CMNS 304W Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Trivium, Rhetoric, Informal Logic

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Communication
• Course: CMNS 304W
• Professor: Milan Singh

Document Summary

Lecture 4, cmns 304w, page 1 of 10. Medieval liberal arts education began with the trivium (literally, the three ways or roads); consisting of grammar, the craft of written language, logic, the craft of reasoning, and rhetoric. the craft of effective communication. Logic: f the greek logos, literally a word, connotes logic as form of speaking and reasoning. Lecture 4, cmns 304w, page 2 of 10. Many of the ancient notions of rhetoric are still relevant: the form of an argument, the power or force of the person making the argument, the context, the expectations created by the rhetor or imposed by the audience. Any one, or any combination of these can constitute a frame for a critical analysis of a text. Lecture 4, cmns 304w, page 3 of 10. Who is the author/rhetor: background, status or rank, biases, education, personal, political, and social agendas, allies and enemies. Lecture 4, cmns 304w, page 4 of 10.