COMM 2090 Intro to Persuasion
This course is a blend of lecture, discussion, and application exercises to familiarize students with theories and practices of persuasion. Major topics include: the importance of persuasion, the cognitive approach to persuasion, the source of persuasive messages, ethical concerns, purpose and audience, organization, reasoning, language, persuasion in advertising, and persuasion in political messages.(3 lect.)
Major Topics
- The importance of persuasion
- The cognitive approach to persuasion
- The source of persuasive messages: credibility
- Ethical Concerns
- Purpose and audience
- Organization: structuring the message
- Substance: support for your ideas
- Symbols and style
- Hostile, apathetic, motivated, and multiple audiences
- Consistency theories of attitude change
- Social judgment/involvement theory
- Theory of reasoned action
- Persuasion in advertising
- Persuasion in political messages
Outcomes
In order to successfully complete this course, the student will:
1. Describe the pervasiveness of persuasion.
2. Explain the basic concepts of persuasion.
3. Prepare persuasive messages for current and future interactions with policy makers, instructors, employers, colleagues, family, friends, and others, including researching and organizing ideas and presenting them in an ethical way.
4. Analyze and evaluate persuasive messages.
5. Explain the importance of considering ethical dimensions of persuasion.
Other Information
Any information placed here must be adhered to by all instructors:
See instructor for required course textbook.