The erosion of students' ability to use the printed word caused by electronic media has led some communication scholars to predict that a new literacy of communication may be needed for the future. Activities enhancing awareness and analysis of telecommunications and performance in telecommunications can easily be integrated into the speech…

Supreme Court decisions tend to take the form of either (1) an act of justification or argumentation that defends the verdict of the communicator, or (2) a construction of a new symbolic reality that influences the world view of its audience. The "Roe vs. Wade" decision is an example of the merger of these two rhetorical functions. The…

Rhetorical ethos, or the character of the rhetor as she presents herself in discourse, is vital to the success of any student attempting to enter the universe of academic discourse. According to Aristotle, ethos is demonstrated by showing good sense, good character, and good will. However, in the modern university, with the diversity of…

Corazon Aquino's appearance before the U.S. Congress provides an opportunity for the rhetorical critic to study (1) how the form of speech--particularly the romantic form--enabled Aquino to establish the legitimacy of her claims as President of the Philippines; (2) how she used her role as Benigno Aquino's widow to complete the romantic myth; and…

An analysis of informal reasoning and examination of teaching practices looks at ways to improve reasoning skills in college students. Teaching students to reason more effectively is an important but difficult goal of higher education. Reasoning consists of complex skills which must be taught. Effective instruction is based on two key features:…

A study compared written texts produced by hand, by typewriter, and by word processor for differences in improvement in creativity and writing skills. Subjects included six college students--two with high creative ability, two with average creative ability, and two with low or weak ability. During a training period, the subjects were required to…

A study examined the content of direct mail materials, distributed by the National Organization for Women (NOW) and Stop ERA groups, favoring or opposing passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. It was expected that NOW's pieces would concentrate on counteracting or counterattacking Stop ERA's arguments against the amendment (military draft, lesbian…

To explain some of the problems and questions concerning the study of communicative competence, this paper discusses observations that motivate activity in the area and several issues generated by the observations, and suggests implications of the issues raised. The observations discussed first are that humans manage to get things done…

This book focuses on successful classroom practices which used oral communication to develop student confidence in a variety of speaking situations and to expand student understanding of literature through both analysis and performance. The book contains the following essays, listed here with their authors: (1) "Follow the Bouncing Ball"…

A curriculum designed for public relations students in a persuasion class at Indiana State University provided them with the theory of persuasion and then gave them the opportunity to apply the theory by doing volunteer work for a community client. The course has four objectives: (1) to provide students with entrepeneurial experience and practical…

Three activities for developing speaking skills of advanced English as second language students are presented. Impromptu speaking, extemporaneous speaking, and debate activities are designed to train students to organize concepts, develop spontaneous oral skills, and enhance confidence and clarity of thought. Impromptu speaking develops…

A study was conducted to examine the impact of gender on upward communication (subordinates to superiors) in organizations. It was hypothesized that women would (1) report less self-confidence when approaching a communicative performance situation, (2) rate themselves less successfully following persuasive presentations, and (3) be more likely to…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 9 titles deal with the following topic: (1) the implications of Foucault's archeological theory of discourse for contemporary rhetorical theory and criticism, (2) isolating the behavioral correlates of deception, (3) the…

This paper suggests classroom activities to develop awareness of language and the sociolinguistic aspects of language proficiency and to help eliminate language prejudice. The exercises are presented in seven categories: (1) examination of connotative and denotative language, names and nicknames; (2) dialects and slang and the status attached to…

To assess the relation between role perception and persuasion tactics, 58 first and third graders were asked to describe: (a) their mother, teacher and friend; (b) how they would persuade each of these individuals in different situations; and (c) how these others would persuade them. Results suggest that children are able to differentiate among…