DOCUMENT RESUME ED 436 794 CS 510 173 AUTHOR McKinney, Bruce C., Ed. TITLE The Carolinas Speech Communication Annual, 1996. INSTITUTION Carolinas Speech Communication Association, Winston-Salem, NC. PUB DATE 1996-00-00 NOTE 95p.; For the annual volumes of this series for the period 1995-1999, see CS 501 172-176. PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) -- Opinion Papers (120) Reports Research (143) JOURNAL CIT Carolinas Speech Communication annual; v12 1996 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Case Studies; Communication Research; *Critical Thinking; Higher Education; *Rhetoric; Scholarship; *Speech Communication IDENTIFIERS Narrative Theory; Rhetorical Strategies ABSTRACT This 1996 issue of the "Carolinas Speech Communication Annual" contains the following articles: "Rhetoric in the Second Sophistic, Medieval, and Renaissance Periods: Implications for Pedagogy" (Omar J. Swartz and Chris Bachelder); "Thou Art Damned: Cursing as a Rhetorical Strategy of the Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials" (Colleen E. Kelley); "Multiple Measures of Critical Thinking Skills and Predisposition in Assessment of Critical Thinking" (William E. Hanks and Karin-Leigh Spicer); "A View from Within: A Case Study of Organizational Narrative Behavior" (Patricia A. Cutspec); and "Exploring Narrative Agreement:.A Potential Site for Constructing Harmony from Diversity" (Daniel D. Gross and Stephen L. Coffman) . (NKA) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) document has been reproduced as This received from the person or organization THE CAROLINAS SPEECH originating it. COMMUNICATION ANNUAL Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Published By The Carolinas Speech Communication Association rn N tHETORIC IN THE SECOND SOPHISTIC, MEDIEVAL, iND RENAISSANCE PERIODS: IMPLICATIONS FOR f4 PEDAGOGY Omar J. Swartz and Chris Bache lder THOU ART DAMNED: CURSING AS A RHETORICAL STRATEGY OF THE ACCUSERS IN THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS Colleen E. Kelley MULTIPLE MEASURES OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND PREDISPOSITION IN ASSESSMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING William E. Hanks and Karin-Leigh Spicer A VIEW FROM WITHIN: A CASE STUDY OF ORGANIZATIONAL NARRATIVE BEHAVIOR Patricia A. Cutspec EXPLORING NARRATIVE AGREEMENT: A POTENTIAL SITE FOR CONSTRUCTING HARMONY FROM DIVERSITY Daniel D. Gross and Stephen L. Coffman PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY 1996 Volume XII R r rIAA Lt) TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) THE CAROLINAS SPEECH COMMUNICATION ANNUAL Volume XII 1996 CONTENTS RHETORIC IN THE SECOND SOPHISTIC, MEDIEVAL, AND RENAISSANCE PERIODS: IMPLICATIONS FOR PEDAGOGY Omar J. Swartz and Chris Bachelder 3 THOU ART DAMNED: CURSING AS A RHETORICALSTRATEGY OF THE ACCUSERS INTHE SALEMWITCH TRIALS Colleen E. Kelley 18 MULTIPLE MEASURES OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND PREDISPOSITION IN ASSESSMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING William E. Hanks and Karin-Leigh Spicer 39 A VIEW FROM WITHIN: A CASE STUDY OF ORGANIZATIONAL NARRATIVE BEHAVIOR Patricia A. Cutspec 53 EXPLORING NARRATIVE AGREEMENT: A POTENTIALSITE FOR CONSTRUCTING HARMONY FROM DIVERSITY Daniel D. Gross and Stephen L. Coffman 73 3 1 THE CAROLINAS SPEECH COMMUNICATION ANNUAL Editor Bruce C. McKinney University of North Carolina at Wilmington Associate Editors Janice W. Anderson--S .U.N.Y. New Paltz Deborah Brunson--University of North Carolina at Wilmington Myrna Foster-Kuehn--Clarion University of Pennsylvania Rex. M. Fuller--James Madison University Peter M. Kellet--University of North Carolina at Greensboro Lynne Kelly--University of Hartford Richard W. Leeman--University of North Carolina at Charlotte Tony M. Lentz--The Pennsylvania State University Stephen J. Pullum--University of North Carolina at Wilmington Lloyd E. Rohler--University of North Carolina at Wilmington Carole E. Tallant--University of North Carolina at Wilmington Frank P. Trimble--University of North Carolina at Wilmington Steven M. Weiss--Northern Kentucky University CALL FOR PAPERS The editor invites article submissions for the 1997 issue of The Please submit two Carolinas Speech Communication Annual. printed copies of the article with a detachable cover sheet and a 3.5 IBM disk with any version of WordPerfect. Articles may be 4,000 no longer than 4,000 words. Articles submitted longer than words will be returned to the author(s). APA or MLA styles are both acceptable. Send articles and disks to Bruce C. McKinney, University of North Department of Communication Studies, Carolina at Wilmington, 601 So. College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403-3297. 