Political Rhetoric

 

Course Description: Rhetorical techniques found in political discourse are examined.  This course will address directly symbolic politics as enacted through the Presidency of the United States.

 

Required Texts:

Dorsey, L.G. (ed.). (2002). The Presidency and Rhetorical Leadership. College Station: Texas A&M Press.

 

Ellis, R.J. (ed.). (1998). Speaking to the People: The Rhetorical Presidency in Historical Perspective. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press.

Course Objectives: This course is designed to be an intensive examination of the American presidency from a rhetorical perspective.  The course employs a historical approach to presidential rhetoric.  The first half of the class will examine how presidential rhetoric has developed since the founding of the Republic.  The second half will investigate how this historical development has produced a rhetorical as well as a political presidency.  Emphasis will be on how presidential rhetoric has influenced and been influenced by public expectations of the presidency.

 

The President is probably the most influential and visible policymakers in the United States.  The President has many powers: chief executive, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, head of state, and bully pulpiteer.  However, the most important role may be, as Mary Stuckey puts it, serving as our "interpreter-in-chief." Because many policy actions are shaped through public perception, the study of presidential addresses, press conferences, and other messages is important to maintaining a public understanding of politics.  

 

The instructor's goal is to help students

·         ... develop an understanding of the role of rhetoric in shaping the modern presidency.

·         ... understand why presidential rhetoric falls into well-recognized forms of speaking.

·         ... apply the forms of rhetoric and the history of rhetoric in written and oral communication.

·         ... demonstrate specific skills in the areas of: reasoning, organization of ideas and materials, researching a topic in depth, and the use of supporting materials in analysis of political speech.

 

Course Structure: Each class session requires participation. Given the small size of this class, we will treat it as a seminar.  As such, you are expected to have read, understood, and developed thoughts about the readings before the relevant class period. Although one person will be the discussion leader for each class, the other members of the class are expected to bring a set of at least 3 discussion questions to each class period.  These questions will be given to the instructor at the beginning of class.  Although the emphasis of this class is on the written and oral products, there are examinations and these are clearly indicated on your schedule.

 

Attendance: If you are not officially registered in this course, you must leave now. If you wish to add the course, please see me after class. If you are officially registered in this class, success in this course depends upon regular attendance. You must be here for examination days and for days when student presentations are given. In-class exercises cannot be made up. If you miss class for an unexcused absence, 25 points will be deducted from your final grade. (That's out of 700, not 25%). To have an emergency absence excused you must contact me within 48 hours of the absence (sending a roommate, phone or e-mail is fine, then bring verification). Emergencies are an accident or illness requiring hospitalization or a death in the immediate family. To have a non-emergency absence excused you must contact me at least two weeks before the relevant class period. Non-emergency situations are university-sanctioned sports, forensics, ROTC activities, religious observance, and jury duty. You will need to produce documentation for any excused absence. If you have 4 or more unexcused absences, you will fail this course.

 

Grading Scale and Assignments:

1.      Oral (150). You will have 2 oral presentations to the class.  You will be evaluated on structure, creativity, research, clarity, and other standards as noted on the critique sheets.  These sheets are available on the course website.  Oral presentations cannot be made up.

 

a)      Speech presentation [50].  On the first day of class you will draw the name of a speech and a speaking date from a box.  You are expected to read the speech and understand it.  You will deliver a 5 to 10 minute presentation of the speech to the class.  In your presentation you will want to explain the historical placement of the speech, who the speaker is, and the rhetorical force of the speech (i.e., how did the speech work to attain some goal?; why is this speech considered to be one of the top 100 speeches of the 20^th century?).  Although you will want to do some research outside of the speech, you can find everything you need in standard encyclopedias (e.g., Britannica or American Heritage) or in the text of the speech itself.  For this speech – and this speech only – an encyclopedia is enough for meeting the research standard.

 

b)      Class leadership presentation [100].  On the first day of class you will draw a speaking date from a box.  You will be responsible for leading discussion on that day for 55 minutes.  Your role will be to create an engaging environment through which you can explain the important ideas from the chapter(s) for the day.  You may be as creative as you want in your class leadership presentation.  Some things that people have used in the past are: normal lectures, games, role-playing, scavenger hunts, campus tours, among others.  If you require special equipment or locations for your presentation, let the instructor know at least two weeks ahead of time to discuss logistics.  At the end of your presentation, all members of the audience should have a better understanding of the ideas in the chapters.  Although the texts are well researched, you may want to bring in additional materials that will help the other members of the class understand the materials. You will also write a 2 page statement explaining why you chose the format of and ideas for your presentation.

