The Culture Wars
Rhetoric and Communications · 3 hrs Lecture
Offered: Fall Or Winter, Every Year
RHET-3158 prerequisites
We couldn't read this course's prerequisites into a chain. The wording is under “Requisite courses” below.
Where RHET-3158 counts
Counts toward 3 more as one option among several, not as a course you must take:
Read from the departments' own calendar pages, where 50 of 208 programs are only partly machine-readable, so treat these as a minimum rather than the full list. Confirm with an academic advisor.
Description
This course introduces students to the nature of communication in a divided society. Students consider the challenges that cultural, conceptual and more diversity pose to democratic dialogue and civic engagement. They consider first historical background that explains the contemporary culture wars. They then evaluate a series of recent case studies concerning moral conflict and communication breakdown. The aim is to get students to think critically about what communication means in the absence of a shared vocabulary and what kind of dialogue is appropriate for a radically diverse society.
Requisite courses
Any section of Academic Writing or exemption from the writing requirement and completion of 24 credit hours [prerequisite(s)].
From the 2026-27 undergraduate calendar. Always verify details on WebAdvisor or with an academic advisor before registering.