Truman State University’s Communication and Theatre Department will offer a dual enrollment course with a dedicated high school section focused on extemporaneous speaking in Fall 2026.
COMM 276 – Oral Advocacy and Debate (Dedicated Extemp Section)
This course meets the Public Speaking requirement of Missouri’s CORE 42 and is transferrable as public speaking at participating Missouri public institutions.
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Dates: |
Fall Term (August 17- December 11) – Live Zoom Meetings Wednesdays 6-8 pm Central |
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Modality: |
Hybrid Online (Asynchronous and Synchronous Online) |
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Cost: |
$255 ($85 per credit). Tuition is waived for students who demonstrate eligibility for free and reduced lunch. |
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Registration: |
For more information, and directions for registration, visit https://xtempore.truman.edu/dual-enrollment/ or https://earlycollege.truman.edu/ |
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Questions: |
Call Truman’s Institute for Academic Outreach at 660-785-5384 |
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Seat Limit: |
20 Students |
About This Course
This course mixes hands on skill-building in extemporaneous speaking with the theoretical grounding in persuasion and argumentation. Students completing the course will enhance their capacity to quickly analyze questions and outline answers, provide nuanced analysis of current events, identify and manage supporting sources, and strengthen conversational delivery. In addition to online work completed on their own time, students will join live discussion sections to analyze key current events and hypothetical questions, and perform practice speeches. Students will submit multiple speeches for grading and feedback during the term, write practice outlines and question interpretations, draft their own practice questions, and engage in moderated discussion boards about domestic and world events as they emerge. Students will have access to Truman’s online library, including prime extemporaneous speaking resources such as the Economist and the New York Times during the duration of the course. This course is ideal for students at the high school junior or senior level, or for advanced sophomores with prior forensics or public speaking experience. Prior extemp experience is not required.
About the Instructor
Dr. Kevin Minch is Associate Provost and a Professor of Communication at Truman. He served as the Director of Forensics from 1999-2009 and currently serves as the team’s assistant coach for Extemp and Impromptu speaking. He writes monthly practice questions and state tournament questions for national and state associations. He co-chairs the Extemp Committee for the collegiate National Forensic Association and is a four-time collegiate national champion across Extemp, Impromptu, and NFA-LD Debate. Send questions about the course to Dr. Minch at kminch@truman.edu.
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