The 14 articles in this journal issue focus on the role of forensics in the eighties. Among the topics discussed in the articles are the following: (1) the survival of forensics, (2) intercollegiate debate, (3) accountability, and (4) intercollegiate forensics. In addition, several articles provide predictions and projections for the future of…

The medieval study of classical rhetoric reached its zenith in the twelfth century. Rhetoric in its medieval phase can be divided into four distinct subdisciplines: "ars praedicandi," or the preaching art; "ars dictaminis," or the art of letter writing; "ars poetriae," which focused on style and developed elaborate theories of versification; and…

It appears obvious that Jimmy Carter's religion became an issue in the 1976 presidential campaign because he chose to emphasize it. Such an emphasis would have seemed reasonable to Carter since a large natural constituency of evangelicals existed, the members of that constituency were becoming involved in politics, their sociocultural situation…

Attitude change was measured on four different topics before and immediately after a persuasion was presented in order to compare the degree of change with the level of ego involvement as it relates to topic controversiality. Ego involvement was based on self-ratings of concern for each topic. Objective topic controversiality was based on the…

In order to test the opinion held by judicial and rhetorical scholars that distinct differences exist in rhetoric between majority and nonmajority Supreme Court decisions, an examination was made of 301 of Justice William O. Douglas' Supreme Court decisions. A hybrid methodology based on genre criticism and content analysis was used to examine the…

A humanistic approach to debate coaching enhances the ideal of free thought by opposing any censorship of ideas, promoting a wide variety of perspectives on human experience, and encouraging independent, critical thinking and problem solving. This is opposed to traditional authoritarian models in which the teacher is the powerful decision maker…

The characteristics of demagogic discourse and a methodology appropriate for its analysis can be illustrated by examining Huey Long's "Every Man a King" radio address on February 20, 1934. The demagogue is similar to the revered public figure in that both are mass leaders, charismatic, and heroic. But the demagogue elicits powerful…

A study was conducted to replicate and extend an earlier investigation of the persuasive effects of extended, intense concluding sex and death metaphors by using a more controlled design and by mixing metaphors. Fifty-eight high school students completed pretests assessing their attitudes toward a speech topic (legalization of marijuana). Two…

The concept of team teaching salesmanship demonstrates theoretical and practical relationships between speech communication and salesmanship. The challenge of maintaining intellectual integrity in the high risk, results-oriented environment of sales is met through attention to four major topic areas: the purpose of the communication, the salesman…

There are two distinct models of film production. One model, characterized as assembly line production, is the most prevalent in commercial settings and in universities. The project is initiated through management and progresses in an ordered flow of assembly through the hands of the specialized film workers; power is from the top down. The…

To test whether verbal choices in a persuasive setting would show less diversity and more qualification than those in a nonpersuasive setting, a study involving 24 college students was undertaken. The subjects were divided into five groups and each group was asked to role play two situations: one calling for the subjects merely to be…

In a study of satire as persuasion, two experiments were conducted--one to determine whether dogmatism affected the understanding and appreciation of editorial satire, the second to determine the same about intelligence as measured by the Scholastic Aptitude Test. In the first experiment, 116 college students read three satirical editorials. After…

The development of the ability to identify unstated assumptions in arguments should begin in the kindergarten and elementary school if a high level of proficiency is eventually to be reached in sizing up assertions. A clear thinker needs to make sure that propositions are clear by making unstated assumptions explicit. Since children commonly use…

The editorial page of the newspaper is of recognized importance both to the newspaper itself and to public life. Data from a survey taken of 178 newspaper editors in four circulation categories support the following recommendations for improvement of the editorial page: take stands on important issues, emphasize local issues, improve the thinking…

"Thought reform" is a calculated strategy of social action designed to convert individuals to another ideology through a long-term process, during which threat underlies all experiences. In this article, part of the "Freedom of Speech Newsletter," insights from a phenomenological view of rhetoric are used to explain the nature…