To many people, “rhetoric” is a dirty word, but to the RHE 306 students, it’s a flexible tool for persuasion. In this dual enrollment course created by the University of Texas at Austin, RHE 306 students have learned the fundamentals of argumentation: mapping the stakeholders and positions in a controversy that is important to Texans, taking a position in the controversy, identifying a real audience, and inventing and arranging an argument that will be persuasive to that audience.
In the process, Waterloo students discovered that rhetoric is everywhere, that good rhetoric is fundamental to civilized public discourse, and that the techniques and strategies invented by ancient rhetoricians more than 2000 years ago are still useful today.
Check out this video to hear more directly from the RHE 306 students about their experience with this project!
EXPERIENCE WATERLOO FOR YOURSELF
If you (or someone you know) would like to learn more about Waterloo, join us on South Congress for a Student Experience Day on December 1. Through a “day in the life” your student will experience project-based learning in action right here in the school! (Click here to register).
