Rhetorical Studies Graduate Courses

503. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND COMMUNICATION ETHICS (3)

Social responsibilities of the public and private oral communicator, assender and receiver; the issues of freedom of speech and explorationof problems of ethics in speech communication.

519. POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN AMERICA (3)

Communicationtheory and practices within the context of American politics. Moderncampaigns, political communication consultants, issue definition anddissemination, communication strategies of administrative control,and communication within the presidency and within congress.Special focus on the mass media.

600. THE CLASSICAL TRADITION IN RHETORICAL THEORY (3)

Foundations of rhetoric, emphasizing the contributions of Plato,Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian, and selected medieval, Renaissance,and post- Renaissance rhetorical theorists.

602. CONTEMPORARY RHETORICAL THEORY (3)

Issues inrhetorical theory construction, trends in 20th-century rhetoricaltheorizing, and the approaches to rhetorical theory of such figures asKenneth Burke, I.A. Richards, Richard M. Weaver, Chaim Perelman,Stephen Toulmin, Ernesto Grassi, Michel Foucault, and JurgenHabermas.

603. SEMINAR IN PUBLIC RHETORIC (3)

Significant publicspeeches and rhetorical discourse throughout American history onmajor intellectual, social, and political issues. May be repeated toa maximum of 9 semester hours provided no major duplication ofsubject matter occurs.

604. METHODS OF RHETORICAL CRITICISM (3)

Examination ofthe nature and function of rhetorical criticism in regard to diversetexts and contexts.

605. THEORY AND USES OF ARGUMENT (3)

Study of moderntheories of argument and a critical examination of the function ofdebate in the determination of public policy.

606. COMMUNICATION ETHICS (3)

Conceptual perspectives forevaluation of ethics in interpersonal, small group, organizational,and mass media communication settings. Exploration of potentialstandards, controversial issues, and case studies. Instructionalapproaches to communication ethics in academic and nonacademiccontexts.

619. SEMINAR IN PRESIDENTIAL RHETORIC (3)

Examination ofthe definitional, theoretical, and methodological issues relevant to therhetoric of the American presidency. Focus on the rhetorical practicesof recent presidents from FDR to Reagan.

620. RHETORICAL APPROACHES TO SOCIAL MOVEMENTS (3)

Examination of definitional, theoretical, and methodological issuesunique to rhetorical criticism of social movements as articulated incontemporary scholarly debates such as the nature of a rhetoricalmovement, the role of communication in development of rhetoricalmovements, method(s) appropriate to study of modes of symbolicactivity in rhetorical movements, and the ethical status of the criticof rhetorical movements. Issues explored through consideration ofparticular case studies.

640. SEMINAR IN COMMUNICATION AND GENDER (3)

Examination of the relationship between communication and gender,current research regarding gender differences in communication,theoretical and critical perspectives that emphasize gender, andcontemporary communication problems and issues for which genderplays a pivotal role (e.g., pornography and sexual harassment).

760. SEMINAR IN RHETORIC (3)

Intensive studies of selected topicssuch as postmodern issues, communication and culture, power andidentity, alternative critical perspectives, and free speech/free press.May be repeated to a maximum of 9 semester hours provided thereis no duplication of subject matter.