2 RHETORIC IN THE SECOND SOPHISTIC, MEDIEVAL, AND RENAISSANCE PERIODS: IMPLICATIONS FOR PEDAGOGY Omar J. Swartz and Chris Bachelder An important lesson for students of rhetorical theory and history is the idea that broad concepts such as truth, knowledge, rhetoric and persuasion are not stable, ahistorical, absolute entities; these concepts are historically emergent and socially rather, One way that teachers of rhetoric can help students negotiated. understand the dynamic, evolutionary trend of these umbrella terms is to focus attention on the historical fluctuation of the concept of techne in the art of persuasion. Techne is not a specific normative body of knowledge; rather, it is a power, a set of transferable, adaptable strategies of persuasion that are contingent upon context and are subject revision and redefinition. to theories of rhetorical Historically, are designed techne to demarcate a structure of human invention as an heuristic; techne, therefore, is associated with human agency and artistic endeavor, as opposed to necessity, force, and chance (Atwill 719). Contrary to the popular view of techne as the "mere" presentation of persuasive discourse, techne is best conceived of as generative and dynamic. By studying the techne in various historical contexts, students can gain insight into the relationship between effective persuasion and overarching views of knowledge, truth, and the nature and function of rhetoric. This essay provides a limited overview of the flux of techne in rhetorical works of the Second Sophistic, Medieval, and Renaissance periods. In so doing, it offers a possible model for teachers of rhetoric who wish to emphasize the ways in which the act of persuasion has been conceived and reconceived throughout history. In particular, this essay explores the relative values of art, practice, imitation, and talent- -four significant aspects of techne -in the educational development of the rhetor, as portrayed in each of these three major periods in rhetorical history. SECOND SOPHISTIC PERIOD the Second Sophistic, During are two major there in developments rhetorical theory: the concern with and valorization of matters of style, and the integration of pagan rhetorical perspectives within the Christian church (see Kennedy, Classical Rhetoric Bizzell 37-40; Herzberg and 34-36). (On Ideas of Style), Hermogenes Dionysius of Halicarnassus (On Composition) (On the Sublime) and Longinus exemplify the first development (Kennedy 112), while Saint Augustine exemplifies the second (Bizzell and Herzberg 383). Style and Imitation The texts that valorize style, such as those mentioned above, share three primary characteristics. First, style is addressed as the central concern of discourse. Second, the rhetor is instructed primarily in the analysis of a text, and thus hermeneutics is favored over invention. In other words, the techne offered by Second Sophistic authors deemphasizes strategies for constructing a text and instead emphasizes interpretation. Third, texts from this period place great value on imitation as a pedagogical methodology of advanced education. Hermogenes' Progymnasmata (Elementary Exercises) is illustrative of this genre that emphasizes the use of imitation in education. In the typical Progymnasmata, students are instructed to study exemplary prose from the established literary canon and then to create their own composition or oratory based on these paradigmatic texts (Kennedy, Greek Rhetoric 54-70). On this point, however, the following distinctions must be made: while techne, often involving imitation, is not itself reducible to imitation, as delineated by the treatises of the Second Sophistic. On the contrary, during this period, imitation is treated as pedagogy, and thus distinct from techne. Imitation is an inartistic strategy (used to teach and learn rhetorical skills) that must be distinguished from which is an heuristic. is a distinct techne, In short, techne pedagogical methodology for constructing texts that is the core of rhetorical education during the Second Sophistic and subsequent Practice, like imitation is yet another form of pedagogy periods. 