A Presentation of the English Department's William J. and Yvonne Hyde Colloquium Series.
Dr. Haixia Lan, English Department faculty member, will conclude the 2011-2012 William J. and Yvonne Hyde English Department Colloquium Series with a presentation entitled "Enthymeme as Diagrammatic: A Confucian Reading of Aristotle's Rhetoric." Her talk will focus on Confucius' rhetorical thinking based on an interpretation of Aristotle's rhetoric-as-enthymematic. Dr. Lan will discuss three characteristics of this enthymematic or rhetorical thinking: empathetic, appropriate, and heuristic; in Greek epieikeia, kairos, and topoi; and in Chinese ren (仁), yi (義), and li (禮). She will address the idea that rhetorical activities are processes through which people use public forums to deliberate about matters that are of consequence to the community for the purpose of inventing probable knowledge, forming probable judgments, and making probable decisions. Dr. Lan proposes that understanding Confucius' rhetoric this way can shed light on both similarities and differences between the thinking behind the discursive practices—written and oral—we try to teach Chinese students and the discursive practices with which they are familiar. The presentation runs from 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 4th, in 113 Wimberly Hall. The event is free and open to the public. To arrange for disability accommodations, contact [email protected] or call 785-8295.