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Individual Course

Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking

Course Length

8 weeks

2-3 hours per week

Featuring faculty from:

Harvard Faculty of Arts & Sciences LogoHarvard Faculty of Arts & Sciences

Enroll as Individual

Certificate Price:

$ 209

Enroll as Individual

Certificate Price:

$ 209

Get acquainted with the art of persuasive writing and speaking and learn how to construct and defend compelling arguments.

We are living in a contentious time in history. Fundamental disagreements on critical political issues make it essential to learn how to make an argument and analyze the arguments of others. This ability will help you engage in civil discourse and make effective changes in society. Even outside the political sphere, conveying a convincing message can benefit you throughout your personal, public, and professional lives. We will be using selected addresses from prominent twentieth-century Americans—including Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Margaret Chase Smith, Ronald Reagan, and more—to explore and analyze rhetorical structure and style. Through this analysis, you will learn how speakers and writers persuade an audience to adopt their point of view.

Built around Harvard Professor James Engell’s on-campus course, “Elements of Rhetoric,” this course will help you analyze and apply rhetorical structure and style, appreciate the relevance of persuasive communication in your own life, and understand how to persuade and recognize when someone is trying to persuade you. You will be inspired to share your viewpoint and discover the most powerful ways to convince others to champion your cause. Join us to find your voice! The course will be delivered via edX and connect learners around the world.

Self-Guided

edX

  • Joshua S.

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Faculty

Your Instructor

James Engell

Gurney Professor of English and Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University

James Engell is Gurney Professor of English and Professor of Comparative Literature, also a member of the Committee on the Study of Religion, and a faculty associate of the Harvard University Center for the Environment. He has also directed dissertations in American Studies, as well as Romance Languages & Literatures (French).

This course made me realize Rhetoric is a superpower and it helped me use my voice for good.
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Joshua S.

Complete your journey with this Professional Certificate Series

These courses can be bundled together to receive a Professional Certificate at a discounted price.

Learn More
  • 2 Courses
  • 3 Months
  • Earn Your Certificate
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Ways to take this course

Audit or Pursue a Verified Certificate

A Verified Certificate costs $209 and provides unlimited access to full course materials, activities, tests, and forums. At the end of the course, learners who earn a passing grade can receive a certificate.

⁠Alternatively, learners can Audit the course for free and have access to select course material, activities, tests, and forums. Please note that this track does not offer a certificate for learners who earn a passing grade.

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