Rhetorical Criticism

3 credits · Undergraduate

(3 hrs Lecture) This course is recommended for students whose interests extend beyond the kinds of literature traditionally studied in English courses. The emphasis will be on non-literary texts and on language used to persuade -- on media talk and advertising copy; on political speeches, campaigns, and editorials; on popular and professional essays. For the rhetorical critic, such uses of language are considered worthy of close analysis not because they have lasting aesthetic value, but because they reveal cultural values and social trends. Students in this course will examine a variety of nonfiction in order to develop the perspective of rhetorical criticism, which views language acts as responses to historical circumstances, addressed to particular audiences and motivated by particular goals. Contemporary, written texts will comprise the bulk of the reading in the course, but speeches and pre-modern texts may also be considered. In addition, students will be encouraged to suggest other readings (including magazine and newspaper articles) that are suitable for rhetorical analysis. Requisite Courses: Any section of Academic Writing or exemption from the writing requirement and completion of 24 credit hours [prerequisite(s)].