CWB204 Persuasive Communication
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | CWB204 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $2,040 |
| Pre-2021 CSP student contribution | $957 The pre-2021 commonwealth supported place (CSP) contribution amount only applies to students enrolled in a course prior to 2021. To learn more, visit our Understanding your fees page. |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $4,104 |
| International unit fee | $4,320 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | CWB204 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Coordinator: | Lesley Hawkes | l.hawkes@qut.edu.au |
Overview
This unit provides rhetorical tools, strategies, techniques, and practices of analysis related to strategic communication in professional and workplace contexts. It teaches methods of persuasive communication which allows practitioners to create and understand influential messages. Examples of rhetoric in action are taken from technical, political, and business communication as well as other fields such as creative industries. As a professional communication practitioner, you should be able to understand the principles of persuasion, use the vocabulary of persuasion and evaluate the efficacy of different persuasive strategies. You will be given opportunities to create sophisticated communication artefacts that inform, persuade and instruct depending on the specifics of audience and context.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Understand, discuss, engage and explain classical and contemporary rhetorical and persuasion theories
- Analyse persuasive appeals and influence techniques in a range of strategic communication materials
- Evaluate the effectiveness of rhetorical persuasion against audience, purpose, and context
- Create original work using the strategies, principles, and techniques derived from theories of rhetorical persuasion and influence communication
- Demonstrate reflection of the rationale applied in your own creative work
Content
This unit’s content covers:
- Classical and contemporary theories of rhetoric that build upon, expand, and enhance your knowledge about communication skills
- Contemporary case studies taken from politics, social media campaigns, public information campaigns, and other discourses
- Rhetoric as an analytical tool, including methods such as narrative analysis, intergenerational rhetoric, self-reflective analysis and methods of persuasion
- The role of rhetoric and persuasive communication in contemporary professional and public communication as exhibited in instructional, persuasive, and informational texts and discourses.
Learning Approaches
Your learning in this unit will involve participation in lectures, tutorials and self-study. You will engage with case studies, set readings, exercises, and self-reflective tasks in tutorials. All of these provide examples of rhetorical theory and practical application of persuasive communication techniques. Tutors will facilitate learning activities that combine analysis of set readings and writing exercises to allow you to understand and recognise how persuasive communication operates within society. You will be expected to complete any prescribed self-study, including readings out of class, and in preparation for subsequent classes.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback on your performance in this unit will be provided to you in various ways, including:
- Feedback on formative tasks completed in tutorials
- Advice delivered through Canvas communications
- Feedback and support from peers in your tutorial
- Criteria sheets and additional comments on summative assessment tasks.
Assessment
Overview
You will complete two individual summative assessments during the semester: a critique, and a creative work. The first assessment item requires you to critically analyse communication materials for their rhetorical appeals, persuasive and influence techniques. The materials for critiques could be chosen from either the set readings, suggested offerings, or external sources. For the second assessment, you are required to generate your own creative work (e.g., articles, speeches, proposals) demonstrating your awareness of audience, context, and purpose, and your self-reflection of the application of rhetoric and influence techniques to persuade others. These assessments will enable you to demonstrate your ability to achieve the above learning outcomes.
Formative exercises and assessment tasks will be conducted in tutorials. You will be required to read primary works, which will enable you to analyse examples of rhetorical persuasion in action in contemporary strategic communication contexts. These readings and examples will inform summative your assessment tasks.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Critique
In this assessment, you will identify and evaluate the efficacy of rhetorical persuasive appeals selected from the readings, the suggested list or external sources.
Assessment: Creative Artefact
You will create or curate an original work targeting a specific strategic communication context (e.g., public education, political mobilisation, science communication, civic movement). Your creative work will be informed by the theories and readings learned from this unit. Your creative work will also be accompanied by a self-reflective commentary that justifies your decisions and strategies so that you can assess the effectiveness of the rhetorical persuasion and influence techniques that you have used in your creative work.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.
Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Requirements to Study
Requirements
All students are requested to visit and review the Health and Safety information on the HiQ web pages.
You will be advised if a unit requires additional mandatory health and safety inductions.
Resources
Resource materials and set readings will be provided on the Canvas site for this unit.
Resource Materials
Other
To enable your full participation in units that utilise virtual learning environments, for example participating in online activities and engaging with online learning materials, you will need access to a reliable computer with an internet connection, webcam, headset and microphone, as well as a learning environment where you are able to fully participate undisturbed when required.
Risk Assessment Statement
For risks associated with using campus buildings or QUT facilities, refer to the HiQ Health and Safety information.
You are advised to take regular rest breaks when engaging in prolonged computer-based work and ensure that your workstation is set up for optimal comfort to prevent strain or injury.
