COMM 3601: "Introduction to Rhetorical Theory" is an exploration of the theoretical systems used to direct the creation of everyday practices of public discourse. This is a large-lecture introductory survey course designed to acquaint undergraduate students with rhetorical theory: what it is, what it does, how it ought to be applied to, and illuminates a range of present-day events. It surveys a range of rhetorical tools and methods and sets out to assist students to find a clear purpose for using rhetorical theory and to develop a structured approach to objects of criticism. It is intended to prepare students for upper-division and special topics courses in Communication Studies, although lessons are also designed to prepare them for speech, research, and writing assignments encountered in future classes across CLA.
This course leverages three core understandings of rhetoric: as spoken/written persuasion, as ideologically-charged representation, and as the available means of maintaining/undoing power hierarchies. In its long and distinguished history, rhetoric was thought of as the art of persuasion in public contexts, especially in political and legal settings. Rhetoric prepared students for positions as leaders in government and as lawyers and judges. At many points in the past, the primary purpose of education was to prepare and enable students to become active citizens and leaders of their nations. Throughout this course, we will study the political role that rhetoric played - from its crucial contribution to the birth of democracy in Athens into twenty-first-century America where what is persuasive often conflicts with truth, facticity, and principles of greater class, racial, and gender equality.
(When instruction is remote/online) Each week, our two (synchronous) classes are divided between a review and discussion of course content (early week) and activities/writing lessons (late week session) that prepare students for the paper assignments in this (and other) classes. The major grading criteria for the class include quizzes, exams, and short written papers, all of which are administered online (Canvas). The primary reading for this course will be posted on "the un-textbook," a digital resource created by the instructor of record (https://the-un-textbook.ghost.io)