The Liberal Arts Tradition. The study of the art of public speaking traces its roots to the rhetorical tradition established by the ancient Greeks. Inherent to the art of rhetoric, effective oral communication has been essential to leadership and citizenship and constitutes one of the Seven Liberal Arts.
In modern times, there is a renewed emphasis upon the skills of communication, both in civic and organizational life. The Communication Age places greater importance on the two-fold ability that comes from the study of rhetoric: the ability to communicate effectively and the ability to be a knowledgeable and analytical consumer of communication presented by others.
Introduction to Communication Sciences & Disorders – SH 231 Suzanne Reading
Essential to the profession of speech-language pathology and audiology is an interest in and a desire to serve others. Study in the liberal arts and sciences allows the exploration and appreciation of ideas and beliefs of others, which, in turn, allows successful interaction with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures. The knowledge of different languages, cultures, and social values, as well as an ensuing appreciation is necessary if we are to be respectful of others, including individuals with communication disorders. A broadened perspective, the result of a liberal arts education, promotes wisdom, tolerance, and personal growth, all desired attributes for working closely and effectively with others in order to solve communication problems.
Through the study of speech, language, voice, and fluency problems, students will gain knowledge of the scope of the profession devoted to treating communication disorders. Just as importantly, this course will provide students with an insight and sensitivity to those who experience communication problems. It will enable students to appreciate the remarkable ability of humans to communicate creatively --- an ability that is central to the human experience, the study of which is encompassed by liberal arts and sciences.
Criticism of Film – SH 312 David Moscowitz
Benjamin Lee has noted that “mass media—print, film, and television—draw together materials from political, intellectual, and popular culture ‘discourses’ to form distinct ‘public cultures’ that vary from society to society in their organization.” This course follows this rubric to critically explore the rhetoric of film and its implications on public culture within the context of cinematic production, circulation, and consumption. In particular, we will build a critical vocabulary of film by initially considering the basic grammars of composition, continuity, and editing, followed by careful consideration of conventions and variations of authorship, genre, and narrative.
DISCLAIMER: Some films screened in or for class will feature nudity, violence, and/or behavior that you might consider aberrant. Students who do not wish to see, discuss, or study such material are advised against taking this course.
This course constitutes a vital part of your liberal arts education, which values inquiry, empathy, and an open exchange of ideas and worldviews. Course objectives include:
To engage processes of reflective, analytical, and humanistic inquiry
To critically evaluate film according to different interpretive points of view
To recognize how cultural plurality constrains and compels creative expression
To consider how the discourse of film contributes to cultural identity
To develop your own critical, constructive, and creative voice
Film, Gender, and the Body – SH 345 David Moscowitz
To the naked eye, sexuality appears to be about simple biology, uniquely male and female body parts like ovaries and penises, testicles, and vaginas. Gender, however, is a bit more complicated. This class will explore how film treats both, particularly the representation of sexual and non-sexual bodies as well as the performance of related social constraints and constructions of gender.
This course constitutes part of your liberal arts education, which presumes an open exchange of ideas and worldviews—including those considered profane or heretical. Whatever it is that roots the core of your being, it may be confronted and disrupted by some or many (or all) of the films shown for this class. Many of the required films feature explicit violence, behavior that you might consider aberrant, and nudity displaying every body part imaginable on folks of all genders and sexualities. Some films that you’ll see are by directors renowned by many; others are directed by folks who are reviled by some; still others are not considered “high art” at all and are read as “B-rate” by most. We can learn from all of these. Nevertheless, students who do not wish to see, discuss, or study such material are advised against taking this course.
Finally, let me elaborate a bit about the readings as well. I think it is helpful for you to recognize that my approach to studying film is to interrogate how it fosters the ongoing construction and maintenance of public culture, identity, and ideology. In other words, this course will not study technical aspects of film very much unless it is in service to analyzing the role of film in relationship to cultural criticism. As a result, some of the readings for this class (particularly earlier in the term) will be oriented more around concepts of gender and embodiment rather than film itself.
Communication Ethics – SH 358 William W. Neher
Course Description: The study of perspectives and theories concerning ethical standards for communication. Students are introduced to various systematic approaches for dealing with ethical issues, problems, or dilemmas, especially in regard to interpersonal communication and informative and persuasive discourse.
Quintilian held that the ideal of rhetoric (effective communication) is characterized as the good person speaking well. Aristotle held that the character of the speaker (the communicator) might just be the most important element in influencing others. The ability to think critically about the ethics of one’s own communication and that of others represents one of the highest aims of liberal education
Course Objectives: To lead students to become
Sensitive to ethical issues associated with various communication acts and settings.
Aware of systems of thought that allow people to deal with ethical questions in communication.
Conversant with major theorists and theories relevant to ethics of communication.
Aware of their own ethical assumptions when communicating or evaluating the communication of others.
Influence in Public Culture – SH 462 David Moscowitz
If you have not recognized it before, start to do so now: we cannot get through a day without encountering various forms of cultural influence. This class will explore how people and institutions work to motivate not only your behavior, but also the way you view the world, consider your role within it, and relate with others. To interrogate this, we will explore various cultural contexts of influence in the form of case studies ranging from marketing to politics to social protest.
This course constitutes a vital part of your liberal arts education, which values inquiry, empathy, and an open exchange of ideas and worldviews. This means that our mode of inquiry in class will be investigative, not instrumental. Course objectives include:
To critically distinguish and assess various contexts of persuasive influence
To evaluate texts according to different interpretive points of view
To engage processes of reflective, analytical, and humanistic inquiry
To recognize how cultural plurality constrains and manages rhetorical action
To consider how influence functions as a component of social progress
To develop your own critical, constructive, and creative voice
Organizational Communication – SH 470 William W. Neher
Course Description: Organizations represent ongoing, institutionalized patterns of interaction among people; such patterns are typically planned, sequential, and systematic. Communication is the process of people engaging in mutual awareness and making sense of their worlds. Organizational communication is especially concerned with such communication activities relevant to the functioning of an organization.
As a systematic field of study, communication (rhetoric, or rhetorike) arose among classical Greek educators concerned with the development of ethical leaders and active citizens. The subfield of organizational communication, as part of that tradition, recognizes that communication skills are the basis for effective leadership and participation in human organizations. This course therefore draws upon the fundamental principles and tradition underlying a liberal education.
Topics in Communication Studies – SH 481
“Schlemiels, Sabras, and a Skinhead: Cultural Representations of Jews” David Moscowitz
“The modern construction of the Jew and the establishing of a coherent Jewish identity,” writes Linda Nochlin, “is almost synchronous with, though hardly identical to, the growth of mass communication and the possibility of popular representation on a large scale.” Today, as Jews have endured constraints presented by antisemitism, acculturation, assimilation, and antisecularism, the representation of Jewish identity has become more diffuse—and divisive—at the dawn of the new century. Given how Jews in America and Europe have gained agency to author cultural representations about themselves, we will examine the tensions that have arisen from this process. We will read criticism and analysis of Jewish cultural representation as well as consume media depictions of, by, and about Jews. This course is designed with juniors and seniors in mind and will culminate in a research paper devoted to the cultural critique of how Jewish identity is represented.
This course constitutes part of your liberal arts education. Course objectives include:
To engage the process of critical and humanistic inquiry
To evaluate texts according to different interpretive points of view
To recognize how cultural plurality constrains and manages rhetorical action
To advance our understanding about how Jewish cultural identity is maintained
To develop your own critical, constructive, and creative voice