Voices of Democracy - United States

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. COURSE OVERVIEW. Examines U.S. public discourse as a force in shaping citizenship and democratic life. Analyzes speeches, art, writing, popular media and/or digital communication representing different historical periods and perspectives. Examines how public arguments address questions of belonging, rights, governance and national purpose. Highlights voices from both dominant and marginalized groups, tracing the evolution and contestation of American and democratic ideals. Engages material that may involve differing interpretations, ideological conflict or historically situated controversy. RELEVANCE AND APPLICATION. Connects historical and contemporary public communication to civic participation, political communication, social advocacy and/or leadership. Involves analysis relevant to media, law, public policy, education and public affairs. Supports academic preparation in rhetoric, communication, history, political science and related fields. Can highlight how public discourse informs public understanding, institutional change and national debate. Compares different historical periods and the rhetorical methods used to fight for democracy in each of these areas. DEEPENING UNDERSTANDINGS. Clarifies how democracy in America was originally established, is constructed, contested and reinterpreted through public communication over time. Highlights differences between popular, historical and scholarly understandings of rhetoric, citizenship and/or dissent. Encourages examination of competing claims to authority, rights and/or values in democratic discourse. TOPICS AND THEMES. May include study of foundational American speeches and writings in historical context; analysis of abolitionist, suffrage, civil rights, environmental, labor and other social movement’s rhetoric; examination of war, foreign policy and national myth making; exploration of presidential address, religious persuasion, judicial argument and grassroots organizing. Course content may involve speeches and perspectives that differ sharply in ideology, tone and/or historical impact, reflecting the diversity and conflict inherent in American public discourse.