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Public Address & Argument

The historically grounded study of public argument and discourse has long been a touchstone for the Department of Communication faculty. Students explore both the potentials and problems of public argument and discourse within historically specific events and traditions.

Questions include:

  • How does the content and form of argument bear on judgment and action?
  • What public forums are available today, and to whom?
  • What are the promises and pitfalls inherent in grounding civic culture in argumentation and debate as organizing principles?
  • And what forms of individual or collective agency are possible in public deliberation? Points of departure include argumentation theory, applied debate practice, political traditions, critical theory, mass mediated discourses, African American rhetoric, and communication pedagogy.

Public Address & Argument (PDF)

Emily Deering Crosby, Doctoral Candidate - discusses Public Address & Argument


Dr. E. Johanna Hartelius, Assistant Professor - discusses Public Address and Argument