Bachelor
2022/2023
Rhetoric and Public Discourse
Category 'Best Course for Career Development'
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'
Type:
Elective course (Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication)
Area of studies:
Linguistics
Delivered by:
School of Foreign Languages
Where:
School of Foreign Languages
When:
3 year, 3, 4 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of all HSE University campuses
Instructors:
Tatiana Martseva
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
5
Contact hours:
60
Course Syllabus
Abstract
This course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of rhetoric (the art of persuasive writing and speech). Through the study and practice of rhetoric, students will learn to critique historical and contemporary public discourse, considering the stylistic and persuasive devices that make particular pieces of rhetoric effective. Students will learn when and how to employ a variety of rhetorical devices in writing and speaking; they will also learn how to evaluate the strength of an argument and how to identify logical fallacies in arguments. They will be able to create written and oral arguments that use clear evidence to support specific claims. We will use selected speeches from prominent public figures to explore and analyze rhetorical structure and style.
Learning Objectives
- To acquaint students with a variety of rhetorical devices in writing and speaking and teach them when and how to employ them
- To develop the ability to differentiate between argument and rhetorical technique
- To teach students how to identify logical fallacies in arguments and and how to evaluate the strength of an argument
- To expand the ability to gather, analyze, and synthesize information from different sources
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Create messages which are shaped by communicative goals and responsive to audience, context, and ethical engagement with difference.
- Critically analyze public discourse as it is shaped by composition, audience, genre, rhetorical situation, and systemic power dynamics.
- Describe and engage central questions and concerns that have shaped the field of rhetoric, and effectively engage core rhetorical concepts and theories.
- Describe and engage central questions and concerns that have shaped the field of rhetoric, and effectively engage core rhetorical concepts and theories.
- Produce effective arguments that respond definitively to opposing viewpoints, while demonstrating an understanding of those viewpoints.
- Сreate written and oral arguments that use clear evidence to support specific claims.
Course Contents
- Classics of Rhetoric, the Development of rhetoric, etc (Plato's Rhetoric in Theory and Practice, Aristotle's Rhetoric in Theory and Practice).
- Contemporary rhetoric (Rhetoric and Feminism , Rhetoric and Race, Rhetoric and Digital Media, Rhetoric and Environment, etc).
- Language: Uses and Misuse. Style.
- Methods of rhetoric (argument, narrative, etc).
- Introduction to the Public Sphere
- Modern Public Spheres - Networks
- What Makes for Meaningful Communication. Understanding the Public: Audiences and Public Opinion
- The art of speaking and presentations
- Persuasive writing and speaking
- Rhetoric, Gender and Sexuality
- Propaganda
- Speaking as Identity Politics. Identity and Anonymity. Anonymous and identified commenting
- Academic communication
Assessment Elements
- Individual Presentations1. Introduction speech (2 min.) 2. Informative speech (5 min) 3. Persuasive speech (5-7 min) 4. Impromptu speech (2-3 min) 5. Final speech (8-10 min)
- Rhetorical Analysis
Interim Assessment
- 2022/2023 4th module0.2 * Rhetorical Analysis + 0.4 * Individual Presentations + 0.2 * Individual Presentations
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Aristotle, Yunis, H., Waterfield, R., & Aristotle. (2018). The Art of Rhetoric. Oxford, United Kingdom: OUP Oxford. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2096818
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Charteris-Black, J. (2014). Analysing Political Speeches : Rhetoric, Discourse and Metaphor. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1453945