Seminar Preparation

Thursday, September 15

C.	The Purposes of Criticism

Reading: Robert L. Scott and Bernard L. Brock. Methods of Rhetorical Criticism: A Twentieth Century Perspective. New York: Harper and Row, 1971. pp. 3-10

Philip C.	. Wander. "The Ideological Turn in Modern Criticism." Central States Speech Journal 34 (1983):1-18.

James F	. Klumpp and Thomas A. Hollihan.. "Rhetorical Criticism as Moral Action." Quarterly Journal of Speech 75 (1989): 84-96.

Charles E. Morris. "(Self-)Portrait of Prof. R.C.: A Retrospective." Western Journal of Communication 74.1 (2010): 4-42

Discussion: What is the purpose(s) of criticism? What difference does the answer to that question make on your practice of criticism?

D.	Criticism as Argument

Reading: Brockriede, Wayne. "Rhetorical Criticism as Argument." Quarterly Journal of Speech 60.2 (1974): 165-174.

Select a criticism from a journal. Report on how it achieves "significant argument"? Or why it does not?

Discussion: What makes a significant claim? How does the criticism you have been reading achieve such significance?

Lecture: As in any inquiry, there is a logic at the base of criticism. In fact, like most sorts of inquiry, there are several. Brockriede portrays criticism as argument. If you have any confusion so far about criticism, the Brockriede article should end it. But there are other things to be said about the logic of criticism and your head critic will say them.

Writing this week: 1-2 pages justifying your critical project. Why is it significant enough for the reader to read? Align these pages with what you have learned about purposes and about significant crititicism.