Comm 3320 – Persuasion in Society

Tuesday/Thursday 9:30 – 10:45 pm ATLS 1B31

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This course was developed with a grant from the Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement at the University of Colorado Boulder

Professor Office Matt Koschmann, PhD Hellems 87B Email Phone koschmann@colorado.edu 303‐492‐2824 Office Hours Skype Thursdays 1:00‐2:00 matt_koschmann and by appointment

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

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Persuasion is the dominant form of social influence in our society. It permeates virtually every aspect of our human experience—from our politics and ideological beliefs to our consumer behavior and personal relationships. In almost every part of our lives we are continuously confronted by deliberate attempts to influence our actions and/or change our minds. Therefore to be a good citizen and to thrive in our society you must have a good understanding of persuasion. Accordingly, the two main objective of this course are: (1) To develop personal skills to become more persuasive in a variety of communication contexts (2) To develop a broader and more critical understanding of the culture of persuasion the pervades all aspects of our society To achieve these objectives this course covers the following topics and contexts:

• History of rhetoric • Logic, reasoning, and argumentation • Symbols and language • Social construction and knowledge • Social‐scientific research about persuasion • Personal influence and negotiation • Ideas and innovation • Choice architecture • Social media and word‐of‐mouth persuasion • Commercial advertising and marketing • News media • Politics • Identity and gender • Ethics • Propaganda • Economic and gender‐based critiques of persuasion

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COURSE MATERIALS ________________________________________________________

Documentary Films:

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COURSE MATERIALS (continued)

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Purchase at CU Bookstore or online

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Additional Course Readings & Materials:

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Posted on Desire2Learn (D2L): https://learn.colorado.edu/

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ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING

All assignments are graded on a 100‐point scale and weighted by the percentages listed below

Unit Quizzes 10% (x4) Following each learning unit there will be a quiz to assess the breadth of your knowledge about the course material. The quizzes are administered online via D2L…they are multiple choice and non‐cumulative.

Mid-Term Paper: Editorial Article OR Analysis Paper 20% There are two options for your mid‐term paper: You can DO persuasion by writing an editorial essay or you can ANALYZE persuasion through an analysis paper (more details below).

Final Project: Marketing Campaign, Analysis Paper, or Speech 25% There are three options for your final course project: You can DO persuasion by developing a marketing campaign or persuasive speech, or you can ANALYZE persuasion through an analysis paper (more details below).

Class Participation 15% This is a discussion‐based class where much of the learning comes from your interaction with other students, the professor, and the material. Therefore your participation plays an important role in the development of the course. Here are the main things that influence your participation grade:

** Consistent, substantive involvement in class discussions & activities ‐ Consistent (not perfect) attendance ‐ Not consistently late or leave early ‐ Not a distraction in class

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Grading This course follows the standard CU grading system:

A 93% and above C 73 – 76.5%

A ‐ 90 – 92.5% C ‐ 70 – 72.5%

B + 87 – 89.5% D + 67 – 69.5%

B

83 – 86.5%

D

63 – 66.5%

B ‐ 80 – 82.5% D ‐ 60 – 62.5%

C + 77 – 79.5% F 59% or below

I use the following criteria to guide my grading decisions:

A Excellent...exceeds the minimum requirements with distinction

B Good…goes beyond the minimum requirements to a fair degree

C Average…meets the minimum requirements of the assignment

D Poor...only meets some of the minimum requirements of the assignment

F Failing...does not meet most of the minimum requirements of the assignment

Other grade considerations The only thing I grade is your product…not your effort or intentions. I don’t grade based on what you need to keep a certain GPA or what you think you’re entitled to.

I’m happy to discuss any graded assignment with you, but please wait 24 hours after receiving your grade for any discussions…and it’s best to have grade discussions in person instead of email.

I love to talk with students about their assignments BEFORE they are due. After assignments are due there is very little I can do, other than to explain my decisions.

