9:30-10:45A   TR   MJ 124

This course will trace the development of the rhetorical presidency
from Wilson to Clinton as it was reflected in and influenced by
cultural, political, and technological changes. We will study how
political arguments interact with cultural norms and practices,
practical exigencies, the media through which they are communicated,
and the personal predilections and preferences of leaders.

The first part of the course will focus on theoretical underpinnings
for the study of presidential communication. Students will read
selections from Jefferey Tulis, The Rhetorical Presidency, Kathleen
Jamieson, Eloquence in an Electronic Age, Kathleen Jamieson and Karlyn
Campbell, Deeds Done in Words: Presidential Rhetoric and the Genre of
Governance, and Carol Gelderman, All the President's Words. In the
second part of the course, we will apply theoretical insights as we
consider the historical development of the rhetorical presidency.
After a brief review of rhetorical practices in the nineteenth
century, we will consider Theodore Roosevelt's rhetorical career and
not changes from the traditional pattern. Then, we will study Woodrow
Wilson as the progenitor of the rhetorical presidency beginning with
his Inaugural Address, his first State of the Union speech-the first
delivered in person by a president since John Adams-his speeches on
behalf of domestic reform, Americanization, and the like, and ending
with his campaign for the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles.
From Wilson we will move to a consideration of Franklin Roosevelt and
his exploitation of the rhetorical resources open to him, including
the new radio technology and his fireside chats. Lectures and some
readings will be designed to set the rhetorical moves in historical
context. Other readings will include the texts of major speeches and
critical studies of Presidential rhetoric. A midterm essay examination
covering lectures, discussions, and readings from Part 1 and 2 will be
given.

In the third part of the course we will move into the post-WWII era.
Attention will be given to the technological impact on the rhetorical
presidency-particularly the role of television in presidential
politics and governing. This section will take up about half of the
course. Lectures and discussions will be based on readings from works
that address the media's impact on presidential rhetoric, such as:
Roderick Hart Verbal Style and the Presidency, and The Sound of
Leadership, Kathleen Jamieson, Packaging the Presidency, Robert Denton
and Dan Hahn, Presidential Communication, Michael Grossman and Martha
Kumar, Portraying the President, Robert Friedenberg, Rhetorical
Studies of National Political Debates, as well as studies related to
the communication of specific periods and presidents, such as, David
Zarefsky's Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty and, Robert Denton's The
Primetime Presidency of Ronald Reagan. In addition, students will read
such speech texts as: the"Truman Doctrine" speech, Eisenhower's "Atoms
for Peace" and his "Statement on Sending Troops to Little Rock," John
Kennedy's "Inaugural Address," "Statement on the Freedom Rides,"
Lyndon Johnson's "We Shall Overcome" speech, Richard Nixon's
"Checkers" speech and his speech on the war in Vietnam, Regan's
acceptance of the nomination, his "First Inaugural," and his
"Challenger" speech, along with George Bush's speech on the Gulf War
and selected speeches by Bill Clinton; the new president's Inaugral
Address might also be included.

In reading all these speeches, students will be asked to make direct
connections between the rhetorical strategy exhibited in the speeches
and theoretical postulations that define a "rhetorical presidency."
For the final written assignment, students will be given selected
provocative quotations from some of the works we have studied this
semester and asked to select one to attack, defend or modify in an
essay that reflects the student's conception of what the "rhetorical
presidency" is, how it has developed, and the problems and
opportunities it affords for the future. A final exam will be based on
the readings and lectures in part three.

Three reaction papers, based on the readings, will be required
throughout the course of the semester.