Minor Rhetorics

10 ECTS, Compulsory, semester 1 (a&b)
The Rhetoric Lab is the project-based core module of the Rhetorics Minor in which you employ the rhetorical skills that you acquired in Secrets of Rhetoric and your specialization course in an interdisciplinary team and a project of your own choosing. Under the supervision of mentors and instructors, you will work on a rhetorical problem or challenge for an organization, client, stakeholder or cause in or outside the university. The first part of the course focuses on team-building and setting the goals of the project. Together you will decide what problem you want to work and identify the knowledge, skills, and material you need to complete the project. Next, you will consult with the client/organization/stakeholder, execute your project and, at the end, present your suggested course of action and how this will impact society. At the end of this course, you will be able to employ your rhetorical skills in different context to make a meaningful impact in society.

10 ECTS, Compulsory, semester 1a
This course provides you with the tools, theory, and techniques to become a vir bonus dicendi peritus , or good person, speaking well. In this course, you will explore rhetoric as both a theory, practice, and way of life. You will familiarize yourself with the theory of rhetoric by learning about its rich history and important classical and modern theories and concepts. At the same time, you will immediately put into practice what you’ve learned in the tutorials, where you learn and train essential skills and attitudes to become an effective and excellent speaker. Finally, you reflect on the rhetoric’s potential for manipulation and learn to critically assess and, if needs be, unmask others’ rhetoric.

10 ECTS, Choice, semester 1b
In this specialization course, you will explore the role of rhetoric and its challenges and potential in the world of politics and media. You will analyze political speeches, campaigns, advertisement as well as traditional and online journalism to deepen your understanding of the particular demands of political rhetoric in contemporary mediacracy. You will build on and expand your rhetorical know-how garnered in Secrets , and familiarize yourself with theories like (media) framing, constitutive rhetoric, and narrative story-telling. As always, you will put this knowledge in practice by developing and executing your own rhetorical project.  

10 ECTS, Choice, semester 1b
The course examines the textual dynamics and the social and cultural consequences of rhetorics on understandings of science and broader public discussion about science. Built upon existing knowledge base of rhetorics, science, and communication, the course examines how scientists communicate the processes and findings of their work to the public and how the public engages with science through the following means/spaces:

(a) Popular Science magazines

(b) Science events (e.g., science cafes, festivals, art and science events, famelab, science shops); and,

(c) Video (e.g., documentaries, YouTube)

The aim of the course unit is to provide students with an understanding of the different forms of science communication (oral, written, visual/non-written) and the opportunity to practice those through practical work as well as the assignments. This class supports students to develop understandings about the state of the art of the field of science communication and to develop the abilities needed to communicate science effectively in a variety of real-world contexts. In the course we will examine how different audiences shape the way science is communicated and we will develop a set of best practices for effective science communication, which students will then apply in their own science communication projects.