An explanation for the general disdain for the practice of public relations may lie in textbooks that attempt to communicate methodology, while insinuating philosophy. In 10 surveyed public relations textbooks, the authors have tried to explain the contempt for public relations, but their common failing has been to blame outside forces, contending…

To bridge the gap between literature and composition, and between tradition and individual talent, teachers of literature and composition should consider how Roman rhetoricians integrated many arts into their instruction on oratory. With the perspectives of Cicero and Quintilian in hand, teachers would be inclined to stress rhetorical…

This paper discusses how "The Ladies' Home Journal" was used by its editor, Edward Bok, in his crusade for food and drug regulation in the United States between the years 1890 and 1906, and whether these efforts were influential in bringing about the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. The first section describes "The Ladies' Home…

Public relations education is frequently criticized as being misdirected and incapable of imparting necessary job skills. This essay argues that contemporary public relations training overemphasizes print journalism at the expense of managerial skills and social science theory. Further, traditional justifications for journalism-based public…

Ethical communication scholars frequently find national popular rhetoric unethical. Some proposed ethical guidelines for the public presentation of ideas call for such elements as habits of search, justice, preference for public versus private motives, respect for dissent, airing of all relevant arguments, and persuasion without coercion or…

Since the advent of cable television in the early seventies, the success of television evangelists including Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker, Robert Schuller, and Jimmy Swaggart has grown, both in terms of finances and in conversion of souls. Although many television preachers use similar strategies for getting donations, their backgrounds and messages…

A study explored rhetorical strategies and dynamics within a single speech delivered by Frederick Douglass on July 5, l852 in Rochester, New York, which was considered by speaker and audience to be an Independence Day speech. An examination of the text suggests that Douglass embarked on a strategy of attention-shifting--turning the attention of…

Students in the speech and theatre department at a Rhode Island university can receive one to three credits for forensic tournament participation and/or student coaching. A four-part evaluation system was designed to grade tournament participation. Students are notified by memo at the beginning of the semester that their final grades will be based…

Coaching rhetorical criticism events is demanding because it places demands on a forensic coach's knowledge of rhetorical theory and method and is time consuming. However, it may become a simpler event to coach if there is an understanding of the process of developing a speech for rhetorical criticism and specific strategies that can be used in…

The 33 sources cited in this annotated bibliography are intended for forensics coaches and participants. References are organized as follows: the philosophy, rationale, and mechanics of forensics education; major theoretical works and textbooks; and issues related to theory and practice. Information on "ERIC First Analysis," a…

Because legal argument shares many of the characteristics of academic debate, it can serve as a paradigm for evaluating debates. Like debate, legal argument is bilateral, the judge is external to the deliberation and excluded from raising his or her own arguments, and reasons have been developed for assigning presumption, determining the wording…

Because cognition is inherently inaccessible to observers, researchers interested in cognitive approaches to argumentation frequently rely on self-reports for data. Opponents to self-reports argue that such data have very limited value. They claim that when subjects are put in a position where they have to tell more than they can know, they…

A survey attempted to determine whether forensics participants operate under a contest-oriented ethic, an educational standard, or a more general rhetorical standard of ethics. Subjects were 63 judges and 98 contestants in rhetorical events at the American Forensic Association's (AFA) National Individual Events Tournament in April 1982. A…

An English as second language (ESL) student at the college level must learn to write adequate compositions. However, most ESL composition texts focus on grammar and sentence structure. A method is proposed for teaching composition to advanced ESL students which reorders the accepted sequencing of materials. Rather than proceeding from sentence to…

Through a review of data from the Campbell-Ewald Advertising Agency and its creative director, the Chevrolet car company, and a review of the award-winning television commercials, this paper explores the successful relationship between Chevrolet and that agency from 1955 to 1965. Following an introduction and a list the questions asked about both…