4 that complements the study of techne. In general, rhetorical training in the Second Sophistic is characterized. by these three modes of instruction (imitation, practice, and techne). In the Progymnasmata, practice is linked to imitation, rather than to invention, and both practice and imitation represent a less artistic form than techne. This decline in rhetorical invention parallels the decline in civic and philosophical rhetoric in the Roman republic, in which politically motivated rhetoric was subject to Imperial censorship (Bizzell and Herzberg 33-34). As Bizzell and Herzberg write, Participants in the Second Sophistic shared with the earliest Greek Sophists an interest in etymologies, grammar, and the power of stylistic variety and abundance, with the striking difference that the Second Sophists could have of none their predecessors' pretensions of using this knowledge in the service of important social and political ends (34). However, with the rise of Christianity, techne is embraced by Christian rhetoricians, and it is used in the service of the church. A tension thus arises between Christianity and classical concepts of rhetoric" (see Murphy, "Saint Augustine"). Christianity and Rhetoric The second major development during the Second Sophistic is the adoption and revision of Classical pagan rhetorics by Christian rhetoricians. As the Roman Empire declined in power and influence, Christianity began to spread and exert to considerable social and cultural influence (Bizzell and Herzberg 367-68). With Christianity came the predominant faith in a divine Truth controlling human destiny, and this faith left little room for the tenet of probability, a crucial aspect of traditional rhetoric. As James J. Murphy asserts, "Saint in Augustine and the Christianization of Rhetoric," a tension thus emerges between the Christian belief in transcendent truth and the classical systems of rhetorical invention. James Kinneavy explores this tension and documents the interaction between a priori truth and rhetorical probability. As Kinneavy explains, in Greek Rhetorical Origins of Christian Faith, the central concept of Christianity, "faith," is related to the Greek term "pistis," which means persuasion or probability. Pistis is first given tecnical treatment in Aristotle's Tekhne rhetorike (On Rhetoric), in which it denoted "the means of persuasion." For Aristotle, there are two means of persuasion, artistic (entechnic) and nonartistic (atechnic) (37-47; 108-18). Kinneavy explains that, for Aristotle, the ethical pistis, pathetic pistis, and logical pistis are the elements of communicative interaction; further, Kinneavy discovers a "common semantic base" between the two kinds of Aristotelian pistis and Christianity. As he explains: One prima facie bit of evidence that suggests a semantic similarity between the notion of faith and the of notion persuasion the is common etymological origin of the two terms in Greek. The verb for "to believe" in Greek is pisteuein . . . . The usual verb for "to persuade" in Greek is peithein. Etymologically, pisteuein derives from an early form of the root of the verb peithein In . . . . other words, in historical Greek "to believe" was semantically related to "to persuade. " (48) Specifically, when the "Word of God" is viewed as a verbal message conveyed to assenting human beings, Kinneavy argues that, "in faith," a Christian auditor is "persuaded" to accept a Christian epistemology. The word "faith," therefore, carries with it connotations of probability. In order to explain this connection, Kinneavy hypothesizes that the cultural connection between the Christian concept of "faith" and the pagan concept of pistis must have been carried out in the epheba and the gymnasium, Greek educational systems that included rhetorical instruction (73-80). Such connections between pagan rhetorical culture and Christian Platonic culture contributed to the debate among educated Christians in Rome about whether or not to accept pagan rhetorical theory (see Murphy, Rhetoric in the Middle Ages, chapter two). Simply stated, the classical (pagan) formulation of techne and 8 6 practice tends to emphasize human agency in inventing arguments and persuading others. This is clearly