Persuasion in Society - Softcover

Simons, Herbert W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415965144 ISBN 13: 9780415965149

Publisher: Routledge, 2011

Synopsis

Persuasion in Society introduces readers to the rich tapestry of persuasive technique and scholarship, interweaving rhetorical, critical theory, and social science traditions. This text examines current and classical theory through the lens of contemporary culture, encouraging readers to explore the nature of persuasion and to understand its impact in their lives. Employing a contemporary approach, authors Herbert W. Simons and Jean G. Jones draw from popular culture, mass media, and social media to help readers become informed creators and consumers of persuasive messages.

This introductory persuasion text offers:

• A broad-based approach to the scope of persuasion, expanding students’ understanding of what persuasion is and how it is effected

• Insights on the diversity of persuasion in action, through such contexts as advertising, marketing, political campaigns, activism and social movements, and negotiation in social conflicts
• The inclusion of "sender" and "receiver" perspectives, enhancing understanding of persuasion in practice
• Extended treatment of the ethics of persuasion, featuring opposing views on handling controversial issues in the college classroom for enhanced instruction.
• Case studies showing how and why people fall for persuasive messages, demonstrating how persuasion works at a cognitive level

Highlights of this second edition include:

• An extensively revised approach, written with the needs of today’s undergraduate students in mind
• Contemporary examples, selected for relevance, currency, and appeal
• Updated discussions of theory and research, including cognitive psychology and neuroscience
• Current illustrations from advertising, politics, social movements, propaganda, and other sources.

To reinforce the topics covered in each chapter, discussion questions, exercises, and key terms are included. Additional resources are available on the Companion Website (www.routledge.com/textbooks/simons), along with materials for instructors, including supplements for lectures and sample exam questions.

About this title

Review:

"For a number of years, Herb Simons has been one of rhetoric’s most original thinkers and wittiest practitioners. Students and teachers will welcome his new textbook Persuasion in Society. Simons has provided an important and entertaining introduction to one of the key topics of our age."  (Michael Billig)

"Rich in insight and compelling illustration, Simons’s book is both a provocative guide to those who confront problems amenable to persuasion and a theoretically powerful template for scholars and students intent on making sense of the world argument and influence." 

(Kathleen Hall Jamieson)

"Simons et al. has produced one of the most clearly written works on this topic to be found anywhere. Although written as a text for students taking a first course in persuasion, a purpose it serves admirably, this book will also be an engaging introduction to the topic for almost any reader. Among the covered topics are the psychology of persuasion, reasoning and evidence, political campaigns, product advertising, social movements, and ethics. All of these are treated from a perspective that makes them unusually accessible. The reviewer cannot imagine a more clearly presented overview of the subject -- the ways in which it is studied and the ways in which it matters."   (2002-01-30)

About the Author:

Herbert W. Simons taught persuasion and related topics in communication at Temple University from 1960 until his retirement in 2007. He has served as Director of the National Communication Association Forum (NCA-F) and is currently on its Advisory Board. Recipient of the National Communication Association’s Distinguished Scholar Award, he has authored or edited eight books. A frequent media commentator, visiting professor, and guest lecturer, he directed Temple’s London Study Abroad program, lectured at Peking University and at other institutions in China, and served as a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Hong Kong and Jakarta.

Jean G. Jones is professor of communication at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, and has over two decades' experience studying, teaching, and writing about rhetoric and persuasion. Named Edinboro University's "Educator of the Year" in 2006, Jones also has an active life in politics, having run for office and served on her city council. Jones currently serves as president of her local faculty union, where she puts her persuasive skills into practice at the negotiations table, bargaining on behalf of the hundreds of professors and coaches she is elected to represent.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0415965144
• ISBN 13: 9780415965149
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 584