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COURSE POLICIES _ Paper Submissions Please submit all papers electronically through the dropbox feature in Desire2Learn:

All files should be Microsoft Word version 03 or later. Save your file using your last name (ex: Koschmann.doc) Disabilities If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services (DS) by the end of the second week of the semester so that your needs may be addressed. DS determines accommodations based on documented disabilities (303‐492‐8671, Willard 322, www.colorado.edu/sacs/disabilityservices) Religious Observance I will make reasonable accommodations for students who have conflicts between religious observance dates and course requirements. Please approach me with these requests before the end of the second week of the semester. Academic Misconduct Cheating, plagiarism, or unacknowledged assistance is unacceptable. Web‐based plagiarism‐detection services will be utilized. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303‐725‐2273). Please see the Honor Code at http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/ Technology Technology Across the Curriculum is the Communication Department’s technology resource. TAC provides equipment such as laptops, digital video cameras, and digital voice recorders to students for checkout. For more information, visit TAC at http://comm.colorado.edu/tac. Deadlines Unless otherwise noted, all assignments are due on the date/time indicated in the daily schedule. Late work is not accepted unless you contact me prior to the due date with a legitimate reason.

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ASSIGNMENT DETAILS – MIDTERM PAPER Due: Friday, March 1st @ 11:59 pm

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EDITORIAL ESSAY For this assignment you will write a 1000‐1500‐word editorial essay on a topic of your choice, similar to an editorial article you would see in a newspaper or magazine. You goal is to develop a sound argument around a well‐defined position. Your editorial should take a definitive position about something “in question” (i.e., there should be a clear counterargument to your position). Your editorial essay will be graded based on the following criteria:

‐ Clear argument/position ‐ Effective use of persuasive strategies ‐ Sound reasoning and arguments ‐ Within word count ‐ Overall structure (paragraphs, intro, conclusion, transitions, etc.) ‐ Quality writing (grammar, spelling, etc.)

For the editorial assignment you also need to submit an explanatory appendix that describes your persuasive strategy in your editorial. Your explanatory appendix must include a Toulmin Diagram that illustrates the overall argument of your editorial. Your explanatory appendix should be connected to course material and be 300‐500 words long. The goal is to demonstrate your understanding of course material in relation to the argument you develop in your editorial essay.

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ANALYSIS PAPER Write a 1500‐2000‐word analysis paper about some aspect(s) of persuasion as illustrated in a particular artifact. An artifact could be an advertisement, a political campaign, a speech transcript, an advocacy campaign, etc. Your paper should be primarily about persuasion, not your artifact (the artifact merely provides a context to analyze persuasion). The goal is to provide analysis and critical evaluation in order to say something insightful about persuasion within the context of your artifact. Your analysis should be connected to textbook/course material and cite additional/outside research materials (i.e., academic journal articles, books about your topic, etc.).

Your paper will be graded based on the following criteria:

** Clear thesis statement or central argument…clear statement about the purpose of your analysis and what you are trying to accomplish (i.e., what is your contribution to our understanding of persuasion in this context?). A good way to do this is to develop your thesis statement or central argument as a response to a question you articulate about some aspect of persuasion. ‐ Clear aspect of persuasion for your analysis ‐ Relevance of artifact (i.e., there is a clear connection between your artifact and the aspect of persuasion that is the focus of your analysis) ‐ Insightful analysis and critical evaluation (not just summary and description) ‐ Within word count (not including references) ‐ Connection to course material ‐ Overall structure (paragraphs, intro, conclusion, transitions, etc.) ‐ Quality writing (grammar, spelling, etc.) ‐ Bibliography: 1‐2 additional sources…NOT counting our course material or unit of analysis

**It is usually a good idea to frame your analysis around an overarching question or problem about persuasion

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FINAL PROJECT ASSIGNMENT DETAILS – MARKETING CAMPAIGN PORTFOLLIO Due: Friday, May 3rd @ 11:59 pm

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For this assignment you will develop a portfolio for a marketing campaign about a product, service, or idea. Imagine that you work for an advertising agency and I am a potential client who is considering hiring you to implement this campaign. Develop a portfolio that would sell me on your campaign strategy and materials. The key idea is INTEGRATION…how everything fits together to present a unified message to persuade your target audience.

