Discusses how speeches delivered at a 1960 dinner by then presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon changed the face of political campaign rhetoric. Argues that both men used comic strategies to create a more inclusive American covenant, and emphasizes the importance of examining pragmatic and cultural implications of presidential…

Cites essays by Joan Didion, John Berryman, and Martin Luther King in arguing that the essay, no matter how serious, can be considered as a fiction and a playful, exploratory and deeply interesting rhetorical game. Describes how these works were used to teach students that the essay is a living document calling for interaction. (SG)

The ability to persuade others is an essential skill for board members and other public education advocates. To get the message across, board members should choose exciting material; use a key-word outline; use movement, posture, and space appropriately; make eye contact with members of the audience; and show urgency of tone and speaking manner.…

Reappraises Edward R. Murrow's "Report on Senator McCarthy" from the documentary series "See It Now." Argues that the text situates itself between the genres of objective news documentary and of public argument through the ironic "use" of objectivity as a fabricated strategy of appeal. (SR)

Examines the strategy of universalization during the nuclear freeze movement of 1981-82 by drawing upon the insights of Celeste Condit and William Bailey. Identifies strengths and weaknesses of the Condit/Bailey concepts and suggests modifications. (KEH)

Analyzes Alexander Richardson's clothing metaphors which connected Ramist precepts to social values and philosophic assumptions drawn from the fields of fashion, psychology, and Puritan theology. Describes how these metaphors presented the Puritan community with an orientation toward listening and inculcated the Puritan speech community with…

Analyzes the persuasive essays of high school juniors and seniors to determine the specific rhetorical and linguistic features that contributed to raters' holistic judgments about the overall quality of the essays. Reports that use of logical appeals, five-paragraph structure, coherence, and number of words were strongly correlated with overall…

Performs a Burkean analysis of Russell H. Conwell's once famous speech, "Acres of Diamonds." Reveals that Conwell's success relied upon a masterful transformation of pentadic ratios, in the medium of the "true-life" success story. Illustrates this narrative's power in altering an audience's perception of its role in a greater…

Uses meta-analysis to test three models of the "sleeper" effect (a theory proposing that in the long term low credible sources may actually attain greater attitude change in message recipients than high credible sources). Concludes that the sleeper effect does exist, and offers suggestions for practitioners and theorists. (SR)

Examines cultural and personal values constraints on apologia through a case study of Governor Ray Blanton's apologia. Applies Bitzer's concept of functional communication and extends Jamieson's concept of the constraint of antecedent genre upon the rhetorical situation, examining of the impact of a speaker's antecedent rhetorical style upon later…

Discusses two objectives in teaching rhetorical criticism to undergraduates: helping students develop a critical perspective that embraces criticism as illumination and evaluation; and helping students gain knowledge and abilities relevant to responding critically to communication. Describes strategies for achieving these objectives. (MM)

Describes an undergraduate course designed to teach students how to think rhetorically. Notes that the course is organized around three questions students/critics are likely to ask, and presents a four-step approach to teach both the questions and the critical methods used to answer them. (MM)

A view of the attributes necessary for successful leadership in colleges or in any organizational setting are discussed including: vision, optimism, persuasiveness, entrepreneurial spirit, unflappability, acceptance of responsibility and criticism, and enthusiasm. (MLW)

Analyzes the visual and verbal content of the 1984 televised debates between Walter Mondale and Ronald Reagan. Asserts that the televised depiction of the debates visually structured portions of them in a manner inconsistent with their verbal content. Focuses on clash, when candidates engaged in arguments of attack or defense. (MS)

Legal disputes concern limiting access of sales demonstrations to student residence halls. Court cases argue the regulation of commercial speech, the rights of sales demonstrators on campus, the university's censorship of demonstrations, and student privacy and association rights. (SI)