Oradea, Romania, 21-22 September 2012
The Second International Conference on Argumentation and Rhetoric aims to explore all the possible angles given in an interdisciplinary approach to matters of argumentation and rhetoric. It is needless to say how important these topics have become over the turbulent times of recent changes in economy, politics, geopolitics, education, culture, clash of cultures, communication, media, art, and public space. We take all signs of a crisis as a productive challenge and try to follow the occurring paradigm shifts by carefully analyzing the fields that offer an opportunity to build up a flexible and functional vocabulary and methodology that prove to be as adequate as possible to the dynamic of changes. The conference offers a platform not only for both theoretical and practical approaches, but also to those works that reject the validity of such a distinction. Papers, talks and participation from all related fields are welcome!
Keynote speakers:
- Frans VAN EEMEREN, University of Amsterdam
- MARGITAY Tihamér, Budapest University of Technology and Economics
- Mircea DUMITRU, University of Bucharest
- Thomas A. SZLEZÁK, University of Tübingen
Parallel Sections. For a more refined access to investigative approaches we divided the main field into five different panels with the following topics:
1. Argumentation
- argumentation theory vs. theory of argument
- argumentation practice vs. practical argumentation
- normative, empirical or conceptual dimensions
- the theory of argument as the study of argumentation products
- practical argumentation within a given discourse genre
2. Political Rhetoric
- political conceptions and their relation to fundamental metaphors and narratives
- the distinguishing power of different appeals and figurative formulations
- the role of rhetoric in the production of collective socio-political judgment
- rhetoric as an act of engaged cultural critique
- both national and European level discourses and their interactions and mediation of languages, histories, cultures, symbols and myths
3. Rhetoric and Aesthetics
- rhetoric as the art of public discourse
- the art of persuasion and reasoning
- rhetoric and reflection
- rhetoric and its medial and plural role in conveyance and reception
4. Online Rhetoric
- the double shift in public discourse (participation opportunities enabled by information and communication technologies/digital divides across communities)
- democratization of speech and the new communicative behaviours created by it (ritual deliberation)
- subversive or manipulative recombination of old, offline narratives in a multimediatic environment
- rhetoric participation of fringe groups/mainline discursive communities
- social actors challenged by the new medium in terms of persuasion culture
5. Educational Debate
- teaching argumentation and rhetoric to educate and empower citizens
- using debate as a pedagogical method, the role of critical thinking in education
- heuristic value of debate
- formal and ethical issues of debate
- political debate
- debate formats, debate clubs and debate competitions, judging debates
- impact of debate on participants
The language of the conference is English.
Submission. Abstracts for papers of about 250 words, keywords, author’s affiliation and email address should be uploaded online accessing this registration form by March 14, 2012.
Registration fee. The early bird conference fee is 120 EUR, late registration fee (no later that 15th of August 2012) is 140 EUR. The registration fee includes the conference bag, publication of the book of abstracts and papers sent in time in the peer reviewed Conference Proceedings. Meals and refreshments are offered by the organizers for the registered participants. Participants are kindly asked to cover their accommodation and travel expenses themselves.
Publication. Full papers, submitted no later than June 1, 2012, will appear in the Conference proceedings.
Contact. Please check periodically the conference website for news or send inquiries to argumentor2012@gmail.com.
Argumentor blog: http://argumentor.wordpress.com/
