The Virtual MLK Project team has created a pilot project for COM 110, Public Speaking, an introductory foundational course at NC State University in public speaking skills. The project provides a unique opportunity for students to share an immersive experience of public speaking for civic engagement that they will then transform into an advocacy speech.
The objective of this project is to develop and evaluate pedagogical strategies for using the Virtual Martin Luther King, Jr. Project, a rhetorical digital humanities project of the “Fill Up the Jails” speech, in COM 110 courses at NC State University. The purpose of using the vMLK project in this introductory course is to offer students an immersive learning environment for learning about the importance and potential of public speaking within the context of civil rights and collective action.
As a rhetorical digital humanities project, vMLK offers pedagogical opportunities for investigating, understanding, and connecting with historical moments related to diversity and inclusion in contemporary settings. Please visit https://vmlk.chass.ncsu.edu/pedagogy for more information about vMLK curricula resources.