Examines the strategies college students use to convince new sexual partners to use a condom. Research of 393 students reveals that, to encourage condom use, men mostly employed seduction, whereas females withheld sex. To avoid using condoms, men were more likely than women to employ seduction, reward, and information. (GLR)

Describes one teacher's theory of the use of argument in the English curriculum, particularly its importance in developing democratic classrooms. Defines the multiple functions of argument in society. Advocates developing argumentative skills among students, particularly in a wide variety of forms and discourses. (HB)

Offers a general introduction to the concept of "going meta," in which prior communications are made the subject of communication. Provides brief illustrations of its far-reaching applications to the study of rhetoric and communication. Describes going meta as a rhetorical balancing act, and illustrates this using televised political…

Provides an annotated bibliography of 11 recent reports and conference papers concerned with the role of persuasion in business. (KEH)

Offers a brief sampling of four essays describing a variety of approaches to argument and persuasion. Reiterates some useful definitions and distinctions, discusses classical rhetoric, connects the teaching of argument to eleventh grade U.S. literature, and shows how to teach students to respond to literature by asking "why" questions…

Makes a case for attending to developments in the study of attitude. Considers how the attitude construct has been conceptualized. Examines contemporary thinking about attitudes and draws out implications of that thinking for the study of persuasion. (RS)

Examines the impact of mood on the production of persuasive arguments by college students. Shows that happy subjects rated their own essays as more persuasive than sad subjects did but that external ratings judged happy subjects' essays more persuasive when they were counterattiudinal but not when proattitudinal. Finds no mood effects on various…

Focuses on the rhetorical values, benefits to debating programs, and administrative issues of intercollegiate, audience-style debating. (PRA)

Describes the formats, resolutions, tournaments, season, and governance of parliamentary debate. Offers explanation for its popularity among students. Argues that parliamentary debate meets at least seven educational objectives of debate activities. Suggests legitimizing the activity and adding it to programs. (PRA)

Suggests that technical communication teachers view sales proposals as aimed toward the construction and maintenance of long-term relationships. States that hermeneutic theory offers technical communication instructors a valuable perspective from which to teach sales proposal writing because it can help clarify the process by which "ethical…

Examines the process of "spin control" (in which partisans provide commentary on campaign events) and presents a taxonomy of it. Illustrates how both campaigns used the process in relation to the first 1988 presidential debate. Concludes that the Bush commentary was coordinated with the overall Republican campaign strategy, whereas the…

Tests three models of the door-in-the-face (DITF) compliance strategy--reciprocal concessions, perceptual contrast, and self-presentation. Finds that concession labeling led to stronger feelings of obligation to donate but did not affect compliance; and facilitated charity when interaction with the solicitor was anticipated but backfired when…

Focuses on the function of metaphor in argument. Compares the positions of Kenneth Burke and Paul Ricoeur on the function and evaluation of argument, concluding that Ricoeur's position supplements Burke's view of tropological argument. (NH)

Examines and describes the pragmatic uses of the "nuclear winter" metaphor in the original "Science" article and its subsequent use in "Foreign Affairs." Analyzes conditions of the metaphor's birth in the former and its development and use as a conventional metaphor in the latter. Shows that the metaphor became a…

Develops the case for the inclusion and central role of argument in science education. Discusses the function and purpose of dialogical argument in the social construction of scientific knowledge and interpretation of empirical data. (Author/CCM)