Noting the persistence of presidential "story" despite its critics, this paper maintains that presidential storytelling involves rhetorical skill and yields rhetorical benefits, and thus qualifies as strategic discourse. Initially examining presidential stories disguised as reports, termed "presidential episodes," the paper…

A survey of colleagues in the communication discipline sought to assess the future of rhetoric and public address as an integral part of curriculum and degree programs. A trend that appeared in the remarks was that scholars in the field of rhetoric have too long eschewed the broadening of the concept of rhetorical criticism. Rhetoric should be…

Supreme Court decisions tend to take the form of either (1) an act of justification or argumentation that defends the verdict of the communicator, or (2) a construction of a new symbolic reality that influences the world view of its audience. The "Roe vs. Wade" decision is an example of the merger of these two rhetorical functions. The…

Corazon Aquino's appearance before the U.S. Congress provides an opportunity for the rhetorical critic to study (1) how the form of speech--particularly the romantic form--enabled Aquino to establish the legitimacy of her claims as President of the Philippines; (2) how she used her role as Benigno Aquino's widow to complete the romantic myth; and…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 9 titles deal with the following topic: (1) the implications of Foucault's archeological theory of discourse for contemporary rhetorical theory and criticism, (2) isolating the behavioral correlates of deception, (3) the…

This booklet is a collection of abstracts, literature reviews, and reports on experiments in the communication field. Ninety abstracts from speech communication literature (1970-1977) are presented under the following categories: communication theory, research methodology, interpersonal communication, rhetorical theory and criticism, persuasion,…

This book has been written for those who would improve their reading of prose argumentation through practice in analyzing essays, speeches, and learned articles. Part I, "Structural Rhetoric," sets forth the structural relationship of the parts of an argument. Part II, "Textural Rhetoric," describes alterations in the interior organization of…

Considers President Reagan's address to the nation on February 5, 1981, concerning the state of the economy, as a contemporary secular version of the jeremiad, a rhetorical form that has persisted in America since colonial times. Describes Reagan's skillful use of the genre to motivate public response to what he viewed as an economic crisis. (NKA)

Discusses Senator Kennedy's address on "Tolerance and Truth in America," given at Liberty Baptist College in 1983, to propose a "contract" for the public relationship between himself and Jerry Falwell in which each could be more civil toward the other without betraying his constituencies or threatening the other's supporters.…

Examines Black Americans' attempts in the 1960s to achieve legitimacy and <equality>, defined as ideological commitment to promote "sameness" and "identity" explicitly through rhetoric of control. Investigates how the culturetypal rhetoric of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the counter-culture rhetoric of Malcolm X…

In 2000, the Arizona Proposition 203 campaign gained overwhelming public approval by claiming that Arizona's bilingual education programs impeded English-language learning of language-minority students. Established within a context of educational and social antipathy, it is necessary to look at the impetus for language policies like Proposition…

Contrasting rhetorics of the two Holmes Group reports are examples of the polar types of educational rhetoric that have characterized the literature on educational reform in the United States. In "Tomorrow's Teachers," the argument for educational reform rests on technical grounds; the position is that of the educational expert and the…

The current public debate between the images of the smiling war hero and of the grimacing Vietnam veteran provide opportunities to define two discourse communities that manifest themselves in students' written discourse. These can be seen as akin to the first American jeremiads, which were Puritan treatises written by seventeenth century religious…

The film "Pieces of a Puzzle" (part of the series "Writers Writing" that was coproduced by WNET and Learning Designs and televised by WNET in 1985), helped students become better writers and facilitated the discovery of material and techniques appropriate to academic writing. First, students were introduced to reader response…

American foreign policy must operate within the parameters of public opinion, and governmental and non-governmental actors must educate the characteristically alienated citizenry concerning policy issues. Since rational discourse is of limited benefit in the process, advocates instead use verbal representations or metaphor to instill within the…