PART 1: PROGRAM IN WRITING AND RHETORIC (PWR)
http://pwr.stanford.edu
Email: pwrcourses@stanford.edu
(650) 723-1468
Stanford’s Program in Writing and Rhetoric is designed to make you the best writer that you can be. Below are just some of the PWR classes that will be offered this year.
Rhetoric of Hell
(Fall/Hutton)
Beelzebub, Lucifer, and MTV: Study Satan and all of his incarnations. How could someone so bad be so good at rhetoric? Do his enticing promises of marvelous pleasures reveal a being that isn’t as evil as history tells us? Should we follow him in pursuit of what we know will make us happy, or should we argue for the unproven rewards of the supposed Almighty? You decide. And remember: on the other ends of the Styx and the hellfire lie 10,000 virgins.
Rhetoric of Dialect
(Spring/Patterson)
“Listan ere bi (boy). Oi doon’t waant your koind in moi poob (pub).” How do Irish people persuade us to take our business elsewhere? Is it the way they pronounce vowels? “I reckon yew ain’t gawn seee yer ma, eef yew doon’t hand ewver the jewlry.” Why do ignorant hayseeds always end up with our valuables? How are shotguns and pitchforks convincing?
Rhetoric of Derelict
(Winter/McKeeley)
A few burnt pieces of parchment. A broken rocking horse. A family of rats. Why are inexpensive houses so easy to buy? A patched wool jacket stinking of beer. A gray beard soiled with vomit. A frost-bitten hand shaking a cup. How do poor people persuade us to succeed?
Rhetoric of Professor Kinsey
(Fall/Kinsey)
How does Professor Kinsey speak persuasively? Is he successful? Why does he speak persuasively? Do you find yourself being persuaded by every single thing he says? Does Professor Kinsey have an agenda? How?
Rhetoric of Billboards
(Winter/Roberts)
Billboards are the most persuasive form of advertising in America. Do you agree? Are there billboards where you come from? Where is home? How would you like a brand new car?
Rhetoric of the Army
(Winter/York)
Stern. Demanding. At times, powerful. Do you want to join the Army?