Research group for rhetoric, democracy and public culture

The research group for rhetoric, democracy and public culture teaches and researches the genres and roles of the media in relation to influence, democracy and public conversation. In short: We examine the rhetoric in the media and the media's rhetoric.

We work with rhetoric in the broadest sense and our research examines media genres (e.g. debate, humour, political advertising, press photography and social media); strategic communication; credibility, trust and ethos; the rhetorical possibilities of the media; gender and identity; reception of rhetoric; visual communication and argumentation; everyday rhetoric and rhetorical citizenship; influencing the public; fraudulent communication as well as political communication.

We are particularly concerned with issues of publicity and democracy. In our work, we weave together traditional humanistic and text analytical methods with sociological and social science perspectives and methods.