In this essay, Benjamin Baez and Susan Talburt analyze the U.S. Department of Education's Helping Your Child Series to consider how the government of children, families, and schools reflects a concern with two seemingly unrelated political objectives of neoliberal projects: creating responsible, self-reliant citizens and making schools more…

The question of how information is used by parents in selecting schools is a central issue in school choice debates, where advocates and opponents frequently intermingle theory (often economic), ideological beliefs, and empirical evidence in constructing arguments about the potential of this reform. We employ a nomination strategy to analyze…

The influence of the Other on utterance is foundational to language study. This analysis contrasts this influence within two modes of communication: reflective writing and interview. The data source is derived from the reflective writings and interview transcripts of a twelfth-grade physics student. In this student's case, reflective writing…

The most important historical theory of persuasion is Aristotelian Rhetorical Theory. Aristotle's work, "The Rhetoric," is divided into three books, each of which discuss principles relevant to persuasion. Book One establishes the philosophical position of rhetoric to logic; establishes the purposes of rhetoric; discusses three types of…

An understanding of evidence is necessary for effective rhetoric, especially in the sub-area of argumentation. Evidence can be classified according to (1) the argument field in which it is used (court of reason or court of law); (2) the linkage to the assertion being made (direct or circumstantial); and (3) its persuasive force (how convincing it…

The theoretical perspectives of intercollegiate debate are constantly shifting. This paper evaluates the mirror state counterplan--a strategy open to the negative team--both generally and in light of the criticisms leveled against it by Richard H. Dempsey and David J. Hartmann in their recently published article entitled "Mirror State…

Declares that Kohlberg fails to consider morality outside of Kantian terms, fails to take "good-boy" morality seriously, is weak on affective morality, and fails to consider habit training in growth. (DW)

This paper examines United States Representative Hale Boggs's 1971 speech on the House floor, in which he denounced J. Edgar Hoover and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for wiretapping members of Congress and infiltrating campus student groups. Following an introduction to the objectives of the paper, the first section reviews Boggs's…

Theory-building in any field of inquiry is essential and utilitarian. This paper argues two points: that a concern for theory could redirect some of our typical approaches to rhetorical criticism; and that generic criticism must, by its nature, fully respond to this call for theory-building. Four important areas of rhetorical criticism are…

Congruity theory is used as the basis for predictions made in this study. The study deals with the effect that 1) extrinsic ethos, and 2) general susceptibility to persuasion have on a prejudiced or non-prejudiced person's degree of persuasibility to a one-sided persuasive message presented by either a white or black source. Eighty-eight white…

Argues that until we replace classical education with a more comprehensive, more inspiring, more sophisticated teaching scheme, our best choice would be to return Latin and Greek to the place of honor they once occupied in secondary education. (Author/RK)

There are some critics of ethical egoism who treat it seriously as an ethical doctrine, but consider it an odd approach. Examines this doctrine and suggests that if we are to have the benefit of egoism as a sound ethical approach, or rightly assess its inadequacies, we must first see it fairly. (Author/RK)

Describes techniques employed in public doublespeak and suggests that graffiti is a response to these techniques. (DD)

Valid reasoning is a difficult task and vice and virtue are not always clearly distinguishable in human reasoning. Discusses different ways of analyzing and presenting viewpoints in arguments with the intention of clarifying proper generalization and scholarly detail. (Author/RK)

Describes a dramatic map of art education with an explanation of the attitudes of five unique groups of people. (RK)