Directed to beginning speech students, with the goal of helping them express themselves clearly, succinctly, and with some degree of persuasiveness. The course is also intended to make them aware of the responsibilities engendered by the art of persuasion. The basic theme of the course is that the message is the message as it is received.

Emphasizes the primacy of literature and the importance of the interpreter's mature reaction to it, and his/her intelligent analysis of it. The technical use of voice and body must be based firmly on a sound analysis of the material, which should be grounded on the interpreter's intuitive grasp of the emotional content of the reading material - all expressed through the interpreter's own imaginative style.