76-135 Freshman Seminar: Trials and Controversies

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

The courtroom is so closely associated with rhetoric that Kenneth Burke once claimed we can see the rhetorical quality of martyrdom in the fact that "it even gets its name from the law courts." This course introduces students to issues in rhetoric and argumentation through a study of legal trials, particularly those that have been criticized as so-called "political trials" perceived to be influenced by public attitudes or opinions on issues such as race, religion, political ideology, gender, and sexuality. Using readings from rhetoric, law, and history, as well as opening and closing arguments, cross-examinations, and documentary evidence from actual trials, we examine how courtroom speakers use character, emotion, analogy, narrative, scapegoating, and other rhetorical strategies to persuade their audiences.

Prerequisites: none listed

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