Last March 15, the Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts (DSCTA) held a panel discussion on the GE course Speech 30: Public Speaking and Persuasion, one of the fundamental GE courses. The panel discussion, fittingly entitled My Persuasion Can Build a Nation: Discourses on Speech 30, was held at Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan. Its objective was to evaluate the current pedagogy of Speech 30 and map out its future in inculcating critical communication skills to UP Diliman students.
The panel featured three of DSCTA’s faculty members, who focused on different viewpoints: Asst. Prof. Holden Kenneth Alcazaren on the educational perspective, Asst. Prof. Charles Erize Ladia on the political perspective, and Asst. Prof. Ma. Theresa de Guzman on the technological perspective. These discussions were followed by a reaction from GEC Director Anna Sibayan-Sarmiento, who raised points to be considered in the envisioned futures of Speech 30; complimented on the insights offered by the panel; and, commended the efforts of the DSCTA in championing the GE objective of providing transformative education.
TALKBACK: World-changing Ideas—a HASAAN GE Enhancement Project led by Asst. Prof. Marvin Olaes—was also launched and previewed during the panel discussion. The said project, which is a series of recorded videos of different Filipino public speakers, is expected to contribute further to the development of Speech 30 pedagogy.
The panel discussion, along with the launch of TALKBACK, is part of DSCTA’s celebration of its 65th anniversary, DSCTA at 65: Honoring the Past, Reckoning with the Present, Priming the Future. It runs from February to July with a whole host of academic and extracurricular activities.
