WRT-200 Persuasion, Power, and Responsibility: Ethics and Rhetoric (3)

When is persuasion ethical or unethical? Can people in positions of authority simply lie? How do advertisements, social media posts, documentaries, etc. persuade or even manipulate? To answer these questions, students in this course build a foundation of rhetorical and ethical understanding. The course consults classical and contemporary thinkers on the ethics of political speech, digital rhetoric, philanthropy, medical and scientific rhetoric, and other topics. Together, the class creates tools for evaluating the persuasive texts around us. Student projects build upon the class discussions to make original contributions to the universe of rhetorical ethics. AU Core Habits of Mind: Ethical Reasoning. Prerequisite: completion of Written Communication and Information Literacy I requirement.