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ENGL 115: Rhetoric

ENGL 115: Rhetoric. A quick intro and ENGL 115 ‘FAQs’ 8/24/11. What is rhetoric?. Rhetoric = the study and use of language for persuasive effect (Aristotle: “art of discovering the available means of persuasion”)

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ENGL 115: Rhetoric

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  1. ENGL 115: Rhetoric A quick intro and ENGL 115 ‘FAQs’ 8/24/11

  2. What is rhetoric? Rhetoric = the study and use of language for persuasive effect (Aristotle: “art of discovering the available means of persuasion”) Traditionally, rhetoric has focused mostly on speech and written texts . . . increasingly, has come to focus on visual and multimedia texts

  3. Why is this a required class? • Rhetoric applies to all majors/fields • This course emphasizes skills rather than content • In this class, you learn: • transferrable analytical thinking skills • transferrable critical reading skills • Transferrable college-level writing skills • the “habits of mind” that make you a smarter user and consumer of language and symbolic communication Take what you learn here  use it to help you master the rhetorical “moves” or discourse of your chosen field

  4. Our section’s theme / focus Rhetoric = a lens that can be applied to virtually any form of expression (‘everything’s an argument’) Environmentalist discourse  explicitly argumentative . . . Beliefs about/values surrounding nature tend to come from less overtly “argumentative” sources We’ll examine how popular images of nature—in ads, on TV, in movies, on the web, and elsewhere—shape our attitudes toward the natural world Popular depictions of nature  as rhetorical objects

  5. Our focus is not on environmental problems or the politics behind environmental debates • Rather, we’ll focus on representation •  the persuasive dimension of representation • In the final unit, we will look at how particular environmental threats/problems are depicted in the media • (and how successful these depictions are meeting the expectations of their “rhetorical situation”) • You don’t have to be “pro-environment” to succeed in this class

  6. Why this course theme? • Most of us have studied / been exposed to basics of ecology / mainstream environmentalism; the politics of environmentalist discourse • Fewer of us have studied the cultural history that precedes this discourse . . . • If you do consider yourself ‘pro-environment’  help you understand/articulate the cultural dynamics behind successful rhetoric • In any case  recognize how various entities (incl. the government, corporations, churches, nonprofits) leverage rhetorical strategies

  7. How is this different from other English classes I’ve taken? • Not strictly about literature / written texts We’ll work with a variety of cultural artifacts • Claim-driven essays (not “debate style”) for a general academic audience • College-level critical reading, writing, and research • Strategies for using sources analytically (not just to “support” your claims)

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