Fall 2012 Syllabus
“The person who hears a speech and says, ‘I like it,’ is not making a critical statement. [S/he] is reporting the state of his [or her] glands; he [or she] is speaking autobiographically. . . It is not criticism because although it may be stimulated by an object, it is not about an object; it is a statement about the speaker’s own feelings, and nothing more.”
–Edwin Black, Rhetorical Criticism, A Study in Method
Instructor: Dr. Bjørn Stillion Southard
Office: Terrell 128
Office Hours: 10:30-12:30, Friday and by appointment
Department Phone: (706) 542-4893
E-Mail: bjorn@uga.edu
Course Website: eLC (bit.ly/elc-new)
b. Course Description
Rhetorical approaches to the criticism of public communication. Intensive practice in writing rhetorical analyses will be provided.
c. Prerequisites
COMM 1100
d. Course Objectives
This is a writing-intensive course that introduces students to basic principles of rhetorical theory and criticism. The course objectives are to: (1) understand and be able to explain and apply theories of rhetoric; (2) research the historical, social and political contexts of rhetorical messages; (3) apply methods of critical analysis in several written exercises to various subjects of rhetorical interest.
e. Course Topical Outline
The Concepts of Rhetoric and Rhetorical Criticism
The Emergence of Rhetoric in Classical Antiquity
The Neo-Aristotelian Perspective
The Role of Ethos in Rhetorical Practice
Pathos in Rhetoric, its Theory and
Interpretation
Writing Workshop I: The Writing of a Critical Essay
Categories of Reasoning and Their
Application
Fallacies and Refutation: Special Problems of Reasoning
Fallacies in Public Address: Some Examples
Rhetoric and Ethics: Theories of Ethics
Ethics in Public Address: Some Examples
Writing Workshop II: Some Fine Point on Writing
Genre Theories