CMN 538

Fall 2021

Part of Term 1
Aug 23-Dec 8
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
57571
Lecture-Discussion
2
2:00PM -4:50PM
W
Lincoln Hall
Murphy, J
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
08/23/21-12/08/21
Section Title:
Conceptual Criticism
Section Info:
Conceptual criticism is a sequel to the rhetorical criticism course. It focuses on middle-level terms (e.g., decorum, genre, abundance) that mediate between a specific rhetorical act and grand theory. We will examine how these concepts thicken and evolve when set against specific texts and, in turn, how those texts are illuminated by the concepts. Each week of the class will include conceptual readings and rhetorical texts. Students will write several short papers that will build to a final seminar paper.
Restriction(s):
Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.
71421
Lecture-Discussion
3
2:00PM -4:50PM
M
Lincoln Hall
Finnegan, C
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
08/23/21-12/08/21
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 a bit 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, communication, and political 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? An affect? 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, citizenship status, ability, and sexuality influence our sense of what constitutes “the public”? The course is appropriate for master’s and doctoral students interested in rhetoric, argumentation, political communication, media, and/or communication theory. You do not need previous coursework in rhetoric to take this course.
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