Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility [Paperback]

Charles U. Larson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0495567507 | ISBN-13: 978-0495567509 | Publication Date: February 24, 2009 | Edition: 12

Intended for courses in persuasion, propaganda, advertising/marketing, or any course dealing with rhetorical and/or media criticism that takes a consumer approach to advertising, the media, and political persuasion. These courses are offered at four-year schools in departments of speech, speech communication, mass communication, communication studies and/or communication.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Charles Larson received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He began teaching at Northern Illinois University in 1968 and continued there full time until May 2000. He then taught on part-time Emeritus status until 2002. In 2001, Dr. Larson and a former student started a full-service advertising agency, where Dr. Larson now devotes his full time when he's not fishing, hunting, camping, canoeing, gardening, or singing bass for a barbershop group and a choir. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 449 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 12 edition (February 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0495567507
• ISBN-13: 978-0495567509
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably unprofessional, January 31, 2011

By 

Jacki Jinx - See all my reviews

This review is from: Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility (Paperback)

I can not believe, based on how much I needed to spend on this book, that many of the definitions cited in the chapters are from wikipedia. Wikipedia! I can't name a single professor who would accept that on a paper, but somehow, that's perfectly acceptable in the textbook publishing world. And some of the sources aren't even cited at all! And don't get me started on the perspective bias that is in there. One incident of a man who murdered five people was insinuated to be due to a miscommunication/bad persuasion issue, but when I found information outside of the book on the incident, there was no such causation mentioned...and the author had the death count off.

Bottom-line is, although there is certainly useful information in here, but the book is constructed rather poorly, and based upon that alone, it's incredibly hard to trust the text. Certainly not worth the money spent.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Complete waste of time..., July 26, 2010

By 

Ed Williams (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility (Paperback)

The author is so very opinionated about politics that reading it is difficult. In addition the entire book is mostly on how to be a good listener, what to listen for, etc. Only the last few chapters have any reference to how to persuade people and it's very unremarkable information. Suggested my university drop this book from their line-up.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where is the editor?, August 25, 2011

By 

mditty - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility (Paperback)

This book is, as stated in another review, incredibly unprofessional. If I were to present this book as my written work to one of my English professors, they would laugh me off campus for making a claim founded in Wikipedia and then supporting it with more Wikipedia articles. This is not to mention the grammatical and syntax disasters throughout the book. On page 9, the author defines advocacy according to Wikipedia and then says, "Propaganda is a related word that we hear quite often." Who is 'we'? Then, he grounds that claim in Wikipedia! On the same page, he makes reference to two movies that I have never heard of and cites them without documentation telling me how I can find them to ground his argument. Someone clearly needs an APA style manual!

I think that when discussing technology in this book, since it is the 12th edition, they could have cut out 90% of technological media definitions. I feel like he is undermining the reader in telling what these devices are used for.

The style of writing in this text is relatively elementary. The author is constantly opening sections of the texts by telling us what the previous section discussed and what we are going to learn in another chapter.

The author slaps us in the face on page 17 by writing a paragraph beginning, " College students today are urged to take more core subjects and courses in computer technology." He then ends that same paragraph with, " Students are urged to take more core subjects and courses in computer technology at college." For a published text with several editions and editors, I am greatly disappointed in the redundancy and lack of argumentative support for claims.

In chapter 6, the author discuses syntax, adverbs and sentence structure. I feel greatly let down as an English major. You cant discuss half of English sentence structure and then throw in only the parts you feel like, unless you want to confuse someone. But if the person reading the text were smart enough to figure out this chapter, then they feel offended by the repetition throughout the book.