Labor Rhetorics: Work in the U.S. Imaginary

Recently, labor and work are everywhere in U.S. media and culture. From news articles and social media posts about “the great resignation” to anxieties about worker demands. In this course, we will use rhetorical analysis as both theory and research methodology to examine labor and work. Using a variety of cultural and public texts like non-fiction, literature, newspapers, television, and labor research, students will learn rhetorical concepts, interpret, and critically analyze the diverse messages about labor that surround us, and build skill in using written and oral communication to develop their own labor rhetorics and advocate for local workplace change.