A communication instructor used research findings by African American scholars to expand the communication arts curriculum and the courses he taught. The rhetorical communication theory course at Ohio Dominican College traces the development of rhetoric from the classical period. Two primary assignments in the course are a research paper on a significant rhetorician and an oral presentation. Numerous names of African-Americans were added to the suggested list of rhetoricians. The "Mass Media in America" course's textbook was supplemented with other texts that better highlight the role of African-Americans in mass media. Contemporary African-American public speakers are used for case study in the persuasion course, which describes persuasion theory and contemporary applications of persuasion theory. The "Unity in Diversity" course is a new course that explores the implications of belonging to a culturally pluralistic society. A variety of sources by black authors relevant to the course exist. A common objective of these courses is to empower students to discover African-American contributions and share their discoveries in class. (Contains 51 references.) (RS)