Southern rhetoric is communication's oldest regional study. During its initial invention, the discipline was founded to justify the study of rhetoric in a field of white male scholars analyzing significant speeches by other white men, yielding research that added to myths of Lost Cause ideology and a uniquely oratorical culture. Reconstructing Southern Rhetoric takes on the much-overdue task of reconstructing the way southern rhetoric has been viewed and critiqued within the communication discipline. The collection reveals that southern rhetoric is fluid and migrates beyond geography, is constructed in weak counterpublic formation against legitimated power, creates a region that is not monolithic, and warrants activism and healing. Contributors to the volume examine such topics as political campaign strategies, memorial and museum experiences, television and music influences, commemoration protests, and ethnographic experiences in the South. The essays cohesively illustrate southern identity as manifested in various contexts and ways, considering what it means to be a part of a region riddled with slavery, Jim Crow laws, and other expressions of racial and cultural hierarchy. Ultimately, the volume initiates a new conversation, asking what would southern rhetorical critique be like if it included the richness of the southern culture from which it came? Contributions by Whitney Jordan Adams, Wendy Atkins-Sayre, Jason Edward Black, Patricia G. Davis, Cassidy D. Ellis, Megan Fitzmaurice, Michael L. Forst, Jeremy R. Grossman, Cynthia P. King, Julia M. Medhurst, Ryan Neville-Shepard, Jonathan M. Smith, Ashli Quesinberry Stokes, Dave Tell, and Carolyn Walcott.

Advanced Public Speaking: Theory and Techniques Based on the Rhetorical Canons provides students with classical and contemporary theory, detailed guidance and techniques, and explorations of various aspects of argumentation related to the development and delivery of a variety of speeches. The book leads students through the five rhetorical canons-invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery-offering them a conceptual overview, followed by an operational framework, and ending with cautions on what to avoid in order to become stronger speakers. This structure provides students with a highly practical model they can use when constructing their own speeches. The text presents a myriad of rhetorical strategies, stylistic devices, and practical examples for students to draw upon, including vital insights for crafting informative, persuasive, argumentative, and storytelling speeches, as well as effective visual presentations. Two appendices feature outline templates for the various ways to organize a speech and a visual depiction of hand gestures to aid students in their delivery and performance. Advanced Public Speaking equips students with the information they need to develop into confident and capable public speakers. The book is an exemplary guide for advanced undergraduate and graduate-level courses in public speaking.