As Barry Brummett (1984) has argued, the purpose of rhetorical theory is pedagogical--providing students with resources for understanding the rhetorical transactions that they encounter every day. An understanding of the implications of ideology is necessary for advanced communication students. Kellner and Share (2005) contend that this is…

Rocca's (2010) extensive literature review suggests that some students are reticent in voicing their opinions due to the fear of rejection by their peers when using the persuasive approach and for believing that their voice does not matter in public settings. Similarly, Arnot and Reay (2007) often find an imbalance of power, which fosters the…

Parody involves creating humor through "imitating a style or genre of literature or other media" (Buijzen & Valkenburg, 2004, p. 154). More specifically, Bush, Bush, and Boller (1994) argued that parody involves both imitation of an original text, and discrepancies from the original that create humor and insight. The discrepancies…

For more than 75 years, instructors have taught students to use Monroe's (1935) Motivated Sequence (MMS) when organizing speeches designed to move audiences to action. However, modern approaches to teaching the sequence are needed to help instructors remain relevant and effective. This activity advocates the use of constructivist pedagogical…

Aristotle's three proofs remain central to students' understanding of argumentation and persuasion. They are fundamental for those just beginning rhetorical study, as well as being of interest to experienced scholars. Investing time in learning the proofs supports students' future practice and study of rhetoric. Unfortunately, the…

The objective of the exercise described here is for students to be able to recognize Habermas's public sphere theory and analyze public deliberation occurring within the online public sphere. After completing this unit activity, students will also be able to distinguish between civil and uncivil comments that people use in online forums.…

Evidence that K-12 schools had successfully integrated conflict resolution into curricula (Johnson & Johnson, 2004; Stevahn, 2004) includes students' resolution of personal conflicts and improved academic performances (Johnson, Johnson, Dudley, & Magnuson, 1995; Stevahn, Johnson, Johnson, Green, & Laginski, 1997; Stevahn, Johnson,…

The study of persuasion is the wellspring of the communication discipline. Nevertheless, in one review, Seiter and Gass (2004) noted that ''critics of persuasion seem to emerge and reemerge with some regularity'' (p. 2). Although the study of persuasion is generally venerated by those within the field of communication, it is…

Students frequently encounter stories in the form of urban legends but often fail to analyze them properly. Using urban legends to teach is often a lively and informative method, and deconstructing common persuasive messages can show students the applicability of theory to real life. The author states that her goal as a teacher is to help students…

Social influence is presented throughout the communication curriculum, from the introductory public speaking course to upper-level courses devoted to communication theory and advanced study of persuasion. Within the progression of these courses, there is often a shift in emphasis from practice to theory. For example, the public speaking course is…

This article presents an activity that engages students in a fun and collaborative process of learning, with a primary objective of teaching them how to identify and label formal and informal argumentative fallacies. After playing a variation of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?," students ought to be better prepared to craft stronger arguments and…

First-year students at many universities find themselves in new communities, with little understanding of how their new university, city, academic, or career communities function. Developing a student's sense of community can have long-term benefits. Using the theme of "Community" in the basic public speaking course provides students with…

Communicators are involved in persuasion every day. For students to be effective in their persuasive attempts, they need experiential practice in creating and evaluating persuasive messages that utilize persuasive strategies. Persuasive strategies can help speakers to influence their audiences to accept proposed ideas and the possible…

The increasing popularity of television shows featuring paranormal investigations has led to a renewed enthusiasm in ghost hunting activities, and belief in the paranormal in general. These shows typically feature a group of investigators who, while claiming to utilize proper scientifically correct methodologies, violate many core scientific…

Digital oratory can be described as thesis-driven, vocal, embodied public address that is housed within (online) new media platforms (and that ideally takes advantage of the developing/flux-laden conventions that the online video context provides). This new form of public address lies somewhere between traditional speech-giving and media…