ENGL 580: Rhetoric, Writing, and Social Change

This course explores the role of rhetoric and written communication in recent political and social movements in the United States through the lens of scholarship in writing studies. We will review studies on social justice discourse; protest rhetoric, resistance, and civil disobedience; social media and hashtag activism; news media representations of social movements; and the rhetorical construction of history and historical events.

As we do so, we will consider such questions as: What impact do rhetoric and writing have on social activism and public protest? How does public discourse evolve through social movements? How does this work impact policy changes at local, state, and federal levels? In what ways has our nation’s history been rhetorically constructed and for what purposes? In what ways can we both intentionally and ethically use rhetoric and writing to elicit social change?

Please review the syllabus for full course information.

This course is offered during the Summer I semester. Participants may also register for a Summer II course, if applicable. 

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