Making Sense of Messages: A Critical Apprenticeship in Rhetorical Criticism

by Mark R. Stoner

Making Sense of Messages, now in its second edition, retains the apprenticeship approach which facilitates effectively learning the complex content and skills of rhetorical theory and criticism.　

A new chapter on "The Rhetoric of Ignorance" provides needed theory and examples that help students deal with the new rhetorical landscape marked by such discursive complexities as "fake news," "whataboutism," and denial of science that creates rather than reduces uncertainty in public argument. A new chapter, "Curating and Analyzing Multimodal Mediated Rhetoric," deals with problems of media criticism in the digital age. It provides theory, models of application, and commentary that help novice critics understand and mindfully practice criticism that leads to insight, not mere opinion. Throughout the book, extended and updated examples and commentaries are designed to promote "novice-to-expert" agency in students.

This textbook is ideal for introductory courses in contemporary rhetoric, rhetorical criticism, and critical analysis of mass media.

370 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2004

Reviews

[Sapote3]

I just took a glance through the "reading class politics in Beauty and the Beast" essay, and it's like what I do all the time for fun! How do people get paid for this?

How can I?