COST - Speech and Theatre (COST)

Rhetoric is the art of effective expression. Since ancient Athens, rhetoric has been foundational for civil society and the heart of a liberal education. A skilled rhetor has mastered five inter-related facilities- invention, disposition, style, memory, and elocution. This course provides an introduction to rhetorical practice and serves at the foundational course for Seton Hall University’s oral communication proficiency.

This course explores human communication with the self and others in interpersonal, small group, and public speaking settings across digital, in-person, and global contexts. Special emphasis is on students’ developing communication, cultural, digital, and listening competencies through exploring the role that verbal and nonverbal messages play in personal and professional relations

The course entails a political, historical, and ethical exploration of discursive and visual propaganda. As a form of mass persuasion, propaganda has long been a vital constituent of both religious discourse and the rhetoric of warfare. The course begins with an examination of the emergence of propaganda as a strategic concept in the 17th Century Vatican¿s response to the Protestant Reformation. It then combines analytical and ethical perspectives on propaganda with a detailed examination of propaganda-like practices throughout history. Such perspectives enable an ethical evaluation of war-related propaganda efforts, such as those enacted by governments in World War I and World War II, as well as more recent propaganda relating to the 9/11 attacks and to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ultimately, students will be able to assess propaganda as a political practice, with an emphasis on communication ethics. Crosslisted with CORE3320