In this graduate seminar we will examine key instances of U.S.
American protest discourse both in their historical contexts and
through the lenses of rhetorical theories of dissent.  Our intention
will be to illuminate through these case studies the problematic and
constitutive role of protest in the public culture of the United
States.  We will not attempt a comprehensive overview of the role of
protest, but rather will focus on particular sites, strategies, and
genres of protest in order to articulate some of their essential
characteristics and to facilitate comparisons across media, topic, and
issue.  We will track both a provisional history of protest rhetoric
in America and a history of scholarly attempts to account for such
discourse conceptually and theoretically.  We will concentrate
primarily, though not exclusively, on the rhetoric of African American
protest and dissent as an extended case study.

Being a seminar, each class session will depend upon the insights that
students bring to each set of readings.  To help stimulate these
insights, each member of the class will write a brief critical essay
each week.  These short essays will be distributed at the beginning of
each class session, and should be intended to foster discussion.  They
should be thoughtful, provocative, and original critical exercises.

Students will be evaluated primarily on the basis of a sustained essay
of rhetorical criticism.  Students may choose to concentrate on
instances of "protest" as manifest in (or generated in response to)
political speeches, Hollywood films, television documentaries, social
movements, mass demonstrations, etc.  The study may be historical,
extending as far back as the "founding era" of the late 18th century,
or may be located in the present.  The finished project should be a
potentially publishable essay.  I assume that the papers generated in
this class will be related to the student's general research interests
and that they will be presented at an academic conference.


On-line course materials and instructor contact information are
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