In this paper, we describe the design for PurpleState, an internship simulation that applies the epistemic game model for informed civic learning. PurpleState places students in the role of interns at a political media firm and asks them to design a media campaign on a state level policy issue. Unlike the use of these models in STEM education,…

The "beauty and truth" in the title reminds one of John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn." That is not only a great Romantic poem, but also a highly sophisticated rhetorical discourse. In it, the interwoven voices of the speaker, of the Urn, and of Keats himself as an implied author, exploit the ambivalence and ambiguity of the…

As a significant part of America's political heritage, the national political convention keynote address has become an institution of the American political process. Politicians and journalists borrowed the term "keynote" from the vocabulary of music to refer to the setting of campaign themes. Convention speakers learned that it was…

A case study examined the political campaign consultants' role as rhetor by analyzing consultant Robert Squier's strategy for Mike Sturdivant's 1983 Mississippi gubernatorial campaign. The examination compared Squier's ideal model (a "single vision" strategy) with a second model drawn from empirical data. Squier's strategy for the…

Some might perceive a contradiction-in-terms in the claim that an appointment to the United States Supreme Court demands, or even permits, a political campaign. However, where there is a choice--a judgment identifying the preference for one proposition, or one person, over another--there is politics, there is rhetoric, and there is an ethical…

Scholars can learn much from analyzing discourse within a statewide political debate. A study used W. R. Fisher's theory of narrative rationality to analyze the first intra-party debate (April 16, 1990) between Republican candidates for Governor of Arkansas, Sheffield Nelson and Tommy Robinson, to ascertain the narrative rationality employed by…

The fall of Gary Hart, brought about because of his indiscretions during the 1988 presidential campaign, should not be treated exclusively as a consequence of Hart's moral failings. Rather, the fall of Hart can be traced to a complex of factors including bad judgment, the near total control that the press exercises over the political agenda, and…

The major policy issues raised by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations with regard to the year-round nature of political media campaigns and the emergence of political action committees (PACs) are explored in this paper. The first part of the paper introduces the major policy issues, specifically who should have an affirmative right…

Analyzes editorial endorsements on the basis of ownership. Suggests that neither group-owned nor independently owned newspapers had much impact on the outcome of the statewide elections examined. Reveals that group newspapers are slightly more liberal in their endorsements. (MM)

A study investigated the relationship of campaign media attention to cognition, strength of the commitment to the candidate choice, and probability of voting. The 1985 gubernatorial campaign in Virginia was selected for analysis. A model constructed for predicting voting tendencies hypothesizes that the role of the mass media is largely indirect,…

Examines the legend Eugene Debs fostered, calling for a renewal of American virtue. Argues that a more sympathetic view of Debs' radicalism is achieved by looking at him against the Judeo-Christian tradition of Old Testament prophecy. (RAE)

A rhetorical analysis of the 1984 vice-presidential debate between George Bush and Geraldine Ferraro was conducted to determine argumentation tactics, argumentation flaws, reasoning strategies, and other rhetorical characteristics. The results indicated that the format of the debate allowed for little actual direct confrontation between…

This paper provides a selected review of political candidate campaign advertising studies from the political science, mass communication, advertising, and political communication literature. The paper examines the literature in terms of research pertaining to (1) candidate advertising content (commercials for male versus female candidates and for…

A study examined the treatment and portrayal of political parties on Soviet and American television. The content of six newscasts of "World News Tonight" and "Vremya" during June of 1984 were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The overall results suggest that 15 stories (24% of the total allotted time) pertaining…

This report of a study investigating the advertising strategies of various senatorial candidates and their results presents a trend analysis of GOP Senatorial advertisements aired on television throughout the United States during the 1984 national election campaign. One hundred and one campaign spots from all geographic regions were examined in…