Upcoming Courses
Fall 2024
RHCS 100-01:Public Speaking(T/R)9:00-10:15a.m.
RHCS 100-02:Public Speaking(M/W)9:00-10:15a.m.
RHCS 100-03:Public Speaking(T/R)1:30-2:45p.m.
RHCS 102-01:Interpersonal Communication(M/W)1:30-2:45p.m.
RHCS 102-02:Interpersonal Communication(M/W)3:00-4:15p.m.
RHCS 103-01:Rhetorical Theory(T/R)12:00-1:15p.m.
RHCS 103-02:Rhetorical Theory(T/R)1:30-2:45p.m.
RHCS 103-03:Rhetorical Theory(T/R)1:30-2:45p.m.
RHCS 104-01:Interpreting Rhetorical Texts(T/R)9:00-10:15a.m.
RHCS 105-01:Media, Culture, and Identity(M/W)9:00-10:15a.m.
RHCS 105-02:Media, Culture, and Identity(M/W)10:30-11:45a.m.
RHCS 245-01:Digital Humanities (W)1:30-4:15p.m.
RHCS 279-01:Voice of Hip Hop(T)6:30-9:10p.m.
RHCS 295-01:ST:Vision & Visuality in Rhetorical Criticism(M/W) 10:30-11:45a.m.
RHCS 345-01:Data and Society(T/R)10:30-11:45a.m.
RHCS 345-02:Data and Society(T/R)12:00-1:15p.m.
RHCS 353-01:Rhetoric and Law(W)12:00-2:50p.m.
RHCS 412-01:Ritual in Contemporary Society(M/W)10:30-11:45a.m.
RHCS 412-02:Communication in Challenge Contexts(M/W)1:30-2:45p.m.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
RHCS 279-01: Voice of Hip Hop…Prof. Nielson
This course will challenge you to examine hip hop as a social, political, and artistic movement, one that has given rise to what is arguably the most influential form of music to emerge from the U.S. in the last 50 years. It will begin by considering hip hop’s historical, cultural, and political context, looking at the unique social conditions out of which it developed. It will then focus on rap music, the most significant element of hip hop, drawing on a wide range of folklore, music, literature, and popular culture to do so. Once we have considered the various strands of culture reflected in rap music, the course will turn to an examination of rap in its current form(s), considering regional and stylistic differences across the genre. This course will also consider the way rap music is produced and marketed and what this can tell us about the shifts in popular culture that hip hop has both created and responded to. Finally, we will consider the way hip hop has served as a vehicle for political activism and grassroots organizing, particularly in the last two decades. Even as this course tackles the broad social and cultural issues that hip hop naturally brings to light, it will also ask you to perform close readings of the music itself to reveal the complex, multi-layered messages it contains. By the end of the course, you should have a broad knowledge of hip hop’s history and a grounding in rap music’s innovative production and poetics. As this course is being taught in Richmond, with the help of Richmond’s most accomplished hip hop artist (Mad Skillz), you can expect a focus on the local as well as the national.
RHCS 295: ST: Vision and Visuality in Rhetorical Criticism... Dr. Barney
Explores how the visual image has changed the study of rhetoric in profound ways and broadened our understanding of the relationship between symbols and cultures. In this introduction to the rhetorical criticism of visual texts, students will learn how to research, write, and read criticism on a variety of forms, including photographs, films, television, print advertising, maps, even material spaces – paying special attention to how these forms are embedded in complex historical contexts. At the same time, students will consider how the concept of “vision” itself in the interpretation of rhetorical artifacts has important political and social implications.
RHCS 412-01: Ritual in Contemporary Society... Prof. Cavenaugh
This course explores the communicative and social functions of rituals in everyday, contemporary experience. Ritual lies at the intersection of the symbolic and the transformative. A wedding ritual, for instance, is both an attempt to symbolize ideals about marriage and a performative speech act that produces a married couple. This course explores how ritual functions in contemporary Westernized cultures to create, sustain, and transform identities and communities.
RHCS 412-02: Communication in Challenging Contexts... Dr. Johnson
In this seminar, we will create a foundation in communication and related theories for use in exploring difficult relational situations (e.g., grief, deception, conflict, mental-health issues, relational change…). We will examine the role communication plays in creating challenging situations like these and consider how it can be used to make these times easier, less painful, and even valuable. We will look closely at ourselves, including our typical feelings and responses to such challenges, and we will use a combination of theoretical application and personal exploration to improve our effectiveness. We will not uncover simple answers to make every situation smooth and easy. Rather, we will build the foundation necessary to try, grow, and improve.
