Controversies in Public Discourse

1.00 credits · Undergraduate

How do controversies arise in public discourse? Who participates in them, what arguments do they use, and what are their effects? Students study a specific controversy on topics such as medicine, the environment, social policy, or race to define its rhetorical situation, identify key stakeholders, and evaluate arguments in diverse genres or media. Students practice strategies of advocacy, and learn how communication practices and ethics in public discourse shape civic knowledge, human belief, and action.