Please be advised that this unit may include the presentation and scholarly analysis of material and subject matters that may be considered confronting, such as certain representations of race, class, gender and violence. QUT counselling support is available should you feel the need to avail yourself of these services.
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Online
| Unit code: | CWB204 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
Overview
This unit provides rhetorical tools, strategies, techniques, and practices of analysis related to strategic communication in professional and workplace contexts. It teaches methods of persuasive communication which allows practitioners to create and understand influential messages. Examples of rhetoric in action are taken from technical, political, and business communication as well as other fields such as creative industries. As a professional communication practitioner, you should be able to understand the principles of persuasion, use the vocabulary of persuasion and evaluate the efficacy of different persuasive strategies. You will be given opportunities to create sophisticated communication artefacts that inform, persuade and instruct depending on the specifics of audience and context.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Understand, discuss, engage and explain classical and contemporary rhetorical and persuasion theories
- Analyse persuasive appeals and influence techniques in a range of strategic communication materials
- Evaluate the effectiveness of rhetorical persuasion against audience, purpose, and context
- Create original work using the strategies, principles, and techniques derived from theories of rhetorical persuasion and influence communication
- Demonstrate reflection of the rationale applied in your own creative work
Content
This unit’s content covers:
- Classical and contemporary theories of rhetoric that build upon, expand, and enhance your knowledge about communication skills
- Contemporary case studies taken from politics, social media campaigns, public information campaigns, and other discourses
- Rhetoric as an analytical tool, including methods such as narrative analysis, intergenerational rhetoric, self-reflective analysis and methods of persuasion
- The role of rhetoric and persuasive communication in contemporary professional and public communication as exhibited in instructional, persuasive, and informational texts and discourses.
Learning Approaches
Your learning in this unit will involve participation in lectures, tutorials and self-study. You will engage with case studies, set readings, exercises, and self-reflective tasks in tutorials. All of these provide examples of rhetorical theory and practical application of persuasive communication techniques. Tutors will facilitate learning activities that combine analysis of set readings and writing exercises to allow you to understand and recognise how persuasive communication operates within society. You will be expected to complete any prescribed self-study, including readings out of class, and in preparation for subsequent classes.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback on your performance in this unit will be provided to you in various ways, including:
- Feedback on formative tasks completed in tutorials
- Advice delivered through Canvas communications
- Feedback and support from peers in your tutorial
- Criteria sheets and additional comments on summative assessment tasks.
Assessment
Overview
You will complete two individual summative assessments during the semester: a critique, and a creative work. The first assessment item requires you to critically analyse communication materials for their rhetorical appeals, persuasive and influence techniques. The materials for critiques could be chosen from either the set readings, suggested offerings, or external sources. For the second assessment, you are required to generate your own creative work (e.g., articles, speeches, proposals) demonstrating your awareness of audience, context, and purpose, and your self-reflection of the application of rhetoric and influence techniques to persuade others. These assessments will enable you to demonstrate your ability to achieve the above learning outcomes.
Formative exercises and assessment tasks will be conducted in tutorials. You will be required to read primary works, which will enable you to analyse examples of rhetorical persuasion in action in contemporary strategic communication contexts. These readings and examples will inform summative your assessment tasks.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Critique
In this assessment, you will identify and evaluate the efficacy of rhetorical persuasive appeals selected from the readings, the suggested list or external sources.
Assessment: Creative Artefact
You will create or curate an original work targeting a specific strategic communication context (e.g., public education, political mobilisation, science communication, civic movement). Your creative work will be informed by the theories and readings learned from this unit. Your creative work will also be accompanied by a self-reflective commentary that justifies your decisions and strategies so that you can assess the effectiveness of the rhetorical persuasion and influence techniques that you have used in your creative work.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.
Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Requirements to Study
Requirements
All students are requested to visit and review the Health and Safety information on the HiQ web pages.
You will be advised if a unit requires additional mandatory health and safety inductions.
Resources
Resource materials and set readings will be provided on the Canvas site for this unit.
Resource Materials
Other
To enable your full participation in units that utilise virtual learning environments, for example participating in online activities and engaging with online learning materials, you will need access to a reliable computer with an internet connection, webcam, headset and microphone, as well as a learning environment where you are able to fully participate undisturbed when required.
Risk Assessment Statement
For risks associated with using campus buildings or QUT facilities, refer to the HiQ Health and Safety information.
You are advised to take regular rest breaks when engaging in prolonged computer-based work and ensure that your workstation is set up for optimal comfort to prevent strain or injury.
Please be advised that this unit may include the presentation and scholarly analysis of material and subject matters that may be considered confronting, such as certain representations of race, class, gender and violence. QUT counselling support is available should you feel the need to avail yourself of these services.