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COM5405

Persuasion

The course presents the major theories of persuasion and helps students apply them. Key topic areas include credibility, motivation, social campaigns, manipulation, and audience analysis, and adaptation.

CAVEAT: No graduate credit will be awarded if COM4405 has been successfully completed.

UPON COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, THE STUDENT WILL BE COMPETENT IN:

  • Comparing and contrasting persuasive theories.
  • Describing the different kinds of fallacies.
  • Identifying, describing, and analyzing fallacious arguments in the media.
  • Writing credibility arguments to persuade an audience, improving interpersonal relationships.
  • Hypothesizing how emotions can be used to influence audiences.
  • Using logic to support a position on a controversial topic.
  • Using information literacy skills to support credibility, emotional, and logic arguments.
  • Discussing methods of audience analysis and adaptation.
  • Analyzing and evaluating persuasive nonverbal behaviors.
  • Examining persuasive messages and speeches in politics, in organizations, and business.
  • Applying the theory of the stages of a social campaign to a movement that affects business.
  • Discussing and analyzing the rhetoric of a campaign.
  • Analyzing the process of manipulation—the unethical side of persuasion.
  • Assessing the characteristics of unethical manipulators.
  • Determining how a manipulator gains control over an audience.
  • Applying information literacy skills to research unethical persuasion.
  • Utilizing effective argumentation skills and techniques to persuade and influence an audience.
  • Developing a personal code of ethics for the persuasion.

Syllabi

Spring 2023 Download
Fall 2023 Download
Spring 2024 Download