RHETORIC & COMMUNICATION STUDIES

This Program is located in the

Department for the Study of Culture and Society

 

 

 

From classical oratory to contemporary talk shows, society has been shaped by and reflected in its practices of communication. As individual speakers and multiple audiences negotiate matters of public interest in law courts, legislative assemblies, and the many forms of popular entertainment, they determine winners and losers, they confer power and identity, and they create possibilities for and constraints on social change.

Every day we are exposed to a continual stream of persuasive messages, and each of us strives at times to persuade others. The Rhetoric and Communication Studies Program is dedicated to helping students become effective and responsible communicators through study of this fundamental dimension of human nature.

November 2003