The Handbook of Rhetoric and Public Address

The Handbook of Rhetoric and Public Address is a state-of-the-art companion to the field that showcases both the historical traditions and the future possibilities for public address scholarship in the twenty-first century. Focusing on public address as both a subject matter and a critical perspective, and mindful of the connections between the study of public address and the history of ideas, the volume provides an historical overview of public address research and pedagogy, as well as a reassessment of contemporary public address scholarship by those most engaged in its practice. Including in-depth discussions of basic issues and controversies public address scholarship, this collection of newly-commissioned works also explores the relationship between the study of public address and contemporary issues of civic engagement and democratic citizenship.The Handbook also reflects the diversity of views among public address scholars, advancing on-going discussions and debates over the goals and character of rhetorical scholarship.With its emphasis on the state-of-the-art and its guidance on many of the most basic theoretical and methodological questions relating to the subject, the Handbook of Rhetoric and Public Address promises to become the definitive statement on the purposes and character of research and teaching in public address at the beginning of the twenty-first century, and will have a major impact on the discipline for years to come.