The primary focus of the Oral Communication course is to empower students as public speakers. By the end of the course students should be able to both develop and deliver a variety of types and lengths of speeches. There are four assignments; they require students to develop thesis statements, introductions, conclusions, effective support materials, persuasive and ethical arguments, and appropriate organizational patterns. Assignments include a 1-2 minute self introduction, a 3-4 minute critical review of a book, a 5-7 minute nomination of an outstanding person to the "World Hall of Fame," and participation in a parliamentary style debate on the issue of free speech. The World Hall of Fame Speech requires students to learn how to use PowerPoint for their presentation.