 

2.      Written (300). You will write a speech or media analysis.  The public speech is still a one of the means most frequently used by Presidents to communicate with the public. Students of political rhetoric should have experience with the description, analysis and evaluation of public speeches. If you have not taken INCO/COMS 260 (Intro to Communication in Public Advocacy), INCO/COMS 303 (Rhetorical Analysis & Criticism), or INCO/COMS 353 (Contemporary Culture and Rhetoric), you may find the final paper to be difficult.  If you have not completed one of these (or equivalent) courses, I highly recommend that you read Karlyn Kohrs Campbell's Critiques of Contemporary Rhetoric or Sonja Foss's Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric before you proceed. You will employ theories and concepts from the course to a political speech of your choice.  In addition to writing a compelling critique, you will be expected to employ logical structure, evidence, and good writing. References must always be employed and bibliographies given. These papers should be factual, logical, and interesting to read. There are three steps to completing this paper:

a) Write a historical-contextual placement for the rhetorical act [50].  That is, state why the speech is important, why it was given, what surrounding events were.  In short, to what exigency is this speech directed.  Who is the speaker and what is his or her reputation? You will also need to indicate the audience that the speaker was addressing the speech.  If other researchers have examined the rhetorical act that you have chosen, make sure to reference them? Draw on previous analyses of the situation as outlined in communication, political science, and/or history journals. You will need to use qualified sources to make these claims.  Qualified means that a Google search is insufficient.  You will want to use sources available on my course resources page and/or talk to the folks in Alden library about how to find peer-reviewed sources and quality papers. If you do not know what peer-reviewed mean, the folks at Bergen Community College are happy to inform you.  If you do not know what a quality paper is, you can read more from Dr. Philip Meyer. This paper will be 3 to 5 pages in length.

 

b) Write a descriptive analysis of the rhetorical act [50]. That is, describe what the text is doing internally.  There are six kinds of questions you might answer: What is the purpose indicated in the speech?; What is the audience indicated in the speech?; What persona does the speaker adopt in the speech?; What is the tone (attitude toward the topic or audience) as shown by the speech?; What is the strategic (logical, narrative, ideographic, etc.) structure of the speech?; and, What supporting material (evidence, metaphors, local knowledge, examples) does the speaker employ in the speech? As indicated by the extensive use of underlining in this description, the entirety of your claims should be supported by the text of the speech and that text alone.  Do NOT use any source other than the speech when crafting these arguments. This paper will be 3 to 5 pages in length.

 

c) At this point, the instructor will have provided you with comments on your papers.  you will revise these papers and combine them to make a coherent final paper [200].  If the instructor indicates that you should do something to your previous papers to make them better make sure you make these changes or consult with the instructor if you disagree.  The instructor will probably also give you the names of important rhetorical theorists or of theories to make your paper more compelling.  If you are given these names, you will want to use them.  You may wish to employ the following structure for your final paper:

I. Introduce the topic in a page or less.  The last few sentences should outline the rest of the paper and your major claims.

II. Provide a historical-contextual background.

III. Outline any theories (if used) that help us understand the text.

IV. Provide a descriptive analysis, referring back to the historical context and the theories (if any).

V. Provide a compelling conclusion about what the text teaches us about the presidency, rhetoric, politics, or any combination of these items.

As you can see, you can draw together much of your previous work (after making necessary changes).  This paper will probably be 10-15 pages in length.  If it is particularly coherent, talk to the instructor about special opportunities regarding your paper.

 

3. Discussion Questions and Participation (50).  At the beginning of each class period you will turn in at least 3 discussion questions related to the reading for the day.  These questions may seek to clarify the content of the chapters for the day, ask how the items in the readings can be applied to current political events or rhetorical acts, or ask about the ethical, legal, or social implications of the rhetorical concepts. Beyond your discussions questions, participation includes decorum, timeliness, activity, quantity, quality, and other factors that make (or do not make) you a productive classroom citizen.

 

Note: There are 500 points in this class. Failure to complete any written or oral assignment will result in an "F" for the course.

 

Grades will be distributed according to the following non-negotiable paradigm....

A = 475-500 B = 416-432 C = 366-382- D = 316-332

A- = 450-474 B- = 400-415 C- = 350-365 D- = 300-315

B+ =433-449 C+ = 383-399 D+ = 333-349 F = below 300

 

The instructor does not assign grades of Incomplete in this class.