illustrated in Isocrates' Antidosis: because there has been implanted in us the . . . power to persuade each other and to make clear to each other whatever we desire, not only have we escaped the life of wild beasts, but we have come together and founded cities and made laws and invented arts; and, generally speaking, there is no institution devised by man which the power of speech has not helped us to establish With . . . . this faculty we both contend against others on matters which are open to dispute and seek light for ourselves on things which are unknown (50) . . . . In contrast, when rhetorical aptitude is conceived to be derived from imitation and talent, rather than human rhetorical invention, the art of persuasion appears divine in origin, and thus consistent with Christian faith. The Christian position, briefly stated, is that God grants the skill of oratory through inspiration and the gift of talent, and that the Christian rhetor can achieve eloquence by studying and imitating the Bible. For Christian orators and rhetoricians, a key issue involves the acquisition or origin of eloquence: is eloquence of divine origin or can it be learned for the practice of preaching and the cultivation of human souls? Furthermore, can the art of rhetoric be utilized for preaching? Does such an art falsify or deny God, or can it help communicate and disseminate God's message? For answers to these questions, it is important to turn to Augustine. Augustine and the Christian Rhetor Augustine gives considerable attention to the relationship between art, practice, imitation, and talent, and he explicitly treats the subject of instruction in his work. In the prologue of De doctrinia Christiana (On Christian Doctrine), for example, Augustine acknowledges a role for techne in Christian discourse. He explains, "There are certain precepts for treating the scriptures which I think may not be inconveniently transmitted to students, so that they may profit not only from reading the work of expositors but also in their own explanations of the sacred writings to others" (3). Thus, in his treatise, Augustine concerns himself primarily with the principles of interpretation. He also recognizes that there is a rule-governed art of rhetoric, though he initially refuses to delineate these rules and implicitly directs the reader to Cicero. However, by the fourth book of On Christian Doctrine, Augustine alters his position and provides an explicitly Christian treatment of rhetoric (see Bizzell and Herzberg 382-85). Augustine's basic perspective, advanced in On Christian Doctrine, is that orators and preachers can successfully accomplish their work without rhetorical training and can rely instead on divine inspiration, especially if they clearly communicate God's word. He writes, "The speaker should not consider the eloquence of his teaching but the clarity of it" (133). In fact, Augustine prefers this reliance on providence to rigid adherence to classical rules of oratory and eloquence. In Book IV, he writes, "For a man speaks more or less wisely to the extent that he has become more or less proficient in the Holy Scriptures" (122). However, Augustine does not completely reject rhetoric; he recognizes that techne, art the of or principles rhetoric, can help the orator/preacher to be more successful in the salvation of souls: "While the faculty of eloquence, which is of great value in urging either evil or justice, is in itself indifferent, why should it not be obtained for the uses of the good in the service of truth .? (118- . . He argues that while Truth exists beyond the realm of 19). techne, and that people can worship and communicate God's will without techne, human beings are in fact dependent upon language and that "they have learned at least the alphabet from men" (4). In the prologue to On Christian Doctrine, Augustine anticipates later arguments that defend rhetoric, as well as those that express reservations about a Christian rhetoric. He argues that techne is useful to the Christian orator, but only in the service of divine inspiration. For instance, techne is, for Augustine, a hermeneutical tool used both to understand the lessons of the Bible and to communicate that understanding clearly to an audience. Similar to other rhetoricians in the Second Sophistic, Augustine conceives of techne as a set of critical interpretive strategies used