Your portfolio must include at least 3 vehicles/media of persuasion (i.e., print ads, videos, website, editorial, direct mail, billboard, radio ad, etc.). In addition, you must provide a 500‐1000‐word executive summary explaining the strategy and details of your campaign, which should be grounded in ideas from our course material. Here are the grading criteria for the campaign portfolio: Campaign Materials 80%

‐ Clear message/argument (i.e., persuasive intent) ‐ Clear persuasive goal (i.e., Are you trying to get people to think or behave in a specific way?

Purchase a product? Change an attitude or behavior? Something else?) ‐ Creative and aesthetically appealing ‐ At least 3 vehicles/media of persuasion ‐ Overall persuasiveness (I understand this is somewhat subjective, but I should at least be

able to see that your campaign would be persuasive in a given context) ‐ Clear and effective use of persuasive strategies based on course material

Executive Summary 20% Not necessarily in this order ‐ Brief description of the campaign ‐ Explanation/justification of the media used ‐ Brief audience/market analysis ‐ Explanation of the persuasive strategies/principles/theories that support your thinking about

persuasion in this campaign (connect to course material with footnotes) ‐ Brief summary about of the campaign and what you’re trying to accomplish ‐ Format is creative and aesthetically appealing (not just a plain Word document)

You may separate your campaign materials from your executive summary, or you may combine them into a single report **Overall the goal of this assignment is to sell me (your potential client) on the quality of your campaign and its ability to persuade the target audience…both in terms of the quality and creativity of your materials and the effectiveness of your strategy

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FINAL PROJECT ASSIGNMENT DETAILS – PERSUASIVE SPEECH Presented in class: Thursday, May 2nd

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For this assignment you will develop an 8‐10‐minute persuasive speech on a topic of your choice. This in‐class presentation challenges you to incorporate multiple aspects of the course material in order to develop an effective persuasive message.

Your persuasive speech grade involves two components: (1) your actual speech (80%), and (2) an explanatory appendix (20%):

SPEECH 80%

Content 60% ‐ Introduction: hook, credibility, thesis, and preview ‐ Structure: main ideas, transitions, examples/explanations/illustrations ‐ Sound reasoning and arguments ‐ Effective use of persuasive appeals and premises ‐ Conclusion: intent to conclude, summary, and no new information ‐ Bibliography: 5‐7 sources, documented correctly (turned in separately…not part of your speech)

Delivery 30% ‐ Verbal: volume, rate, articulation, inflection, filler words, and conversational tone (no reading or memorizing) ‐ Nonverbal: posture, gestures, body movements, facial expressions, and eye contact **Overall personality, character, enthusiasm, and persuasiveness of delivery

Visual Aid 10% ‐ Professional and credible ‐ Aesthetically pleasing ‐ Good balance of text, graphics, and whitespace ‐ Relevant ‐ Used effectively

EXPLANATORY APPENDIX 20% You are required to submit an explanatory appendix that describes your persuasive strategy in your speech. Your explanatory appendix must include a Toulmin Diagram that illustrates the overall argument of your speech. Your explanatory appendix should be connected to course material and be 300‐500 words long. The goal is to demonstrate your understanding of course material in relation to the argument you develop in your speech.

A more‐detailed grading document for the persuasive speech is posted on D2L **Overall your speech needs to make a definitive argument about something that is “in questions” (not a topical speech that merely informs)…there should be a legitimate counterargument(s) to your speech and you should try to persuade people to move in one specific direction over the alternatives

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FINAL PROJECT ASSIGNMENT DETAILS – PERSUASIVE ANALYSIS Due: Friday, May 3rd @ 11:59 pm

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Similar to the analysis paper option for the mid‐term, this assignment requires you to analyze some aspect of persuasion within the context of a particular artifact. Your paper should be primarily about persuasion, not your artifact (the artifact merely provides a context to analyze a broader aspect of persuasion). I want you to “problematize” something about persuasion that warrants further analysis (usually framed as a question) and positions you to make an insightful contribution. Often the best way to do this is to explore the intersections of various aspects of the course material.

