Course Description

This introductory course provides students with the knowledge necessary to emphasize the development and refinement of critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate and produce academic and argumentative writing and speaking. Instructors guide students to examine historical and contemporary approaches to persuasive messages throughout time. Students have the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of these critical concepts and processes through the analysis and construction of arguments, especially in research and written work that attends appropriately to audience, purpose, context, genre, and language conventions. They are also given space to focus on the presentation of persuasive appeals to construct, deliver, and critique persuasive messages. A minimum of 5000 words of writing are required. Introduction to Persuasion - Honors uses the pedagogical methods common to all Honors courses: interdisciplinary, writing-intensive, collaborative, and experiential instruction.