Fall 2011

Description

This course introduces the history of rhetorical theory and the principles of rhetorical analysis. We will read Aristotle's Rhetoric in full and texts by Cicero, Quintilian and other classical theorists. We will then sample other rhetoricians across the centuries and, in the final section of the course, pay attention to modern rhetorical theories. At every step we will try to apply the advice offered in these texts to contemporary examples. Course requirements include short analyses, one final researched investigation, a mid-term and a final exam.