ACC 320 Persuasion in Social Discourses
Content
As stated above, this 300-level course focuses mainly on argumentation, rhetoric and persuasion in three key areas. The first of these is the ‘critical discourse analytic’ (CDA) realm of newspaper texts, where journalists often present events through the persuasive filter of their own subjectivism. The second is the ‘word and image’ domain of pictorial advertising, where the great rhetoricians and argumentation theorists of the modern day ply their trade. The third category concerns the wily domain of politics, where rhetoric, argumentation and the art of persuasion reign supreme. Before venturing into these realms an attempt will be made to understand just what persuasion is by studying the coactive approach to rhetoric set out by Simons in his 2001 work Persuasion in Society. The role of ethics in persuasion will be paramount here.
In addition to the above-mentioned course book a number of theoretical texts on all these subjects will be studied and discussed by students. These are located in the Course Reader and will be prescribed on a week-to-week basis for homework. Because this is a 300-level course, the pedagogical emphasis will be on student-led seminar-like discussions, where we move from understanding to analysing and finally to practice and production. The course requires the writing of a long essay (approx. 5000 words) which will be judged on content, structure and argumentation. There will also be a mid-term and an end-of-term exam: the former on CDA and the latter on the content of the Simons book.
The course consists of 30 two-hour sessions, distributed over 15 weeks. Every week we will meet for four hours. Unless indicated otherwise, class meetings will take place twice a week. In addition to this students will work 10 hours per week on this course preparing lessons, reading extensively and doing assignments. This will be needed in order to be able to play a full and fruitful role in the seminar-like set-up of the course
Instructor
Dr. Michael Burke
Track
Rhetoric & Argumentation
Period
Spring / 2011
Evaluation/Assessment
- Attendance, Preparation & Participation (APP): 10%
- In-class group presentations: 20%
- Take-home written assignments: 15%
- Group project I Political and legal argumentation analysis: 15%
- Group project II: Producing persuasion in advertising discourse: 15%
- Essay: CDA (3,500-5,000 words): 25%
Course Material
- Herbert W. Simons Persuasion in Society. London: Sage, 2001
- The Course Reader (a selection of advanced theoretical texts and academic articles).
Prerequisites
The following course is required in order to take this course:
Additional Prerequisites
- ACC220 Stylistics is strongly recommended;
- Useful ‘companion’ courses include introductory courses to Law and Political Sciences.
Required for
This course is required in order to take the following course:
- SSC 334 Advanced Cultural Studies
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