Prepare for your speech perception class by taking some linguistics courses first. An introductory phonetics class provides the minimal basis for understanding and succeeding in speech perception, but courses in phonology, syntax and semantics as well as educational and experimental psychology are helpful too.
Enroll in an introductory statistics course, preferably geared towards the social sciences. Understanding even the most basic research in speech perception requires statistical analysis skills.
Download and learn to use the free Praat software application that functions much like the proprietary hardware and software systems used in state of the art research labs. Developed by Dutch phonetician Paul Boersma, this free application takes its name from the Dutch word for talking. Available for many operating systems, Praat allows the curious novice the opportunity to edit and analyze speech on the cheap.