SPEECH COMMUNICATION & RHETORIC

Fall 2008 Courses

SPCH 140—Public Communication: This course focuses on student writing and performance of presentations for a variety of situations. This course also includes the basic principles of public persuasion and an introduction to the evaluation of persuasive messages. Also offered in Summer 2008 Multiple times and instructors. Please see the master schedule for details.

SCHC 158—Rhetoric (Honors) This course introduces students to the basic practice and fundamental theory of rhetoric through analysis and participation in the 2008 political campaigns. Students will give presentations on candidates and on major political issues central to the persons and proposals up for vote on the 2008 ballot. After the election we will utilize the principles of rhetoric as critical tools for understanding how and why particular campaigns succeeded or failed. TTH 2:00-3:15, Professor Gehrke

SPCH 230—Business and Professional Speaking: Fundamentals of oral communication within business and professional settings. Includes performance. Multiple times and instructors. Please see the master schedule for details.

SPCH 260—Argumentation and Debate: The course provides students with the analytical ability to construct and criticize claims, reasoning, and evidence using argumentation theory within the context of debate. Students will practice argumentation and debate skills in both written and oral forms and will leave this course being able to identify and criticize, as well as effectively respond to, argumentative strategies, evidence, and reasoning. Excellent for students who want to attend law school. MW 2:30-3:45, Professor Mindy Fenske, Schedule Code: 528678

SPCH 330— Small Group Communication: The course aims to improve students' understanding of, as well as their ability to practice, communication skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, conflict management and leadership in teams, committees, and other small groups. The knowledge gained about groups, along with practical experiences, will help students to become more comfortable and competent in contexts of professional and personal group communication. MW 4:00-5:15, Professor Mindy Fenske, Schedule Code: 542708

SPCH 387– Introduction to Rhetoric: An introduction to the practical art of rhetoric, this course begins with the question `what is rhetoric?' It then proceeds to a survey of contemporary theory and an inquiry into the nature and power of rhetorical criticism. Writing intensive, the course offers significant opportunities for students to work closely on topics of their own choosing. TTH 11:00-12:15, Professor Erik Doxtader, Schedule Code: 542728

SPCH 548 * — Contemporary Political Rhetoric– Violence, Inhumanity, & the Discourse of Human Rights: This course examines the rhetorical invention, circulation, and power of contemporary human rights discourse. Beginning with the documents that have defined the form and content of contemporary human rights discourse, the course will then turn to a series of case studies, including transitional justice, testimony in the wake of atrocity, the dynamics of reconciliation, the potential of international human rights advocacy networks, and the protection of language. TTH 2:00-3:15, Professor Erik Doxtader, Schedule Code: 542768

*While listed this semester as SPCH 558, students in this course will receive credit for SPCH 448. Questions about the course or enrollment should be directed to: Prof. Doxtader

SPCH 790 —ENGL 890E—Rhetoric and Democracy: The Politics of Communication

This course interrogates the relationship between rhetoric and democracy and the particular forms or limits that both rhetoric and democracy take up as they interact. Through examinations of thinkers, such as Dewey, Habermas, Foucault, and Derrida, we can expand the rhetoric/democracy relationship beyond the mundane celebration of free speech and deliberative reasoning to find how inclinations, forms of thought, and communicative practices give shape to political organization and the possibility of democratic life. Tu 5:30-8:00, Professor Pat Gehrke, Tu 5:30-8:00, Schedule Code: 454578