21W.747-1 Rhetoric, Spring 2006
Name
21w-747-1-spring-2006/contents/index.htm
Size
35.31 KB
Format
HTML
Checksum (MD5)
89a12f0bb554152b4b8388bce70480c2
Author(s)
Strang, Steven
Alternative Title
Rhetoric
Date Issued
June 2006
Abstract
This course is an introduction to the history, the theory, the practice, and the implications (both social and ethical) of rhetoric, the art and craft of persuasion. By the end of the semester, you will have been exposed to several of the key concepts of rhetoric (e.g., ethos, pathos, logos, invention, style, arrangement, kairos, stasis, commonplaces) and to the over-riding importance of writing to your audience. You will have gotten a taste of rhetorical history and theory. You will explore and analyze and respond to some key texts by significant writers. You will have had a chance to practice speaking and debating before the class. You will have written and revised several texts. You will have examined some of your core beliefs and assumptions. In this course you will act as both a rhetor (a person who uses rhetoric) and a rhetorician (one who studies the art of rhetoric). Because the study of rhetoric has always had as one of its goals the creation of active and informed citizens and because rhetors write to influence the real world and thus to become agents of positive change, the topics you choose and the essays you write will have the important purpose of persuading your readers (the class and me).
Subjects
ethics
rhetoric
persuasion
analytical skills
critical thinking
persuasive writing
oral presentation
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Terms of Use
Persistent DSpace Link
