Rhetoric can change the world. That might seem like a bold statement, but consider this: if we want to change how people act, then we need to change how they think, right? Rhetoric – as an art of effective, persuasive communication – is all about shaping and thus potentially changing how people view the world and thus act within it. Indeed, since ancient Greece, rhetoric has been seen as either a means of upholding the status quo or of bringing about revolution. Thus rhetoric has been both revered as a vital part of human culture and despised as a deceptive manipulation.
In this graduate seminar, we will look at the relationship between rhetoric and culture, especially in terms of how ideologies that support culture are always already rhetorical constructs and thus subject to how we use discourse. We will reflect on some of the classical origins of rhetoric and the first theories of how this art of persuasion influences human society, as well as explore how contemporary thinkers foreground the power and responsibility that all authors have when they put rhetoric into practice. Students will be responsible for producing an original scholarly essay at the end of the class, as well as response writings throughout the semester.
Required Text: Course Pack (available @ University Bookstore)
Created January 2010