Engl 3633W: Rhetoric of Political Discourse in Literature and Society
One man’s “terrorist” is another man’s “freedom fighter.”
Does life begin at conception or at birth?
How do we define the concept of slavery? What is the essence of liberty? How do we know what rights are allegedly “natural” and what right are merely civil?
What is a proposition? How may we be convinced of the truth of a proposition?
What is an argument? What does the proof consist of? On what does the proof depend? Will arrangement have anything to do with it?
Rhetoric was famously defined by Aristotle as “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” Rhetoric is central to human affairs, because people “attempt to discuss statements and to maintain them, to defend themselves and to attack others.” By nature, people are political animals. Political rhetoric covers all questions concerning the lives of human beings in society. In this course, we will discuss the rhetoric of political discourse in theoretical, historical and contemporary contexts. We will address the intrinsic connection between rhetoric and argument and rhetoric and ethics. We will attend to how literary artists and cultural commentators engage the subject of political rhetoric, with a view to illuminating the great political controversies of their time. We will also consider how political rhetoric plays out in the crucial domain of law. Course requirements: one short paper, a research paper and a final examination.
For more information, contact: Inda Watrous at inda.watrous@uconn.edu