RHM 385: Rhetorical Archeology

This course continues the central investigation of rhetorical discourses and the material systems in which they are embedded through an archeological lens, examining the meaning and valuation of them as they are created, presented and represented, maintained, and, potentially, declined. Its focus is the development and practice of rhetorical, and more widely, communication genres functioning relationally with knowledge. The archaeological term "in situ" denotes an artifact found in its original resting place; such an artifact presents a richness of theoretical, practical, and critical material for discovery and analysis. Students will be engaged in deep examination of the rhetorical activity of a particular historical period or that of a particular discipline, science, or art. They will encounter traditional and non-traditional texts embedded within their historic and cultural contexts.