Course Code
ENWR 3500
Credits
3
Department
Rhiannon Goad
Documentary films sit at the intersection of nonfiction, visual culture, and argumentation. Rhetorical analysis provides a means for viewers to parse out the persuasive dimension of documentary films. In this course, students explore a selection of documentary films through a rhetorical lens. First, students lean on ancient texts to craft papers tracing appeals to logos, pathos, and ethos. Then, in the second half, students rely on texts from the 20th century in a rhetorical analysis that consider the elements of the rhetorical situation, such as the audience, purpose, medium, and context.