RHET 189 A-Z - Special Topics in Speech Communication and Rhetorical Studies

Semester Hours: 1-4

Current Special Topics:

RHET 189H - Karl Marx and Crisis Today

This course welcomes those approaching Marx for the first time as well as those with previous courses in Marxian economics. The course is an exploration of contemporary macroeconomic and environmental issues using the analytical apparatus developed by Karl Marx in Volumes One, Two, and Three of Capital. While the course will explore issues and applications on the frontier of Marxian economics, it will also provide beginners with a sufficient preparation to tackle intermediate topics dealing with Vols. Two and Three of Capital, such as the theory of rent (and contemporary financialization), the theory of a falling rate of profit (and contemporary stagnation and policy ineffectiveness), the question of unequal exchange between the Global North and the Global South, and finally the causal relation between capitalism and climate change. Students who complete the course will have gained a thoroughly grounded analysis of and explanation for the contemporary “polycrisis” and will therefore have the basis upon which to craft and evaluate proposed responses to the current exhaustion of capitalism.

Same as LACS 016I  and LABR 155I  

RHET 189J - Women, Work, and Organizing

In this course we will explore various forms of women’s work – paid and unpaid, past and present, in the home and the office, in factories and on farms – and the different ways that women have organized to make life better on and off the job for everyone. Along the way, we’ll learn about the fight to reevaluate the kind of work that women “naturally” do by demanding “wages for housework;” consider women’s massive contributions to the labor movement and the fight for fair wages, safe working conditions, and a share of the good life through strikes and other forms of protest; and examine women’s efforts in court and the halls of government to secure laws against exploitation and discrimination. We’ll focus on the US, with an eye to how developments here impact and are impacted by worker organizing around the globe. If you are a worker – or will be a worker someday – this course is for you.

Same as WST 150I , LABR 155J  

RHET 189N - Gender, Sexuality, and Race in the Struggle Over the Women’s Vote

We will focus on the roles played by Black women’s literary societies and sororities, and on key figures such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frances Ellen Watkins-Harper, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Fannie Lou Hamer, Pauli  Murray and others who have continued the struggle for the women’s vote.

Same as AFST 187P , LGBT 181B , WST 150B  

RHET 189S - The Art of Presence: Enhanced Public Speaking

A performance-driven speaking course that enhances and builds on the kinds of critical analysis and performance skills taught in Public Speaking, including speech composition and delivery, stressing principles of clarity, interest, and audience analysis. Students will learn to project confidence, lead with authenticity, and master the art of presence while engaging with audiences.

RHET 189Z - Reading Karl Marx Today

This course is an intensive study of the first volume of Karl Marx’s Capital from the perspective of the present. We will apply Marxian categories to present-day capitalism, determining their contemporary relevance and usefulness. We will also review how capitalism itself has evolved since the time of Marx and consider whether economic changes necessitate an extension or an abandonment of the Marxian analytical framework.  Students who complete this course will have developed their own well-founded conclusions regarding the strengths and limitations of the analysis presented in Capital, particularly regarding the applicability of this analysis to contemporary capitalism.  This background will provide an excellent basis for further advanced work in any of the social sciences and/or humanities where many concepts that Marx originally proposed or developed are still used, often without attribution.

Same as LABR 155G , LACS 016D  

Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
One of the following: RHET 001 , 004 , 005 , 007 ; or permission of the instructor. Specific titles and course descriptions for special topics courses are available in the online class schedule.

View Course Offering(s):

Fall 2026

January 2027

Spring 2027