Introduction to Rhetoric and Informal Logic: Argumentation, Persuasion, Manipulation

Course goals

1. Analyze persuasive texts, from ads to political speeches
2. Distinguish between different types of reasoning and arguments
3. Recognize fallacies
4. Produce argumentative and persuasive discourses
5. Understand the rhetorical power of language and be aware of specific linguistic devices that are commonly used for manipulation

Content

Rhetoric, along with grammar and logic, is a traditional part of the liberal arts & sciences education, and is canonically understood as the art of persuasion. We are currently bombarded with information of various quality, sometimes even without realizing it. It is important to be able to see how certain rhetorical techniques are used to convince us to believe things that may not be true (think fake news), or to get us to do something that we may not otherwise want to (think propaganda). This class examines the roots of rhetoric as a field, analyzes its theoretical foundations and teaches you practical applications in academia and beyond. At its heart, rhetoric is about argumentation, so you will examine different types of reasoning, learn how to structure arguments, and gain practical skills to spot, and avoid, logical fallacies. However, unlike classical logic, rhetoric is about the dialectic in the real world, so we will also focus on persuasion and examine how you can present your own arguments in a better way, while also paying attention to manipulative uses of language. This class offers a mix of theory and practice, and you will have plenty of opportunities to argue, present and debate, both in writing and orally.


Format

The class meets twice a week, and consists of lectures, interactive classes, individual presentations, practical work sessions, dynamic debates and discussion sessions. There are two exams covering the concepts dealt with in the course, as well as regular assignments coming out of the practical work sessions, which are to be compiled and submitted in a final work portfolio.