CMN 538

Spring 2015

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Seminar Rhetorical Theory
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Credit: 4 hours.

Study of special topics in the history of rhetorical theory.

May be repeated to a maximum of 16 hours.

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CRN Type Section Time Day Location Instructor Section Details
50680
Lecture-Discussion
CF
2:00PM -4:50PM
W
4103 Lincoln Hall
Finnegan, C
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
01/20/15-05/06/15
Section Title:
The Problem of the Public
Section Info:
Most formulations of communication assume the existence of something called ?the public.? As citizens, we behave as if there is a public in which our participation matters. As teachers, we teach as if there is a public to be addressed and influenced by our students. As researchers, we study rhetoric and politics as if it exists in a public space that we are capable of locating, grasping, and describing. As activists, we work as if it is possible to change norms of public engagement. But what precisely is this thing we call ?the public?? In the 1920?s John Dewey wrote about ?the public and its problems.? This seminar tweaks Dewey?s framework to suggest that the public is the problem. That is, if we wish our work to speak to or about ?the public,? scholars of communication must come to terms with ongoing contestation over the term itself. This seminar will engage a range of critical and theoretical literature so that students may familiarize themselves with this foundational construct of rhetorical and communication theory. Questions we will engage include: How best should we conceptualize ?the public?? Is it a space? A mode of communication? An attitude? A habit? How are we to understand what happens ?in public?? What is the role of media and digital culture in framing our experiences of publicity? What modes of citizenship are enabled or disabled by the ways we choose to be ?in public?? How do race, class, gender, and sexuality influence our sense of what constitutes ?the public?? In exploring these and other questions, a number of interesting tensions will emerge, including those between public/private, facts/norms, consensus/dissent, civil society/the state, and rational/spectacular. Assignments include a series of short response papers, an annotated bibliography, and a take-home exam. The course is ideal for master?s and doctoral students interested in rhetoric, argumentation, political communication, media, and/or communication theory. Students do not need previous coursework in rhetoric to take this course.
Restriction(s):
Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.
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