EN4402 Speeches and Speechwriting: History, Theory and Practice

Academic year

2025 to 2026 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Availability restrictions

Not automatically available to General Degree students

Planned timetable

12 - 2pm Friday

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Prof S J Lodge

Prof S J Lodge
This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Dr Sara Lodge

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

The module introduces students to speechwriting, focussing on the historical tradition of eloquence as an educational, political, and literary tool, with analysis and practice of rhetorical figures and strategies. Rooted in close reading of speeches from the Renaissance to the present day, the module examines: Classical models and tropes; the values and practices of Renaissance speechmaking; the rise and fall of 'rhetoric' in the 18th and 19th centuries; and the politics of gender, race, and class in contemporary speechmaking styles. Students will write and deliver their own speeches on a set topic as part of the module. (Group E)

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS EN2003 AND PASS EN2004

Assessment pattern

2-hour Written Examination = 50%, Coursework = 50%

Re-assessment

exam = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

2 x 1-hour lectures, seminars and practical classes, and 2 optional consultative hours.

Scheduled learning hours

22

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

278

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate familiarity with a range of speeches composed and delivered from the Renaissance to the present day. Such familiarity will involve an awareness of differing versions and conceptions of a 'speech': for example, as preparatory script, oral performance, and published transcript.
  • Evaluate and discuss critical materials about rhetoric and rhetoricians (both in essays and via group presentations).
  • Identify and analyse a variety of verbal constructions and techniques involved in successful communication.
  • Marshal a written argument, giving consideration to matters including: form, language, logic, ethos, and pathos.
  • Plan, script, and deliver a speech before an audience of classmates.