Argumentation and Advocacy was amongst the first communication classes I had the pleasure of taking at USC. I had extremely high expectations of the professors at the prestigious Annenberg School for Communication. Dr. Marcia Dawkins exceeded my expectations by miles.

I have always been a critic of the current school and university system where classrooms turn into impersonal spaces, as students and professors read about and discuss theory, theory, and more theory. Dr. Dawkins definitely did not take this approach. Rather, she turned the classroom into an institution where we were able to see the theories of argumentation come alive. From discussing graffiti as a form of argument to analyzing the debates between Obama and McCain during the 2008 election, we studied it all. I could feel myself becoming better versed in communication studies and argumentation through each activity she had planned for us. It was a most enjoyable experience, as we were exposed to forms of argumentation that no textbook could teach us. That is the sign of a true and extraordinary professor-one who is not afraid to not only explain theory, but also expose her students to relevant, real world concepts that truly define the field of study. She has been one of the most influential professors I have been so lucky to learn from and be inspired by.

Thanks to Dr. Dawkins, I have the confidence I need to excel in law school and other future endeavors. Any student who is fortunate enough to be enlightened by her, be it in a classroom or elsewhere, will find that she is a gifted individual and an absolutely wonderful professor and human being.

-Saira Zia
USC Class of 2010

Marcia was such an inspiration. I was originally enrolled in another section of this course, taught by a different professor. On the first day, he explained his point-based argument rating system and asked us not to participate in class discussions unless we had something original to say. As someone who is generally hesitant to speak up in class, I lost all interest in his course and dreaded the semester ahead.

Luckily, a friend was enrolled in Marcia's class and suggested I contact her about joining. When I explained the situation, Marcia agreed to add me to her section, even though it was technically full--for her, this meant more time spent grading papers, etc., but she genuinely wanted me to have a good experience, so she made the compromise.

From my very first day in her course, I felt completely comfortable offering my opinion during every one of our interesting class discussions. One of the most important parts of making a strong argument is having self-confidence, and Marcia created an environment where we all felt secure in sharing our opinions--which led to some very thought-provoking and lively debates.

One thing that truly stood out to me was that Marcia would periodically mention discussions she'd had with her friends about the subject matter of our course. Her passion for the material rubbed off on us, and I often found myself in the Annenberg lobby talking with classmates about the new things we'd learned long after we'd been dismissed for the day.

Thank you, Marcia, for creating such a welcoming and exciting academic environment!

I took Marcia's class in the Fall of 2008 and it was by far my favorite class of the semester. She is such a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher who really asks her students think about the world. The journals we had to write weekly, while some of us grumbled about them, really caused me to think about my stance on different issues. Until I had to analyze a quote and think about what it meant, I never realized how much could be portrayed in one or two sentences. Overall, it was an amazing class! I was so sad that she was not there for future semesters because when anyone would ask me who my Comm 322 teacher was I would always rave about her.