Rhetoric, Argumentation, and Public Competence

FAIN: FS-10894-78

Lloyd F. Bitzer
University of Wisconsin, Madison (Madison, WI 53715-1218)

To consider the connections between rhetoric and the public, and especially the notion of "rhetoric as argumentation" in relation to competence in contemporary public deliberation. Questions to be studied: What conception of rhetoric (principles, instruments, methods) and what kinds of rhetorical practice are appropriate to the public life of effective citizens? What is a public, what is the public interest, and how can a public express its needs and aspirations? Do educational programs prepare students to participate ably in political life? Readings range from Plato to Daniel Bell.