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Cursus: UCACCMET2F
UCACCMET2F
Rhetoric
Cursus informatie
CursuscodeUCACCMET2F
Studiepunten (EC)2,5
Cursusdoelen
After completing the course, students will be able to:
  • Explain how rhetoric developed in the ancient Athenian and Roman worlds and how it initially became codified
  • Explain who the main figures were in classical rhetoric and be able to explain how their views essentially differed
  • Explain the differing persuasive powers of logos, ethos and pathos
  • Explain the five canons of rhetoric and how they relate to each other
  • Explain why rhetoric has been seen as a force for both good and evil over the centuries
  • Apply a variety of heuristics (e.g. cubing exercises) to generate material for a paper or speech, thus overcoming inertia/writer’s block
  • Set up and take part in dialogic debates that will increase critical thinking
  • Imitate the underlying syntactic structure of any given text (style/production)
  • Generate doable research questions/thesis statements that fit into  appropriate research designs (including selecting an appropriate methodology)
  • Paraphrase, recognize and produce unique examples of a designated number of style figures (schemes and tropes)
  • Command a broad vocabulary by means of practicing with copiousness exercises
Inhoud
This rhetoric module is primarily intended for humanities students with an interest in linguistics, literary studies, media studies or communication studies. It is also of interest to philosophy and (ancient) history majors. The module will also be relevant for social science students taking tracks in either: law, political sciences or (social) psychology.
 
Rhetoric has been, for hundreds of years, one of three core elements that make up the so called ‘trivium’; the academic core of an undergraduate university education. The trivium is made up of grammar, logic and rhetoric, three skills for both learning and life that are to be encountered and acquired in this grammar-logic-rhetoric order. This introduction to the field of rhetoric (and composition) is organized in terms of the five canons of rhetoric. It follows an idealized process of writing a paper or giving a speech. This includes inventing material / ideas / arguments (and constructing sound arguments), arranging them, stylizing them, memorizing what has to be said (if a speech), and then delivering that speech (or writing that paper). In reality, and depending on the context, this process is not always as staged and linear as is suggested here. When studied with due care and attention, a good working knowledge of rhetoric will almost certainly make you a better writer, speaker and thinker.
 
Format
This course is a workshop-style, practice-intensive, interactive course for which a high level of qualitative participation is required (learning by doing). Students must therefore be vocal during all sessions: debating, critiquing, analysing and discussing. The following factors are also considered when determining the overall participation grade. The course will be graded based on (a) the end of term exam, which will be worth 75%, and on (b) active participation, what might be termed a combination of attendance, preparation and participation (APP), which will constitute the remaining 25% of the course grade. Students will be expected to have prepared well for the class; this includes completing all assigned reading and any assigned homework exercises/assignments.

Schedule
This course is taught during the last five weeks of the semester. It uses the same timeslot as the UCACCMET25 group did during the first ten weeks.
Please note: this module is taught during five consecutive Wednesdays 11:00-13:45.
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