The Articulate Citizen

Instructor(s): Richard Obenauf

Course Description

How do we know when someone is trying to persuade us—and whether their arguments deserve to be believed?  This Honors writing seminar explores how Americans have used words to change minds, challenge authority, and shape public life.   Through short readings—mostly speeches, essays, and historical documents just a few pages long—we'll investigate some of the most influential arguments in American history, from the founding of the republic to the civil rights movement and beyond.  We'll also examine contemporary news coverage to discover how language, framing, and ideology influence what we think we know.
Along the way, you'll develop your own skills as a reader, writer, and researcher.  You'll learn to analyze arguments, evaluate evidence, and use historical documents to develop your own ideas.  No previous experience with historical research is necessary:  the course is designed to introduce you to the process, culminating in an original research project of your own.

Texts

Our readings consist primarily of short speeches, essays, letters, and historical documents, most just a few pages long.  We'll encounter some of the most influential voices in American history, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King Jr.  We'll also examine journalism from sources such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Requirements

Students will participate in lively seminar discussions, keep a private reading journal, and submit a series of low-stakes response papers and exercises.  There will be two shorter analytical essays, and a longer research project that we'll develop together during the second half of the semester.  No previous research experience is necessary; you'll learn the process step by step.

About the Instructor(s): Richard Obenauf

Richard Obenauf began as an English major whose research turned him into a political historian. A scholar of censorship, tolerance, and intolerance, he earned his BA from UNM and his MA and PhD from Loyola University Chicago.