Description
MC200 Rhetoric and Society 3 credits
Provides an introduction to the roots of modern public communication by exploring three
basic questions: How do we come to hold our beliefs? How are we persuaded to maintain our
beliefs? How are we persuaded to change them? After looking at the ancient quarrel between
Plato and the Greek Sophists, the course traces the path of rhetoric into the twentieth century,
examining rhetorical areas of social action such as mass movements, propaganda, cults and
brainwashing. Investigates the arguments made by those who claim that the modern mass
media hold great powers of persuasion over their audiences.