COMMRC 3316 - SEMINAR ON RHETORIC OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
Social movements have been perennial subjects of rhetorical inquiry. What are social movements? How and why do movements form, grow, and dissipate? Can approaches to rhetorical inquiry traditionally reserved for the analysis of lone speakers and single texts shed useful light on the process through which movements attempt to persuade various audiences? This seminar considers the manner in which early social movement scholars in the field of rhetoric grappled with these and other controversial questions. After developing working knowledge of the rhetorical tradition of social movement scholarship, students will engage other theoretical viewpoints from fields such as sociology and political science to illuminate aspects of movement activity that may be less apparent from within the rhetorical horizon. Consideration of specific case studies will anchor such explorations, and the pedagogical approach guiding such study will privilege direct engagement with movement actors. The goals of the course are to provide students with a grasp on the tradition of social movement inquiry in the field of rhetoric, familiarize them with fruitful interdisciplinary perspectives on movement study, and stimulate reflexive awareness of their own status as agents in the field of social action.
Academic Career: Graduate
Course Component: Seminar
Grade Component: Grad LG/SNC Basis

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