Discusses the persuasive process toward convincing a college or university to build a new recreation center on its campus. The factors influencing a school's decision for a recreation center are discussed as are the importance of timing and student retention in the decision making process. (GR)

Assesses the current focus of collegiate forensics. Argues that the value of competition has come to outweigh the value of education in intercollegiate individual events practice. Examines the educational and competitive values of forensics, assesses the problems associated with the overemphasis on competition, and makes recommendations as to how…

Considers how during World War I populations were mobilized, "taught" to hate and fight the evil enemy, responded emotionally to atrocities, even if invented or exaggerated. Discusses how George Creel, leader of the Committee of Public Information, used every means of communications available to conscript opinion, to control, centralize,…

Describes a successful attempt to apply the principles of rhetoric to enhance the communications power of video and established emotional resonance with an audience. (Author/CCM)

Demonstrates the difference between typical textbook fare and textbook material designed to be comprehensive and built upon the reader's understanding, arguing that the hallmark of persuasion and learning must include comprehensibility and understandability. A taxonomy of text types is presented, examining the argument and explanation patterns and…

While using refutational text helps students meet traditional learning goals, it is less useful in environments where students must understand that meaning is constructed, knowledge is dynamic rather than static, and knowledge is constituted in power relations. The paper examines the role of persuasion and competing goals (knowledge,…

Focuses on exploration and Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) as a model of theory and pedagogy in the persuasion course. Considers problems in the persuasion classrooms. Examines texts used to teach persuasion. Notes the theories and practices in the IAF. (SG)

Richard Shusterman's recent two books--"Performing Live" and "Surface and Depth"--are a much welcome antidote to versions of philosophy anticipating the ends of art. His work also celebrates forms of artistic expression that have not yet earned cultural recognition as art. Shusterman's pragmatic mode of argumentation has become a means to sustain…

The author presents her views on creating respect and dialogue in the Feminist Argument Class. She asserts that the instructor must "create the kind of atmosphere in which students can think honestly and openly about their position on an issue about which they care" (Lamb, "Beyond Argument" 18). When this atmosphere is created, students can be…

When business leaders in Reno, Nevada, last summer were courting a medium-size software developer to relocate its headquarters from Emeryville, California, they turned to someone who has become their chief sales agent to clinch the deal: Jim Hager, superintendent of the Washoe County School District. Hager accompanied a handful of other county…

This article details a study of metaphor production by 64 same-gender dyads engaged in 2 persuasive conversations over chat software. Dyads were comprised of friends or strangers. Overall, men produced more metaphor than women, especially slang. Metaphor production differed by gender as a function of friendship status: Men produced the same amount…

The examination model usually follows the formal, academic reading writing method for measuring progress however it is observed the more opportunities students have to practice formal oral language, the better their academic writing becomes, it is particularly true for most learners. The importance in speaking in a formal setting and using formal…

Recent studies on Chinese-English contrastive rhetoric have argued that there is actually little to contrast and the traditional "qi" (beginning), "cheng" (transition), "zhuan" (turning), "he" (synthesis) structure has little influence on contemporary Chinese writing. A comparative analysis of select online instructional materials on argumentative…

Ambroise Tardieu was an outstanding French forensic physician of the 19th century. A century before American physicians discovered child abuse as a pediatric and public health problem, Tardieu studied and described almost all forms of child maltreatment. In his Dictionnaire d'hygiene et de salubrite (Dictionary of hygiene and salubrity, 1862a,…

Argumentation skills of secondary school students were evaluated in Finland (n = 290), France (n = 54), and England (n = 41). The data were collected from 4 tasks comprising 7 variables. The results indicated that most of the students had correctly justified arguments and conclusions, and composed clear claims and relevant arguments. However, many…