Big Words in Politics

What is everyone talking about when they talk politics? Do you wish you had an entry point into the conversation? Or a guide to its ABC’s? Do you wonder why everyone else seems to have such strong opinions? Or why your own opinions seem too strong–or not strong enough to go anywhere? Do you like to think about words and meanings and where they come from and how they change? Each week, students will read a selection involving one particular word and also a contemporary instance of it in discussion or debate. By the end of the course, students will understand that the words used in political and legal discourse have a history and philosophy that is worthy of further humanistic (or rhetorical) study.