SPECIAL PROGRAMS: Futures for Rhetoric and Democracy 

Time: Friday, Oct. 17, 2-4 p.m. EDT

Across the globe, in different national cultures and contexts, authoritarianism is on the rise. Prominent authoritarian movements and politicians have threatened the communicative basis of democracy, casting dissent and disagreement as disloyalty and treason. Connecting theory and practice, rhetorical scholarship must address the implications of authoritarianism on the status of democracy as a concept, model, principle, and context for rhetorical practice. Panelists will consider futures of rhetoric and democracy in an era of democratic uncertainty and threat. Panelists will address such questions as: How do rhetoric and democracy operate in the world we live in now, whether at local, regional, national, and global levels, in governmental and non-governmental contexts, within and across diverse communities? How, if at all, may concepts and practices of rhetoric and democracy reduce violence and strife? What may rhetorical scholarship teach us about democracy? 

SPEAKERS 

• Robert Asen, University of Wisconsin-Madison (moderator) 
• Robert Danisch, University of Waterloo 
• David Frank, University of Oregon 
• Annie Hill, University of Texas-Austin 
• Brooke Hubsch, Pennsylvania State University 
• Joe Izaguirre, University of Colorado-Boulder 
• Jose Maldonado, University of South Florida 
• Mark McPhail, Independent Scholar 
• Jenny Rice, University of Kentucky 

For questions about this event, contact Dane S. Claussen, NCA Director of Research, Publications and Professional Advancement, at dclaussen@natcom.org.