RHCS 100-01:Public Speaking(T/R)9:00-10:15a.m.
RHCS 100-02:Public Speaking(M/W)9:00-10:15a.m.
RHCS 100-03:Public Speaking(T/R)1:30-2:45p.m.
RHCS 102-01:Interpersonal Communication(M/W)1:30-2:45p.m.
RHCS 102-02:Interpersonal Communication(M/W)3:00-4:15p.m.
RHCS 103-01:Rhetorical Theory(T/R)12:00-1:15p.m.
RHCS 103-02:Rhetorical Theory(T/R)1:30-2:45p.m.
RHCS 103-03:Rhetorical Theory(T/R)1:30-2:45p.m.
RHCS 104-01:Interpreting Rhetorical Texts(T/R)9:00-10:15a.m.
RHCS 105-01:Media, Culture, and Identity(M/W)9:00-10:15a.m.
RHCS 105-02:Media, Culture, and Identity(M/W)10:30-11:45a.m.
RHCS 245-01:Digital Humanities (W)1:30-4:15p.m.
RHCS 279-01:Voice of Hip Hop(T)6:30-9:10p.m.
RHCS 295-01:ST:Vision & Visuality in Rhetorical Criticism(M/W) 10:30-11:45a.m.
RHCS 345-01:Data and Society(T/R)10:30-11:45a.m.
RHCS 345-02:Data and Society(T/R)12:00-1:15p.m.
RHCS 353-01:Rhetoric and Law(W)12:00-2:50p.m.
RHCS 412-01:Ritual in Contemporary Society(M/W)10:30-11:45a.m.
RHCS 412-02:Communication in Challenge Contexts(M/W)1:30-2:45p.m.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
RHCS 279-01: Voice of Hip Hop…Prof. Nielson
This course will challenge you to examine hip hop as a social, political, and artistic movement, one that has given rise to what is arguably the most influential form of music to emerge from the U.S. in the last 50 years. It will begin by considering hip hop’s historical, cultural, and political context, looking at the unique social conditions out of which it developed. It will then focus on rap music, the most significant element of hip hop, drawing on a wide range of folklore, music, literature, and popular culture to do so. Once we have considered the various strands of culture reflected in rap music, the course will turn to an examination of rap in its current form(s), considering regional and stylistic differences across the genre. This course will also consider the way rap music is produced and marketed and what this can tell us about the shifts in popular culture that hip hop has both created and responded to. Finally, we will consider the way hip hop has served as a vehicle for political activism and grassroots organizing, particularly in the last two decades. Even as this course tackles the broad social and cultural issues that hip hop naturally brings to light, it will also ask you to perform close readings of the music itself to reveal the complex, multi-layered messages it contains. By the end of the course, you should have a broad knowledge of hip hop’s history and a grounding in rap music’s innovative production and poetics. As this course is being taught in Richmond, with the help of Richmond’s most accomplished hip hop artist (Mad Skillz), you can expect a focus on the local as well as the national.
RHCS 295: ST: Vision and Visuality in Rhetorical Criticism... Dr. Barney
Explores how the visual image has changed the study of rhetoric in profound ways and broadened our understanding of the relationship between symbols and cultures. In this introduction to the rhetorical criticism of visual texts, students will learn how to research, write, and read criticism on a variety of forms, including photographs, films, television, print advertising, maps, even material spaces – paying special attention to how these forms are embedded in complex historical contexts. At the same time, students will consider how the concept of “vision” itself in the interpretation of rhetorical artifacts has important political and social implications.
RHCS 412-01: Ritual in Contemporary Society... Prof. Cavenaugh
This course explores the communicative and social functions of rituals in everyday, contemporary experience. Ritual lies at the intersection of the symbolic and the transformative. A wedding ritual, for instance, is both an attempt to symbolize ideals about marriage and a performative speech act that produces a married couple. This course explores how ritual functions in contemporary Westernized cultures to create, sustain, and transform identities and communities.
RHCS 412-02: Communication in Challenging Contexts... Dr. Johnson
In this seminar, we will create a foundation in communication and related theories for use in exploring difficult relational situations (e.g., grief, deception, conflict, mental-health issues, relational change…). We will examine the role communication plays in creating challenging situations like these and consider how it can be used to make these times easier, less painful, and even valuable. We will look closely at ourselves, including our typical feelings and responses to such challenges, and we will use a combination of theoretical application and personal exploration to improve our effectiveness. We will not uncover simple answers to make every situation smooth and easy. Rather, we will build the foundation necessary to try, grow, and improve.