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Persuasion On Trial: An Exercise For Understanding The Benefits Of Studying Persuasion, John S. Seiter, R. H. Gass

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

The study of persuasion is the wellspring of the communication discipline. Nevertheless, in one review, Seiter and Gass (2004) noted that "critics of persuasion seem to emerge and reemerge with some regularity" (p. 2). Although the study of persuasion is generally venerated by those within the field of communication, it is not always viewed so favorably by laypersons, including students who enroll in introductory persuasion courses. Ordinary people often perceive persuasion negatively.