RHCS275

Explores how the visual image has changed the study of rhetoric in profound ways and broadened understanding of the relationship between symbols and cultures. Introduction to the rhetorical criticism and research of visual texts will be administered through a lecture and discussion format, where students will learn how to research, write, and read criticism in a variety of forms, including photographs, films, television, print advertising, maps, monuments, museums, memorials, and material spaces – paying special attention to how these forms are embedded in complex historical contexts. Students will consider how the concept of “vision” itself in the interpretation of rhetorical artifacts has important political and social implications.