Your final paper should be 2000‐2500 words, not including references. In addition to your textbook, your bibliography should include additional research sources (like academic journal articles and books) to ground your analysis. Your paper will be graded based on the following criteria:

** Clear thesis statement or central argument…clear statement about the purpose of your analysis and what you are trying to accomplish (i.e., what is your contribution to our understanding of persuasion in this context?)

‐ Clear aspect(s) of persuasion for your analysis

‐ Relevance of artifact (i.e., there is a clear connection between your artifact and the aspect of persuasion that is the focus of your analysis)

‐ Insightful analysis and critical evaluation (not just summary and description)

‐ Within word count (not including references)

‐ Connection to course material (in‐text citation or footnotes/endnotes)

‐ Overall structure (paragraphs, intro, conclusion, transitions, etc.)

‐ Quality writing (grammar, spelling, etc.)

‐ Bibliography: 10‐12 sources…at least 3 sources not from course material **Overall I’m looking for your paper to say something insightful that enhances our understanding of persuasion through the example of your artifact (not an elaborate show‐and‐tell about your artifact)…not just description and summary…need to say something we don’t already know…need to be able to identify YOUR contribution in this analysis

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TENTATIVE DAILY SCHEDULE

UNIT 1: FOUNDATIONS – History & Theory

Date Topic Readings/Assignments

1‐15 Course Introduction Film: The Persuaders (in class)

1‐17 Persuasion in society Film: The Persuaders (continued)

1‐22 Brief history of rhetoric PP slides posted on D2L

1‐24 Logic, reasoning, & argumentation Reading #1: Toulmin’s model of argumentation

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Symbols & Language Social construction & knowledge

Reading #2: Social construction in a nutshell Film: Death by Fire Podcast: Mentally Modern (in class)

1‐31 Social‐scientific approaches to persuasion PP slides & takeaway notes posted on D2L

Unit 1 Quiz: Available Thursday 1/31 (5 pm) – Sunday 2/3 (11:59 pm)

UNIT 2: INFLUENCE, NEGOTIATION, & IDEAS

Date Topic Readings/Assignments

2‐5 Personal influence Reading #3: The science of persuasion 2‐7

Negotiation Book: Getting to Yes 2‐12 2‐14

Persuasive ideas Book: Made to Stick 2‐19 2‐21 Choice architecture Reading #4: Nudge (selected chapters)

2‐26

Buzz, social media, & word‐of‐mouth persuasion

Reading #5: Anatomy of Buzz—Revisited (selected chapters)

2‐28 **TBD** Midterm papers due: Friday, March 1st @ 11:59 pm

Unit 2 Quiz: Available Thursday 2/28 (5 pm) – Sunday 3/3 (11:59 pm)

UNIT 3: PERSUASION & CULTURE

Date Topic Readings/Assignments 3‐5 Commercial advertising Films: (1) Killing us Softly

(2) Consuming Kids 3‐7 3‐12 Persuasion, media, & the news Film: Rich Media, Poor Democracy 3‐14 3‐19 Persuasion & politics See “politics & persuasion” folder on D2L 3‐21 3‐26 No class: Spring Break 3‐28

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TENTATIVE DAILY SCHEDULE (continued)

4‐2 Identity & gender Film: Codes of Gender

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Unit 3 Quiz: Available Thursday 4/4 (5 pm) – Sunday 4/7 (11:59 pm)

4‐9 Final Project Workshops: Marketing campaigns, analysis papers, persuasive speeches

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UNIT 4: ETHICS & CRITIQUE

Date Topic Readings/Assignments

4‐16 Ethics & persuasion PP slides only

4‐18 Propaganda Reading #6: The message machine

Film: War Made Easy

4‐23 Critical approaches to persuasion

Reading #7: Life, Inc.

PP slides on economic and gender critiques 4‐25

Unit 4 Quiz: Available Thursday 4/25 (5 pm) – Sunday 4/28 (11:59 pm)

4‐30 Final project workshops (in class)

5‐2 Final project speeches for those doing the persuasive speech assignment

All final projects due: Friday, May 3rd @ 11:59 pm

Final Exam Day: Monday, May 6th 1:30-4 pm **There is no final exam for this class, but keep this day open for makeup classes**

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