Examines how persuasion functions and influences our lives and perception, focusing on a variety of contexts: business, politics, media, law, and entertainment. Students learn persuasive and argumentative principles to understand what rhetoric is, how it works, and what it does, and to apply the knowledge to produce effective communication appropriate for their purpose, audience, and context. A wide range of persuasive media, genres, and forms will be studied to help students sharpen how they interpret and practice persuasion.