Topic: Reading the American Media: Rhetoric and the Event
| Time | Days | Location | Instructor | GER | Credit | OPUS Class Number | Syllabus (Tentative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9:35am-10:25am | MWF | Callaway Center S101 | Seth Wood. | HAPW. | 4 | 12801 | TBA. |
Content: In this course we will survey the American media from the founding of the republic to the present, with particular emphasis on how language and images are used and misused to address the public and shape its perception of an event. Some readings for the course will be organized topically; for example, we will focus on elections (Jackson/Adams, Kennedy/Nixon, Obama/McCain, among others), wars (The Civil War, WW II, Vietnam, Gulf War I and II) and economic news at key points in American history. Others will be organized by genre; for example, we will discuss changes in advertisements, obituaries, and cartoons over the course of the last two centuries. Additionally, we will nuance our study of the "real" news with a consideration of the rhetorical strategies at work in the perpetration of media hoaxes.
Particulars: Students will be required to regularly access Emory's online databases and archives to obtain readings for the course, as well as track one contemporary American media outlet over the course of the semester and report on its contents weekly in brief response papers. There will be one major essay assignment for the course and one group project.
The schedule of courses on O.P.U.S. is the official listing of courses, including days and times they meet and the General Education Requirements they satisfy. Students should use course descriptions as general guidelines. Course requirements, grading details, book lists, and syllabi are subject to change.