UI Libraries resource page for Communication Studies

Department Manual of Operations and Procedures

Professional Development and Awards

Department forms

Graduate student resources

International student resources

Teaching resources

Course descriptions and sample syllabi

Research resources

Travel funds

Harshbarger funds

The department has allocated funds for graduate student travel.  Eligibility requirements will be e-mailed to students. If you are eligible, please follow this process:

  1. Prior to traveling or making any purchases, speak with the Department Administrator regarding eligible expenses and receipts.
  2. Email Jenny at uss-commstudies@uiowa.edu the following information: 
    - Reason for travel (conference, presenting, etc.) 
    - Dates of travel 
    - Location  
  3. A "trip" will be set up for you and you will be assisted regarding any reimbursements.
  4. Please scan and email receipts to Jenny Ritchie at uss-commstudies@uiowa.edu.

Additional funds

Travel funds may be available through the Graduate Student Senate. For more information visit http://gss.grad.uiowa.edu/funding.

Additional funds may be available through International Programs. For more information visit https://international.uiowa.edu/students.

Resources for teaching rhetoric

Resources for instructors

Emergency Protocol

Visual Rhetoric (Purdue OWL)
More greatness from the best online writing lab: "These resources will help students and teachers better understand the use of visual elements for rhetorical purposes."

A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods
Visual literacy and ways of conveying ideas graphically. Cool.

The Ad Council
Public service announcements on social issues.

Composition & the Elements of Visual Design
A vocabulary for talking about visuals: line, shape, form, color, texture, balance, the rule of thirds...

Vintage ads
A treasure-trove of past advertising, both charming and horrifying.

Instructor handbook and templates

Rhetoric handbook for instructors

This is specifically for instructors teaching rhetoric. Anything in this Handbook supercedes the more general Center for Teaching's Handbook for TAs (which includes general policies and procedures for TAs in all disciplines).

Download handbook

Syllabi templates

Department of Rhetoric common policies and practices for all general education rhetoric courses are included in our syllabi templates.

RHET:1030 Template      RHET:1040 Template      RHET:1060 Template 

Additional resources and support

Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology

OTLT resources 

Resources for students

Citation style guides

Use the University of Iowa Writing Center's links to a variety of citation resources.

You can also check out Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) for the most comprehensive descriptions of MLA, APA, and Chicago.

Minor in Rhetoric and Persuasion

The General Education course Rhetoric (RHET:1030) helps develop basic skills in the effective use of language by having students engage with important social controversies and by asking them to analyze and describe the various perspectives on these controversies as well as to craft and advocate their own positions (description, analysis, advocacy).

Learn more

The Forest of Rhetoric

Guide to the terms of classical and renaissance rhetoric. Sometimes it is difficult to see the forest (the big picture) of rhetoric because of the trees (the hundreds of Greek and Latin terms naming figures of speech, etc.) within rhetoric.

Resources

The Writing Center

The Writing Center assists with all writing projects, including multimedia projects, at any stage of development. Our services are free and available to anyone in the University of Iowa community. Our job is to help you become a better writer, reader and critical thinker.

Writing Center

Resources for speaking

External resources

Public Speaking: The Basics
From U Pittsburgh, public speaking help with a focus on rhetorical concerns like audience, purpose & occasion

Hamilton College Oral Communication Center
A treasure trove of tips and guidelines...

Public Speaking Tips (from MIT)
A baloney-free guide to the basics of public speaking.

Six Minutes: Public Speaking & Presentation Skills
A public speaking blog loaded with critiques, tips, and how-tos.

American Rhetoric
A bank of famous speeches, plus lots of information and resources on rhetoric.

Resources for teaching online

Zoom resources

ICON

Flipgrid

Check out Flipgrid (tutorial at https://help.flipgrid.com/hc/en-us/articles/360007460474-Getting-Started-Educators) and Padlet (tutorial at https://www.coolcatteacher.com/how-to-use-padlet-fantastic-tool-teaching/). I’m using both platforms in my online class right now, and they offer a creative way for students to engage with course materials and concepts.

Cisco (CPN software)

Keep Teaching at Iowa site

Panopto

VoiceThread

VoiceThread at https://voicethread.com/ has been approved for use and is CANVAS ready.  You can create student accounts, limit access to social media sites, set up a distinct website address for class projects, customize the class page, and more. Once you or your students choose to create a new project, the site walks you through the process of uploading or importing images and videos. Kids can use the microphone to add in voice, or they can use a phone-in option if they don't have audio recording capabilities. If you have access, a webcam can also be used to add video narration to project pages. Take a look at https://voicethread.com/products/highered for some more information.

UICapture

Employee services

Teaching online

In preparation for the assignment, I opened a discussion board where students could ask me questions about how to record in Zoom, how to include the commercial they were analyzing in their Zoom recording, and how to work with UICapture.  I've also attached a screen shot of what I posted on that preparatory discussion board.

To record visuals alongside yourself speaking, use UI Capture/Panopto. Similarly, you can use the “Screen Share” feature in Zoom to record a PowerPoint or visual as you deliver your presentation orally. You will appear in a small box in one part of the screen, and your visuals will make up the main display.

Dress like you would for any in-person presentation. Avoid tank tops, oversized sweatshirts, and other overly informal clothing.

Speak clearly and slowly. Your tone, pacing, volume, and minimal use of filler words will be even more important when you cannot rely on body language to communicate.
Avoid placing hand-written notes on your desk in front of you, as you’ll inevitably spend a lot of time looking down, which is distracting.

Make sure your PowerPoint, visuals, or any text you present is carefully proofread. Your audience will likely focus more on your visuals since they will be front and center, and you don’t want textual errors to diminish your credibility.

Consider actively interacting with your visuals using your mouse or another method to guide us along, if this is an option. You might think of your mouse as a laser pointer, if that’s something that helps you get information across clearly to an audience.  

Practice selecting the “record” button and know where it is on your screen. Viewers don’t want to watch you fumble at the end of your speech as you look for how to stop your recording.

If available, take advantage of your software’s video editor to fix errors or add additional content. 

Check your work like you would for any assignment. Watch your finished recording more than once to ensure all the necessary components, such as video and audio, have been properly captured.

Don’t forget that you can reach out to ITS if you have technological issues.  

The Department of Communication Studies is in no way responsible for, nor has control of, the content of any external websites nor do we endorse any commercial products, services or websites. You should always research any opportunity thoroughly.