2020y-apmodr1770e-06

AP/MODR1770 6.0 E: Techniques of Persuasion

Offered by: MODR


 Session

Fall 2020

 Term

Y

Format

LECT

Instructor

Calendar Description / Prerequisite / Co-Requisite

This is a skills-based course focusing on critical thinking, persuasive writing, and strategic argumentation. Examples are drawn from various forms of persuasion including advertising, propaganda and political argument. Course credit exclusions: AP/MODR 1730 6.00, AP/MODR 1760 6.00. Note: This is an approved LA&PS General Education course: Humanities OR Social Science.


Course Start Up

Course Websites hosted on York's "eClass" are accessible to students during the first week of the term. It takes two business days from the time of your enrolment to access your course website. Course materials begin to be released on the course website during the first week. To log in to your eClass course visit the York U eClass Portal and login with your Student Passport York Account. If you are creating and participating in Zoom meetings you may also go directly to the York U Zoom Portal.

For further course Start Up details, review the Getting Started webpage.

For IT support, students may contact University Information Technology Client Services via askit@yorku.ca or (416) 736-5800. Please also visit Students Getting Started UIT or the Getting Help - UIT webpages.


    Additional Course Instructor/Contact Details

Professor Philip MacEwen

pmacewen@yorku.ca

Students may access the Course Director with questions about the course anytime at my email address, pmacewen@yorku.ca  If students want more opportunity for consultation, please send me your phone number and a time when I can call you.

    Expanded Course Description

This course aims to equip students with the ability to identify and critically analyze the four major techniques of persuasion: a) argument, b) advertising, c) propaganda, and d) ideology.

    Additional Requirements

Times and locations: Please note that this course depends on remote teaching and learning. There will be no in-person interactions or activities on campus. Instead, the course will operate remotely on a weekly basis. The written lectures will be posted on the course Moodle site week-by-week in advance of the Zoom lectures. The Zoom lectures will be accessible from the course Moodle site and posted there on a weekly basis. Students may access the Zoom lectures either at the time they are given (to be announced) or after they have been posted.

Technical requirements for taking the course: This is a fully asynchronous, on-line course. In other words, there are no lectures times and no classes to attend. All course activities are conducted remotely. In order to take the course and fully participate in it, students need the following: 1) an email account, 2) access to the course Moodle site and 3) access to the Zoom lectures, which are posted on the course Moodle site.

Students are invited, but not required, to access the Zoom lectures live. They can do so via a live image of themselves, a picture of themselves, or by name only. At the end of each Zoom lecture, there will be a question-and-answer (Q & A) period. Students are invited to participate in the Q & A periods visually, audibly, or by sending text messages.

Here are some useful links for students on computing information, resources, and help:

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

 

To determine Internet connection and speed, there are online tests, such as Speedtest, that can be run.

    Required Course Text / Readings

There are no required texts for the course. It is entirely self-contained. All  required readings come as part of the course

    Weighting of Course

To facilitate interaction among students, the course is weighted on completing and submitting five short, small-group writing assignments, each worth 20% of the final grade (20% x 5=100%). There are no tests, exams, or other types of assignments for the course.

    Organization of the Course

Times and locations: Please note that this course depends on remote teaching and learning. There will be no in-person interactions or activities on campus. Instead, the course will operate remotely on a weekly basis. The written lectures will be posted on the course Moodle site week-by-week in advance of the Zoom lectures. The Zoom lectures will be accessible from the course Moodle site and posted there on a weekly basis. Students may access the Zoom lectures either at the time they are given (to be announced) or after they have been posted.

    Course Learning Objectives

The objectives of the course are threefold: to help students i) understand the nature of argument/reasoning, its role at the university, and its significance in academic and professional life, ii) understand the nature of advertising and enable them to analyze it critically; iii) understand the nature of propaganda and enable them to analyze it critically, and  iv) understand the nature of ideology and enable them to analyze it critically.

    Additional Information / Notes

Course policies: 

The writing assignments must be submitted during the relevant weeks indicated in the Course Outline. The Course Outline will be posted as a file on the course Moodle site and delineated on its main page.

Each student will be assigned to a small writing group during the first week of the Fall Semester.

Please complete your writing assignments with the other members of your writing group. You will be sent the contact information of the other members of your writing group during the first week of the Fall Semester.

 

If you are unable to submit your writing assignments on time, please contact me by e-mail before the assignments are due, giving the reason/s why you are unable to do so.

Please note that the Course Director holds the copyright on all the material used in MODR 1770 6.0E. Students must obtain the express, written permission of the Course Director if they wish to use any of this material outside this section of the course.

    Relevant Links / Resources