Although the oldest discipline, rhetoric may be the least understood. Aristotle defined rhetoric as "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion." In this course, students conduct a historical survey of rhetorical theory from before classical times to the present to critique the role of language in establishing, perpetuating, and challenging power - including the canon itself. Rhetorical artifacts examined include political speeches, television programs, print advertisements, editorials, music, film, and social media.

This course is designed to introduce students to the production techniques, historical context, cultural function, and critical analysis of various film and television texts. Both film and television play an important role in defining, challenging, and reinforcing cultural norms and practices. By looking critically at a number of texts and artifacts, the course encourages students to develop a better understanding of the role film and television play in defining cultures and "reality."

Since its origins in the early twentieth century, film has debated how to represent black suffering. This course examines one aspect of that debate: the persistent themes of white goodness, innocence, and blamelessness in films that are allegedly about black history and culture. Historical and cultural topics examined in film include the enslavement of Africans, Reconstruction, and the civil rights movement.

This course is designed to develop an awareness of and skill in the techniques needed by a speaker in varying situations, from the large gathering to the small group. Students analyze and compose public speeches on various political issues.

An examination of the theory and practice of argumentation. This course explores argument theory from antiquity to the present and gives students the opportunity to develop skills in structured academic debates.

This course proceeds from the premise that coming of age while Black is fraught with the dangers created by a system of anti-black surveillance. Students examine "coming-of-age" memoirs and films that began during the era of the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1950s. Typically, the films and memoirs in this sub-genre feature a young Black protagonist, often a teen, navigating, sometimes successfully but not always, a world defined by intersecting oppressions created by race, class, gender, sexuality, and/or colonial identity.

This course investigates a number of films, filmmakers, film industries, and film movements that have changed the shape of movies and expanded our understanding of what is possible with cinema. Students gain a greater knowledge of the global cinematic landscape and discern the role that cinema plays in global and local cultures. The course is particularly sensitive to the representation of race and gender and asks how a sensitivity to local cultural traditions might challenge or change readings of specific texts. Films from Iran, Brazil, Senegal, France, Australia, Italy, Japan, India, China, and Germany may be considered. Prerequisite(s): RFSS 100, RFSS 120, or AFR/RFSS 162.

From Rudolf Valentino to The Godfather to Jersey Shore, American media makers and audiences seem obsessed with the Italian American man. In challenging cultural conventions and brazenly refusing to conform to accepted social norms, the Italian American male in popular culture is simultaneously admired and feared. Representations of the Italian American male indulge fantasies of total freedom while providing a cautionary tale that endorses social conformity. This course examines representations of Italian American men to determine the cultural place of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class, with attention paid to the rhetorical usage of these overlapping identities. Prerequisite(s): RFSS 100, RFSS 120, or AFR/RFSS 162.

What is a film? How should films be viewed? What cultural role do the movies play? As might be expected, such open-ended questions have yielded no shortage of answers. This intermediate-level film studies course introduces students to some of the dominant theoretical models that have surfaced throughout the history of film theory (including formal film analysis, realism, Soviet montage theory, documentary theory, and experimental film theory), while also exploring issues of cultural studies, authorship, ideology, representation, digital cinema, reception studies, and global and transnational cinema. In coming to an understanding of these approaches, students develop a deeper comprehension of the cultural place and artistic significance of the movies. Prerequisite(s): RFSS 100, 120, or AF/RF 162.

This course examines the rhetoric of containing black bodies in cinematic and literary narratives. In passing narratives light-skinned people move across racial lines supposedly fixed by biology, custom, and law. In trespassing narratives black persons enter spaces denoted as white by law or custom. This course calls attention to fear, fantasy, punishment, and resistance as ongoing dimensions of race and white supremacy. Recommended background: at least one course with race as a central topic.

In this course, students apply rhetorical theories to a variety of artifacts to understand the unique insights afforded by rhetorical studies. Students write, present, and discuss papers in which they apply and analyze different rhetorical perspectives. Rhetorical artifacts examined include political speeches, campaign advertising, television, print advertisements, editorials, music, film, Internet sites, and social-movement rhetoric. Prerequisite(s): RFSS 100.

Once relegated to the fringe of society, conspiracy rhetoric has moved to the center of political and public discourse in the United States. This course examines the narratives, argumentative structures, and functions of conspiracy rhetoric in the United States. Students examine an array of conspiracy theories - both real and fictional - to critique the work that conspiracy theories do for the individual and communities and to understand the role of language and visual media in creating and defining reality. In addition, students create texts in various media to elevate discourse in the public sphere around fake news and conspiracy theories. Prerequisite(s): one course in RFSS.

This course investigates the representation of lesbians and gays in film from the Golden Age of Hollywood to the contemporary independent filmmaking movement. Topics may include the effect of the "closet" on Hollywood film, homophobic imagery, international queer films, "camp" as a visual and narrative code for homosexuality, the independent filmmaking movement, and the debates about queer visibility in contemporary mass-market and independent films.

