Argumentation in Public Communication

Recent research in public communication reveals the importance of an argumentative turn in policymaking. This turn is justified because, in public communication, most activities and interactions (oral and written) are characterized by argumentation, as actors are committed to be accountable for their decisions and give reasons for their claims. Argumentation in Public Communication focuses on oral and written argumentative discourse in public policy and public communication, assuming that a well-conducted argumentative dialogue increases the quality of public communication and deliberative democracy. Examples of argumentation will be taken from different contexts, ranging from public press releases, to policy documents, to the debate around popular initiatives, to NGO campaigns and political debates and their echoes on the media and social media. Throughout the course, we will adopt a critical perspective: the analytical reconstruction of argumentation will be associated to the critical evaluation of its logical and communicative validity, including the discovery of  manipulative processes, for example misleading premises hidden in online hate speech.

In presence