Persuasive discourse as inquiry and advocacy grounded in practical inductive and deductive reasoning. Discovery, analysis, and testing of practical arguments. The nature and function of proof. Some emphasis on applied presentation.

This course will explore how digital media technologies inform strategies of self-presentation and practices of identity formation. We will situate contemporary practices of self-presentation within the historical development of the internet and sociological theories of identity. Students will be encouraged to examine how the internet and mobile technologies challenge existing understandings of concepts such as anonymity, authenticity, reputation, and privacy. Throughout the course, students will be asked to think critically about the ways in which traditional identity markers - such as race, gender, and class - are both challenged and reproduced in digital environments. Drawing on the current digital media landscape, we will explore several contemporary issues including privacy and reputation, self-branding and microcelebrity, online dating, and self-tracking. Throughout the semester, students will use academic literature to identify and address real-world problems.

Social role of advertising, public policy debates concerning advertising, influence of advertising on culture, and methods of analyzing advertising messages.

This course examines the impact of media on religious belief, practice, and institutions in an American context. We cover the rise of evangelicalism; the development of religious denominations and political parties; the birth of religious broadcasting including the rise of televangelism; and the decline of institutional religion with the emergence of a "spiritual marketplace." We examine religious representations in popular film, music, and news, and ask whether digital technologies have become imbued with religious meaning.