Education
CSSC offers two courses to SSE students. Applied History offers the opportunity to learn about the past from prominent historians in our international network while our Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasion introduces students to the classical rhetorical tradition.
Applied History
CSSC can offer students access to first-rate physical and intellectual environments. Our facilities at Engelsberg are used to host courses. Students will also benefit from CSSC’s cooperation with the University of Cambridge, King’s College London, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Through this collaboration, CSSC can give students opportunities to visit and learn from some of the world’s leading academics.
The course is offered in the spring semester.
Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasion
Our Master’s elective course "Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasion" introduces students to the classical rhetorical tradition, which for centuries has played a crucial part in the training of politicians, public servants, and business people.
The course is divided into three modules:
- The first module presents classical rhetorical theory, focusing on the seminal contributions of Aristotle, Cicero, and similarly influential thinkers.
- In the second module, students analyze history’s most famous and consequential speeches, dealing with events from the colonization of the Americas and the Protestant Reformation to today’s debates over climate change and globalization.
- The third module trains students to communicate persuasively, helping them to apply previously acquired insights in the development of their own speeches and texts. This module features several guest lecturers from prominent speech writers and editorial writers, who help students develop in these areas.
The course is offered during the fall semester.