SF-1186 The Art of Persuasion
We've all heard the cliche that the pen is mightier than the sword. Simple words, in all their mundane glory, can stoke the fires of revolution, topple regimes, and bring sweeping change to society. Words and rhetoric (or the art of persuasion) is thus located at the very center of politics, culture, religion, and literary production. Indeed, the ability to speak and write persuasively is arguably one of the most-valued skills in our world today. In this course, we will investigate the connection between language, persuasion, power, and revolution. Our primary questions will be: How exactly is language a powerful force? How do we wield the power of language? Are there limits to language within our world? And how is rhetoric revolutionary? To fully examine this topic, we will read a range of genres from Ancient Greece to the modern day: op-eds, essays, polemics, poetry, satire, advertisements, music, and memes. This course will also include field trips to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston during our week on visual aesthetics, a trip around central Boston in search for powerful advertisements, and a visit to the Ford Hall Forum, the oldest free public lecture series in America.