Assignment:
Review the basic concepts of persuasion discussed in Cialdini (2001) and McLean (2012). Then take a close look at the first few slides of Jernigan (2013) and make sure you are clear on the distinction between argument, persuasion, and propaganda.
Once you have finished reviewing the background materials, think about communication that you receive in your daily life that is intended to sway your attitudes, opinion, or behavior. This could be communication from your employer, YouTube videos, TV advertisements, spam email, and a host of other communication that you are exposed to in your daily life. After reviewing some communication examples, write a 3-page paper addressing the following questions:
1. Describe a communication example that you have seen that is best described as propaganda. In addition to describing the communication, explain why you think this was propaganda rather than argumentation or persuasion. Use the distinctions spelled out by Jernigan (2013) in your answer.
2. Now find a communication example that you think is a good example of argumentation. Describe the example and explain why you think it fits the definition of argumentation described by Jernigan (2013).
3. Last, but definitely not least, find an example of persuasion that you think best fits the definition of Jernigan (2013) as well as exemplifies the concepts of persuasion discussed in Cialdini (2001) or McLean (2012). Explain why you think this communication best fits the definition of persuasion rather than propaganda or argumentation.
Expectations
Follow the assignment instructions closely and follow all steps listed in the instructions.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions, don't go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Make sure to cite readings from the background materials page. Rely primarily on the required background readings as your sources of information.
Include both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 11-14 on in-text citations.