Prerequisite: None

Exam Type: No Exam

Lawyers try to persuade others all the time—judges and juries, regulators, opposing negotiators, policymakers, or community members. In this course, we will explore some selected topics in the art, logic, and ethics of persuasion by focusing on one of the most important practitioners and scholars of persuasion of all times: Marcus Tullius Cicero. We will read and discuss some of Cicero’s speeches and excerpts from his rhetorical treatises, as well as some secondary literature on Cicero’s legal and political world and, more broadly, on rhetoric and argumentation. Grades will be based on class participation and completion of written assignments.

Note: This course will meet for 8, 90-minute sessions; dates TBD.