21W.016 | Fall 2016 | Undergraduate

Writing and Rhetoric: Designing Meaning

Course Description

This course takes rhetoric as a system for designing meaning that helps us understand complex situations and ideas, enlighten and persuade others to act, and thus reshape our world. We’ll study rhetoric systematically and empirically, both analyzing how it works on us as readers, and testing how we can make informed …
This course takes rhetoric as a system for designing meaning that helps us understand complex situations and ideas, enlighten and persuade others to act, and thus reshape our world. We’ll study rhetoric systematically and empirically, both analyzing how it works on us as readers, and testing how we can make informed rhetorical choices as we design our own texts.
Learning Resource Types
Written Assignments with Examples
A photo of President Obama's hand pointing to a draft of his healthcare speech, which is marked up with edits.
Pictured here is President Obama’s healthcare speech marked with numerous edits. This course will focus on rhetoric and how it is used to inform and shape political and cultural beliefs. (Image is by Pete Souza and in the public domain.)