Rhetoric of Popular Culture

Catalog description

Examines how the triumph of beliefs dominated by imagination over beliefs dominated by science is changing our understanding of ourselves. Rhetorically analyzes science fiction/fantasy (the literature combining science and imagination) for insights into the shift in commonplace assumptions about reality which characterize modern and post-modern world views. Assumptions about the relationship between psychology and art are criticized for their influence on Western consciousness and our understanding of communication. Covers the rhetorical- communication theories of Bacon, Ramus, Burke, Perelman, Ong and Hudson.