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Course and Unit Catalogue 2010

Armidale, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA

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ENCO326 Persuading the Public: Rhetoric in Public Affairs

Unit Information
Additional Information

Credit Points	6
Offering	Not offered in 2010
Intensive School(s)	None
Supervised Exam	There is no UNE Supervised Examination.
Pre-requisites	12cp
Co-requisites	None
Restrictions	ENCO226 or ENCO426
Notes	offered in odd numbered years
Combined Units	ENCO426 - Persuading the Public: Rhetoric in Public Affairs
Coordinator(s)	Michael Sharkey (msharkey@une.edu.au)
Unit Description	This unit examines persuasive public communication from a critical, rhetorical perspective. It focuses on political discourse (speeches), public affairs and corporate communications. In projects, students will collect and critique a body of rhetorical materials from such sources as politicians, social commentators, religious leaders, corporations, unions, and interest groups.
Prescribed Material Mandatory	Text(s): Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility ISBN: 9780495567509 Larson, C.U., Thompson/Wadsworth 12th ed. 2010 Text refers to: Semester 2 , On and Off Campus The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches ISBN: 9780140176193 MacArthur, B. (ed), Penguin 1996 Text refers to: Semester 2 , On and Off Campus
Recommended Material Optional	Text(s): Note: Recommended material is held in the University Library - purchase is optional Modern Rhetorical Criticism ISBN: 9780205377992 Hart, R.P. and Daughton, S., Allyn and Bacon 3rd ed. 2005 Text refers to: Semester 2 , On and Off Campus
Disclaimer	Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Assessment

Title	Exam Length	Weight	Mode	No. Words
Project 1		30%	On Campus	1500
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-5 GA: 1-6, 8
Project 1		40%	Off Campus	1500
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-5 GA: 1-8
Project 2		60%	Off Campus	2500
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-5 GA: 1-8
Project 2		50%	On Campus	2500
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-5 GA: 1-6, 8
Structured class discussion		20%	On Campus
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-5 GA: 1-8

Learning Outcomes (LO)

Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:

understand the nature and scope of rhetorical analysis applied to the public sphere;
explain and critique rhetorical modes of public communication;
collect, analyse and critique the products of civic discourse;
investigate the relationships of public persuasion to public opinion and mass media;
appreciate the cultural significance of civic discourse in the public sphere.

Graduate Attributes (GA)

	Attribute	Taught	Assessed	Practised
1	Knowledge of a Discipline Students will understand the rhetoric of persuasive public communication.
2	Communication Skills The skills of written communication and formal argument are taught and assessed in this unit. In addition to writing guides supplied and recommended, students receive written feedback on their reasoning and writing skills. On-campus students have the opportunity to practise oral communication skills in seminar presentations.
3	Global Perspectives This unit introduces students to persuasive public communication from Australia, America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Students have the opportunity to explore the ways in which public persuasion from various cultures is constructed and practised.
4	Information Literacy Students in this unit practise skills in acquiring information through print-based and electronic research tools and are assessed on the organisation and presentation of high quality evidence in assignments.
5	Life-Long Learning This unit allows students to practise a wide range of academic skills: research, analysis and independent learning. Guides including sequenced topic outlines and readings help them to define research problems and to research, analyse, synthesise and incorporate the results of their learning in expository essays. Feedback is provided on writing projects.
6	Problem Solving The learning activities and expository research assignments encourage students to identify critical issues in the discipline and the professional area of analysis of public persuasion. Students are specifically required to conceptualise issues associated with the presentation of rhetorical situations and to collect, collate and analyse relevant information to assist problem solving within the discipline.
7	Social Responsibility The study of public persuasion and the focus on ethical employment of rhetorical strategies encourages students to recognise social issues relevant to their discipline and professional area. Students study political and ethical issues relevant to the study of speakers, discuss audiences and rhetorical situations, and analyse the distinction between ethical and unethical use of rhetorical tools.
8	Team Work In the small-group seminar format (the norm for on-campus teaching), students have the opportunity to negotiate, assert their values, question those values and respect the contributions of others. Group tasks such as focus group analysis of selected speech situations and reporting the results of such analysis to the class are encouraged, and this graduate attribute is assessed through structured classroom discussions including papers prepared by each student.