COMM200: Rhetoric and Society

This course provides an introduction to the roots of modern public communication by exploring three basic questions: How do we come to hold our beliefs? How are we persuaded to maintain our beliefs? How are we persuaded to change them? After looking at the ancient quarrel between Plato and the Greek Sophists, the course traces the path of rhetoric into the twentieth century, examining rhetorical areas of social action such as mass movements, propaganda, cults, and brainwashing. Investigates the arguments made by those who claim the modern mass media hold great powers of persuasion over their audiences. Prerequisite: GLE110 First Year Composition; every Spring.