9:30-10:45A   TR   MJ 125

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.