Texas A&M University 3 credits COMM
COURSE OVERVIEW. Study of persuasive communication across interpersonal, group, organizational and public contexts. Examination of how messages influence beliefs, attitudes and behavior through rhetorical, psychological and social processes. Focus on audience analysis, source credibility, language, nonverbal influence, motivational appeals, ethics and theories of attitude change. Includes engagement with real-world persuasive contexts that may involve topics and examples that are politically, culturally and/or socially contested, examined for the purpose of understanding how persuasive communication operates. RELEVANCE AND APPLICATION. Applicable to communication work in media, health, politics, marketing, advocacy, leadership and organizational contexts. Informs message design, audience adaptation and analysis of influence strategies across professional and public settings. Relevant to professional fields that require reasoning, strategic communication and interpretation of persuasive efforts in civic, commercial or interpersonal life. Builds awareness of how persuasion operates in campaigns, advertising, negotiations and/or community outreach. DEEPENING UNDERSTANDINGS. Clarifies how persuasion involves more than argument or performance, incorporating credibility, motivation, perception, emotion and context. Distinguishes between influence, coercion, propaganda and ethical advocacy. Highlights how attitudes and judgments are shaped by message design, social norms, personal experience and situational factors. Encourages reflection on how persuasive communication functions within everyday decision-making and public discourse. TOPICS AND THEMES. May include analysis of persuasive theories; study of attitudes and attitude change; credibility and message design; emotional and motivational appeals; ethical considerations in persuasion; influence in interpersonal, group and mediated settings; language, nonverbal strategies and message framing; resistance, compliance, refutation and evaluation of persuasive claims. Course examples may involve public health messaging, political communication, advertising, advocacy campaigns and/or other areas where the use of persuasive strategies is debated or contested. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification.
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