2019-2020 Academic Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 Academic Catalog [Archived Catalog]

COMM 565 - Persuasion


Credits: 3
This course investigates and critically analyzes the systematic, academic, and practical study of persuasion. Persuasion, as defined by Perloff (2014), is “a symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people to change their own attitudes or behaviors regarding an issue through the transmission of a message in an atmosphere of free choice” (p. 17). Persuasion may be viewed through the lenses of both art and science. This course extensively explores the key persuasive concepts of social influence, attitudes, attitude measurement, power, charisma, ethics, emotion, and the use of persuasive tactics in advertising and marketing. This course will also illustrate the importance of persuasive theories and their direct application to practice in both personal and organizational contexts. The purpose of this course is 1) to unveil the power of effective persuasive tactics and social influence, 2) to learn to ethically apply persuasive tactics in work life and personal life, and 3) to use ethical persuasive tactics to best strategically influence others.