PUBLIC DISCOURSE

This class according to the HSU Catalog functions to critique genres of discourse and their importance in American Culture. American Public Discourse is broadly defined as speeches and other written and spoken texts, as well as visual and mass media "texts" that are widely circulated in the U.S.A. Believe it or not rhetoric and public discourse are the foundation of popular culture. What used to be relegated to ceremonial, political, and entertaining oratory dating back to the fifth century B.C.E. we now apply to music, film, television, the internet and even how we walk down the street and what we wear when we do so. Throughout this course we will develop the tools to critique popular culture through the examination of particular artifacts within American Public Discourse, which includes everyday events, objects, and gestures. These everyday activities have serious implications on our individual and collective identity, how we treat other people, and the nature of the world we live..