COMM
325: Processes of Criticism
Fall 2010
Instructor: Kurt
Paulsen
Office
HH231 507-344-7732 kpaulsen@blc.edu
Text: Sonja
K. Foss, Rhetorical Criticism Exploration and Practice (3nd or 4th ed.)
About
this course:
My hopes: I hope this class will take you to the
center of communication studies, where it is (I believe) most interesting and
valuable, and I hope that you will love it there.
My
expectations: I expect you will be present for every
class, be there on time, contribute to lively discussions, fulfill assignments
conscientiously and on time, and you will not plagiarize.
My standards:
More than 3 absences will affect your grade, quizzes missed for any
reason can be made up prior to next class meeting at the price of a lowered
grade – after that they are marked failure, plagiarism risks failure in the
course.
Through
this course you should become better able to…
·
understand
how and why people act as they do in rhetorical situations
·
understand
many ways that we respond to symbols in our lives
·
perceive
the important elements of a communication experience (critical analysis)
·
understand
how those elements interact to produce their effects (critical synthesis)
·
discern
the good and the bad in communication practices and messages (critical judgment)
·
explain
your sound critical judgments understandably and convincingly
·
appreciate
how practical a good theory is for understanding and guiding practice
·
better
understand the culture into which we are sent with the Christian message (BLC mission)
Major goals of the course:
After successfully completing
this course you will be more knowledgeable and skilled about…
1. speaking well.
To demonstrate this, you will
·
prepare a thoroughly researched and well written
critical study, then distill its essence into a 9-10 minute speech to be
presented to a variety of audiences
2. exercising
critical analysis and judgment about rhetorical situations, disclosing the
social and historical significance of communication through the application of
principles and theory. To demonstrate this, you will
· systematically
carry out a critical study through a series of essential steps, culminating in
the presentation described above