The minor in rhetoric and persuasion educates students in responsible, credible, and effective methods to take active leadership roles in engaging social issues in personal, professional, and communal settings. The program empowers students to look at the world as a place open to change and receptive to influence and to view themselves as agents capable of improving the world and their place in it. The minor aims to professionalize students—whether in their capacity as individual citizens, members of the community, or leaders in the workplace—by guiding them to understand audiences and situations, to use language responsibly and strategically, and to develop the integrity and authority of their own voice.
The undergraduate minor in rhetoric and persuasion requires a minimum of 15 s.h., including 12 s.h. earned in courses taken at the University of Iowa and at least 12 s.h. earned in Department of Rhetoric courses. Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in all courses for the minor and in all UI courses for the minor. Coursework in the minor may not be taken pass/nonpass.
The minor in rhetoric and persuasion requires the following coursework.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Five of these (15 s.h.): | ||
| RHET:2055/GWSS:2055 | Persuasion and Advocacy | 3 |
| RHET:2065 | Persuading Different Audiences: Launching a Successful Career | 3 |
| RHET:2070 | Persuasive Stories | 3 |
| RHET:2085 | Speaking Skills | 3 |
| RHET:2090 | Conversation Practicum | 3 |
| RHET:2095 | Fundamental Strategies of Persuasion | 3 |
| RHET:2135 | Rhetorics of Diversity and Inclusion | 3 |
| RHET:2350 | Forensic Rhetoric | 3 |
| RHET:2620 | Body Language: Study of Movement and Gesture in Speaking | 3 |
| RHET:3009/PBAF:3217/URP:3217 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| RHET:3085 | Advanced Speaking Skills | 3 |
| RHET:3250 | Persuasive Writing for Science and Health Care Professionals | 3 |
| RHET:3260 | Persuasive Speaking for Science and Health Care Professionals | 3 |
| RHET:3290 | Advanced Business Speaking | 3 |
| RHET:3350 | Gaming (the) Systems | 3 |
| RHET:3560/POLI:3560/SJUS:3560 | Public Policy and Persuasion | 3 |
| RHET:3585 | Speak, to Change the World: The Art of Speechwriting and Speechmaking | 3 |
| RHET:3630 | Apology and the Art of Verbal Self-Defense | 3 |
| RHET:3700 | Advocacy and Sustainability: Crafting Stories of People, Place, and Resilience | 3 |
| RHET:4980 | Special Projects for Undergraduates | arr. |
| May include one of these: | ||
| RHET:2000/ARTS:2000/ASP:2000/EDTL:2000 | Big Ideas: Creativity for a Lifetime (when taught by a rhetoric instructor) | 3 |
| RHET:2031/GWSS:2000 | Desire, Consent, and Sex in U.S. Culture(s): Replacing Coercion and Violence with Respect (when taught by a rhetoric instructor) | 3 |
| RHET:2610/THTR:2610 | Acting for Success | 3 |
| RHET:3138/GWSS:3138/SJUS:3138 | Writing to Change the World (when taught by a rhetoric instructor) | 3 |
| RHET:3150/GWSS:3700 | Narratives of Gender and Masculinity (when taught by a rhetoric instructor) | 3 |
| BUS:3000 | Business Communication and Protocol | 3 |
| CLSA:3742/WRIT:3742 | Word Power: Building English Vocabulary | 3 |
| COMM:1816 | Business and Professional Communication | 3 |
| GWSS:3138/RHET:3138/SJUS:3138 | Writing to Change the World (qualifies for this group if not being taught by a rhetoric instructor) | 3 |
| LATH:3000 | Latham Fellows: Science Communication Skill Building | 1-2 |
| LATH:3001 | Latham Fellows: Science Outreach Project | 2 |
| THTR:1140 | Basic Acting | 3 |
Focus Areas
Students who would like to choose courses in certain focus areas can select from the following, taking into account the maximum course requirements above.
The Skills of Speaking, Presenting, and Communicating Effectively
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| RHET:2065 | Persuading Different Audiences: Launching a Successful Career | 3 |
| RHET:2085 | Speaking Skills | 3 |
| RHET:2090 | Conversation Practicum | 3 |
| RHET:2095 | Fundamental Strategies of Persuasion | 3 |
| RHET:2610/THTR:2610 | Acting for Success | 3 |
| RHET:3085 | Advanced Speaking Skills | 3 |
| RHET:3260 | Persuasive Speaking for Science and Health Care Professionals | 3 |
| RHET:3290 | Advanced Business Speaking | 3 |
| RHET:3585 | Speak, to Change the World: The Art of Speechwriting and Speechmaking | 3 |
The Skill of Writing Professionally and Persuasively
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| RHET:2070 | Persuasive Stories | 3 |
| RHET:2350 | Forensic Rhetoric | 3 |
| RHET:3009/PBAF:3217/URP:3217 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| RHET:3250 | Persuasive Writing for Science and Health Care Professionals | 3 |
| RHET:3350 | Gaming (the) Systems | 3 |
| RHET:3630 | Apology and the Art of Verbal Self-Defense | 3 |
Advocacy: Making the World a Better Place
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| RHET:2055/GWSS:2055 | Persuasion and Advocacy | 3 |
| RHET:2070 | Persuasive Stories | 3 |
| RHET:2135 | Rhetorics of Diversity and Inclusion | 3 |
| RHET:3250 | Persuasive Writing for Science and Health Care Professionals | 3 |
| RHET:3560/POLI:3560/SJUS:3560 | Public Policy and Persuasion | 3 |
| RHET:3700 | Advocacy and Sustainability: Crafting Stories of People, Place, and Resilience | 3 |
Performance Rhetoric
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| RHET:2065 | Persuading Different Audiences: Launching a Successful Career | 3 |
| RHET:2070 | Persuasive Stories | 3 |
| RHET:2610/THTR:2610 | Acting for Success | 3 |
| RHET:2620 | Body Language: Study of Movement and Gesture in Speaking | 3 |
| RHET:3350 | Gaming (the) Systems | 3 |
| RHET:4980 | Special Projects for Undergraduates | arr. |
| THTR:1140 | Basic Acting | 3 |