This course examines the representational strategies employed by television to convey social messages. The goals of the course are twofold: first, to acquaint students with the basic theoretical premises of rhetorical approaches to television; and second, to provide students an opportunity for critical and original research. Students examine how representations of race, class, sexuality, ability, and other categories of analysis are articulated in science fiction and fantasy on television. Prerequisite (s): RFSS 100, 120, or AF/RF 162..

Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study per semester.

This seminar examines the discourse surrounding UFOs and alien abduction. Texts are drawn from various media and include both fictional and nonfictional accounts of interaction with aliens. The course uses abduction/UFO discourse as a way to interrogate articulations of power, reality, control, rights, and identity as they are expressed both by abduction experiencers and popular culture. Topics include conspiracy, narrative, apocalyptic rhetoric, and myth. This seminar is recommended for sophomores and juniors. Prerequisite(s): one course in rhetoric, film and screen studies.

In this course, students explore the wide array of discourse surrounding presidential campaigns. Attention is paid to political speeches, advertisements, debates, news reporting, and the use of social media in campaigning. Students also participate in an extensive "mock campaign" complete with candidates, conventions, media, debates, and scandal. Special attention is paid to the evaluation of evidence and sources in the construction of political argument and image. This seminar is recommended for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): one course in rhetoric, film, and screen studies.

This course examines the intersections of race and gender in the interracial buddy film, an enduring genre that emerged in the civil rights era and has become one of the most profitable film formulas. Students examine how the films construct masculinity and race in political contexts. This course is recommended for sophomores and juniors. Prerequisite(s): one course in rhetoric, film and screen studies.

This course develops a historical understanding of Bollywood while demonstrating that the economic realities of a globalized world have ethical implications for cultural production. The course considers the history of Bollywood productions from the 1950s to the 1990s, a time in which the aesthetic style and production practices of these films were established; special attention is paid to the gender, racial, sexual, and class politics of these movies. Next, students consider the industry's global popularity and the lucrative potential of transnational audiences. Finally, they investigate how Hollywood and independent films have attempted to capture a more traditional Bollywood audience. Films under study include Mother India, Zanjeer, Dhoom 2, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, and Slumdog Millionaire. This seminar is recommended for sophomores and juniors. Prerequisite(s): one course in rhetoric, film and screen studies.

This course takes a transnational approach to films about the four hundred years of the enterprise in trans-Atlantic slavery. A transnational approach emphasizes the creation of a global audience, and sometimes one that is specifically Black or Pan-African, for films about slavery and its aftermath. These films challenge and question the stereotypes about slavery and enslaved people that were the foundation for anti-Blackness in United States and other Western national cinemas. The filmmakers considered in this course are most often members of the African diaspora in the Americas, especially, from the United States, Cuba, Martinique, and Brazil. Prerequisite(s): AF/RF 162 or a course in Africana.

A substantial academic or artistic project. Students register for RFSS 457 in the fall semester. Majors writing an honors thesis register for both RFSS 457 and 458.

A substantial academic or artistic project. Students register for RFSS 458 in the winter semester. Majors writing an honors thesis register for both RFSS 457 and 458.

This course examines texts surrounding drug and alcohol use on television including news reporting, docu-dramas, and fictional programming to understand the cultural position of drug and alcohol use in contemporary American society. Additionally, students will be introduced to guest speakers, and community partners working in organizations and communities dealing with alcohol and drug (mis)use. Using an intersectional approach, students will explore issues of stigma, the opioid crisis, alcohol use, and the treatment industry.

Baseball movies have been popular with audiences for over a century. Their representation of “America’s National Pastime” appeals to baseball fans, but it also allows filmmakers to comment on social and political issues. This course will screen a number of baseball movies while engaging a wide range of critical readings. Our goal will be to understand a film’s representation of baseball as a metaphorical comment on US culture, politics, and identity. Possible screenings include (but are not limited to) Field of Dreams, 42, A League of Their Own, Sugar, and others. Prerequisite(s): one rhetoric, film and screen studies course.

This experiential learning course investigates current best practices in film festival management and asks students to apply their findings to the management of the Bates Film Festival, a fast-growing, regionally-respected, social justice-oriented event. Throughout the course, students have an opportunity to be involved in every aspect of the festival’s execution. They may moderate panels and question-and-answer sessions; introduce films and events; promote the festival through advertising and marketing initiatives; determine festival jury awards; communicate with festival partners; and more. The course offers opportunities that allow students to gain hands-on experience with the film festival world and develop valuable skills that may position them well for careers in film/TV, marketing, advertising, public relations, and related fields. Importantly, the course also positions students as active citizens who not only witness and engage civic-minded conversations but also lead them. Prior coursework in Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies is highly recommended.

Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study during a Short Term.