Course Description (core course)
This course covers the application of principles of persuasion and compliance focusing on the primary processes that affect the magnitude and manner in which attitudes and behavior are changed. This includes understanding how to construct messages to induce behavior changes, the ability to identify and analyze examples of persuasive communication in corporate and cultural contexts, understanding how audiences resist persuasion and learn techniques for inoculating against resistance. The interplay between audience and communicator characteristics, and message design are also examined.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the primary processes that affect how attitudes and behavior are changed, and how to construct messages that induce these processes.
- Identify and analyze examples of persuasive communication in corporate and cultural contexts.
- Learn why audiences resist persuasion techniques and gain techniques to inoculate against resistance.
- Understand the interplay between audience attitudes and message design.
