization
    • Terrorism
  • Justifying War: The Case of Iraq


• The New Century: The Obama Years

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Study Aids

• Working with Speeches: Step by Step
• Questions to ask in analyzing a speech
• A Chart of Twentieth Century Movements and Events
• A sample abstract
• Glossary of Terms
• How I write a test
• Advice on preparation for Mid-term exams
• Sample Mid-term Exam
• Assessing your Exam and improving your studying
• Advice on studying for and answering essay questions on exams
• Advice on preparation for the Final
• How I grade
• How am I doing?

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Watch for additional material as the semester goes along

This page maintained by James F. Klumpp jklumpp@umd.edu. Last update May 21, 2015