Università Roma Tre

This is an introductive course to the persuasion strategies, that can help to uphold and confirm one’s own opinion. The major landmarks in the development of the debate between dialectics and rhetoric will be mentioned, and the basic elements of argumentation theory as well as the most relevant figures of speech will be analyzed. In addition to theoretical notions, practice exercises will coach students to recognize persuasion strategies in the texts, with special regard to advertising and journalistic ones.

1. Mortara Garavelli, Bice, Il parlar figurato. Manualetto di figure retoriche, Laterza, Bari-Roma, 2011.
2. Lo Cascio, Enzo, Persuadere e convincere oggi. Nuovo manuale dell'argomentazione, Academia, Milano, 2009 (chapp. 1-5, 7, 11-12; for chp. 12 only §§ 12.1, 12.6-12.7).