Rhetoric

Coordinators: Dr Luke O’Sullivan and Ms Mary Lee Ching Ling, Department of Political Science

Project Description and Scope

"In the last generation the study of rhetoric has undergone a major revival across a number of disciplines. Throughout NUS (in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and beyond) scholars in a variety of departments including Political Science, English, Chinese Studies, Communications and New Media, and the Centre for English Language and Communication are teaching and researching themes related to the subject in both Western and non-Western settings.

This group aims to bring these NUS scholars, and any other interested parties, together to promote critical discussion of rhetorical traditions past and present across cultures and between disciplines. The texts selected reflect the diverse interests of those involved and include writings drawn from philosophy, literature, and the social sciences.

Initial Reading List

  • Harbsmeier, ‘The Rhetoric of Philosophy’ (MSS). A comparative discussion of rhetoric in the Greek and Chinese philosophical traditions.
  • Kenneth Burke, Language as Symbolic Action. A major work in modern rhetorical theory that embraces both philosophical and literary perspectives.
  • Caroline Lawrence, Slave Girl from Jerusalem. A recent historical novel in which rhetoric has an important role in the depiction of the workings of the Roman legal system.
  • Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. A famous historical and sociological study of the use of language as an instrument of power and control.
  • Xing Lu, Rhetoric of the Chinese Cultural Revolution: The Impact on Chinese Thought, Culture, and Communication.

Meeting Schedule and Events

Please contact coordinator for meeting schedule.

List of Participants