Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103
531 College Street
Middlebury, VT 05753
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Open to the Public

Teaching Rhetoric as Part of Political Science

In democracies, we the people make many decisions through arguments and attempts at persuasion. Leaders, those ambitious to become leaders, leaders of opinion, and even ordinary citizens try to make arguments to influence everything from elections to laws to convictions and acquittals. Rhetoric is this activity of persuasion, and understanding what rhetoric is (and how it works) might be an important topic of political science - but is it? The question has been debated since the days of Socrates. I will be discussing the history of politics and rhetoric from the perspective of political science majors who have studied this “art” and how it affects and is affected by the democratic system.

Sponsored by:
Academic Affairs

Contact Organizer

Conrad, Courtney
cconrad@middlebury.edu
802-443-4008