ENGL4200: Cold War Rhetorics

ENGL4200: Cold War Rhetorics

Dr. Kyle Jensen

Office: Languages 408H

Office Hours: T, Th 2-3pm & by appointment

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Overview

In August 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The introduction of nuclear warheads into world history world history was supposed to place a final punctuation mark on the horrors that distinguished WWII. But instead, this catastrophic act of violence inaugurated another war—one that would be equally as horrifying albeit in very different ways. In the wake of these epoch-defining military events, Kenneth Burke began drafting his masterwork of modern rhetoric,A Rhetoric of Motives. The book was in press as news broke that the Soviet Union had developed its first nuclear warhead.

At first glance, the published version ofA Rhetoric of Motivesdoes not seem particularly responsive to the scientific and political revolutions that defined the late 1940s. Although in the preface Burke promises another volume of the book that would "deal adequately with the polemic kinds of rhetoric (such as verbal tactics now called 'cold war')," that volume would never be published in his lifetime. A closer study of the published version ofA Rhetoric of Motivesreveals, however, that Burke was building a conceptual apparatus capable of responding to the seeming inevitability of interminable international war. Independent of the second volume,A Rhetoric of Motivesrepresented Burke's most concentrated engagement with the problem of war. The purpose of this course is to learn how to readA Rhetoric of Motivesin a manner that exposes Burke's rhetorical lessons.

In order to learn how to readA Rhetoric of Motivesas a direct response to the threat of the Cold War, we must place the book in conversation with authoritative historical and rhetorical research on that time period. A majority of our energy in this course will be spent understanding the events that distinguished the cold war and how Burke's book ought to be read in light of such an understanding. Was Burke one among many voices addressing the rhetorical problems that constituted the late 1940s and early-1950s? Why hasA Rhetoric of Motivesnot played a more integral role in interpreted the historical milieu that characterized the early Cold War? We will raise these and other questions, seeking answers that are rigorous and chalk full of analytic insight.

Because the topics we are addressing in this course are complex, we wil spend a majority of our time reading and testing for comprehension. Students must complete the assigned reading in its entirety and be prepared to ask questions about its relationship to Burke'sA Rhetoric of Motives. Any questions about the course readings or assignments should be directed to:.

Required Reading

A Rhetoric of Motivesby Kenneth Burke

The Cold War: A New Historyby John Lewis Gaddis

Ned O’Gorman’s Spirits of the Cold War

Cold War Rhetoricby Martin Medurst (et al.)

Mapping the Cold Warby Timothy Barney

Critical Reflections on the Cold Warby Martin Medhurst and H.W. Brands

Assignments

Attendance & Participation (10%)
You are allowed to miss no more than two classes this term before it begins to affect your grade. For every missed absence beyond two, you can expect to have a full letter grade deducted from your final grade. Participation consists of being active in class discussion and producing work consistently in your notebook.

Cold War Dictionary (15%)
The purpose of this assignment is to help you track how the history of the cold war articulates with modern rhetorical theory. To navigate this terrain adequately, you will need to be rigorous in your effort to locate, follow, and define key concepts and events in both the cold war and in rhetorical history. The instructions below will serve as a guide to help you organize your efforts. Basically, you will need to identify the concept, trace its appearance in each book, locate associated terms, cite a key passage, and provide a glossed definition. You will follow the same format for logging specific dates or events that distinguish the cold war. Initially, I will help you with this process. But as the semester unfolds, you will begin to assume responsibility for identifying and explaining the relevance of energy to rhetorical studies. Developing this dictionary before each class is how you will prepare to participate in discussion. You should log each concept in a Moleskine notebook or its off brand equivalent. No other formats will be accepted. If you have any questions, please speak to me after class or stop by office hours.

Quizzes x5 (25%)
Quizzes will consist of a handful of concept identifications. I will discuss in class which concepts you need to learn in order to pass the quiz. I would encourage you to study as a group outside of class in order to adequately prepare for the exam.
Final Exam (25%)
The final exam will consist primarily of concept identification. It is a cumulative exam, which means that you will be responsible for knowing all the material we have discussed throughout the term. We will have a pre-test preparation session where you will be responsible for teaching a particular concept to your peers. As with the midterm, I would encourage you to study as a group outside of class in order to adequately prepare for the exam.

Final Project (25%) Your final project will consist of a two page single-spaced essay in which you synthesize our course readings with Kenneth Burke's A Rhetoric of Motives and draw implications for modern rhetorical studies.

Grading Policy

My policy is to leave final grade determinations open until the day grades are due to the university. This means that if you receive a grade that you would like to change, you may revise the assignment in order to earn a higher mark. The final project is, as the title indicates, final, but you may bring drafts of your project in during office hours to gauge the type of grade you might receive.

Attendance Policy

You may miss up to three classes unexcused during the semester. After three, you final course grade will be reduced one full letter grade.

Academic Dishonesty

For UNT’s policy on academic honesty, please visit:

Drop Policy

For information regarding UNT’s course drop policy, please visit: Concerns

Disability Concerns
The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.