Listed in: Classics, as CLAS-222 | Political Science, as POSC-222
Andrew Poe (Section 01)
Christopher S. van den Berg (Section 01)
(Offered as POSC 222 [PT] and CLAS 222) Rhetoric is the art of persuasion, of using language--both written and oral--to convince others of one’s point of view. Yet many perceive such convincing as dangerous, especially to democracies where individual voice matters so much to politics. The line between persuasion and manipulation is not always clear, and the effects of crossing it can be incredibly corrosive. This course investigates the history and theory of political rhetoric. How and when should we be rhetorically persuasive? Which rhetorical techniques are persuasive and how do they operate? To what extent do rhetoric and persuasion determine our understanding of politics? When might persuasion prove dangerous to politics? This course revisits classical debates on the use and function of rhetoric in politics, as well as modern reflections on this tradition. The first section of the course addresses the thought of the three central figures in this debate--Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero. In close engagement with key texts of the rhetorical tradition, our task will be to uncover precisely how ancient conceptions of rhetoric developed, exploring how rhetoric was viewed as both dangerous and necessary to successful governance. Building on these models, the course will then examine more recent theoretical discussions, reflecting on the development of attitudes and ideas about the rhetorical craft in modern and contemporary political thought. These investigations allow us to discover the risks and rewards of persuasion for our own political lives.
Fall semester. Visiting Professor Poe and Professor van den Berg.
Section 01
M 02:00 PM - 03:20 PM FAYE 115
W 02:00 PM - 03:20 PM FAYE 115
This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plato: Gorgias, Menexenus, Protagoras (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) | Cambridge University Press | Malcolm Schofield and Tom Griffith and Plato | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Phaedrus | Hackett | Plato | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Public Opinion | Free Press | Walter Lippmann | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Public and its Problems | Swallow Press | John Dewey | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Art of Rhetoric | Penguin | Aristotle | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) | Cambridge University Press | Aristotle | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| American Speeches: Political Oratory from the Revolution to the Civil War | Library of America | Ted Widmer | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| American Speeches: Political Oratory from Abraham Lincoln to Bill Clinton | Library of America | Ted Widmer | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Cicero on the ideal orator | Oxford University Press | Cicero | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Ten Speeches | Hackett Pub Co | Cicero | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.