Public Speaking in the Core

As I sat watching the most recent presidential debate last Tuesday, I found myself marveling at the short limbs of Senator John McCain. He kept gesturing forward with both his arms, which in turn would bunch up his suit around his shoulders and give the impression of a turtle retracting into its shell. I wondered whether I would want a turtle for president, and decided that I would probably vote reptile as long as the candidate was a Democrat.

I joke, of course, but the fact is that I am not among the undecided voters whose hearts and minds the two candidates are now intent on capturing. To be perfectly honest, were I undecided, my status as a New Jersey resident—a blue state since 1992—would probably discount me from their attentions anyway. There are, however, two upsides to my situation. On the one hand, rather than considering the different opinions being voiced, I can do my Chinese homework. On the other, I get to look closer—turtle-close—at the more subtle behavior of the candidates on stage.

Senator Barack Obama, for example, has a habit of slipping into tired old rhetorical devices and rehashing McCain’s past verbal faux pas when he is either uncomfortable with a question or thinking of an answer. McCain blinks too much and paces when responding to the same pressure.

I realize that these are not exactly epic revelations, but they did get me to consider the public speaking skills of both candidates. Following further consideration, I came to the equally novel conclusion that they are both pretty good at the art of verbal expression. After all, it was his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 that vaulted Obama into our collective consciousness, and it was McCain’s prowess in town-hall meetings that won him the trust of many an undecided voter.

So the question is from where did these skills come? Was it lot of practice in the mirror? Did they pick them up as they developed their political careers? Were they taught them in college? Were they born with them? McCain’s style—less eloquent, though more direct and more familiar—suggests that his aptitude probably does stem from years of experience in the Navy and the Senate (though it is impossible to know for sure). In the case of Obama, he could also have honed his skills in law school, as a professor, or in politics. We do know that he most likely did not take a class in the subject at Columbia.

The fact of the matter is that there are currently no courses in public speaking offered at Columbia College. There is, however, a “Speech” section listed under the “Departments of Instruction” on the college bulletin Web site. The administrative information states that taking a course in public speaking is “particularly recommended for students who plan to teach or perform or for those who intend to do graduate work in communication, English, or related fields such as journalism, law, business, film, television, or theatre.” A list like that seems to encompass the vast majority of Columbia students, and yet, when one searches for courses in this department for either spring or fall at any times of the day and at any level, the response, “I’m sorry. At the moment, there are no courses that correspond to your search criteria,” appears on the screen.

I am not sure whether the presence of this department on the list implies that Columbia intends to have a speech department soon, but my proposal is that public speaking become part of the Core Curriculum.

I am not necessarily proposing that a speech class be added on top of the existing Core, but rather that it replace another requirement. Perhaps instead of three science courses, we might take two and a semester-long public speaking course. Maybe instead of four semesters of language, we could take three and a course in speech. Or perhaps one of the existing courses of Lit Hum, CC, or University Writing could incorporate the practice of oration in its curriculum.

The Columbia College Web site says that “students today develop through the Core Curriculum critical tools of observation, evaluation, and judgment that translate into all spheres of life.” My question is, in a democracy where most of us get our information about candidates through speeches, debates, and campaign ads, how are we supposed to critically evaluate what we hear if we are not ourselves schooled in the art of rhetoric?

I do realize that actually changing the Core Curriculum is much more difficult than, say, writing an article about it. Still, I hope this might start some dialogue on the subject. Even if a public speaking class never makes its way into the requirements, at the very least maybe it will become an option for Columbia students. In the meantime, I think I will try practicing in the mirror.

The author is a Columbia College first-year. He is an editorial page associate editor.