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This area addresses communication from the perspective of how humans influence one another through the uses of language, symbols, and signs in constituting self and society. The rhetorical tradition is examined from critical, historical and pragmatic perspectives.
Studies focus on rhetorical theory, argumentation, symbolic interaction, and close reading of public discourse in persuasive texts. Topics for analysis include those controversies, social movements, and political campaigns that catch up the global public sphere in contesting and creating civic culture.
Seminars in areas such as rhetoric and religion, deliberative democracy, communication ethics, and public argument equip students to analyze the broadening landscape of public deliberation and debate.
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