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Sustainability science calls for new methodologies and collaborations that go beyond disciplinary boundaries. This points to a new role for sustainability science communication. Here, we explore how science communication can employ aesthetic formats (e.g., storytelling, performance, artistic installations) to promote transdisciplinary collaborations. We conducted a series of experiments in a master-level science communication course at the University of Copenhagen, engaging students, practitioners and researchers in experimental collaborations and qualitative data collection. Through thematic analysis of classroom observations and interviews, five elements of transdisciplinarity emerged: Acknowledgement of disciplinary identities, negotiation of diverse vocabularies, disruption of hierarchical structures, experience of novel insights and evident learning processes among participants. These moments challenged direct observation but became discernible through post hoc analysis. We suggest they constitute a sequence that together describes a transdisciplinary moment. We thus conclude that the aesthetic formats we employed were instrumental in disrupting conventional boundaries and enhancing collaboration across disciplines. However, we also acknowledge the complexities of achieving transdisciplinary moments and emphasize the importance of reflective practice.

English abstract: With this thesis I seek to give a better understanding of a defendant’s possibilities of strengthening their ethos in a trial. There are many different aspects that influences a defendant’s ethos and credibility, but the rhetorical aspect of a courtroom is undoubtedly one of the most significant ones. The courtrooms norms, which to some extent bears a distinct stamp of theatricality, is here understood as a significant part in this too. In extension of this I also investigate how the defendants often are given an initial ethos that both are partly formed and exploited by the prosecuting authorities, mostly through their narrative constructions. By looking into this matter from a rhetorical view, with a focus on the courtroom norms, we can see how and why defendants sometimes struggle to make themselves understood in court. In this thesis I mainly focus on two cases: “Orderud” and “Moen”. Both are famous murder cases in Norway, where both has been under a lot of media pressure, and moreover has been objects of criticism for the danger of “miscarriage of justice”. This thesis does not however aim to take a position on the question of quilt, since their ethos is relevant regardless of the degree of guilt. Both cases are examples of issues related to the lack of evidence, making the prosecution force the focus over to the defendant’s personalities and make the court measure the defendant’s credibility by their weakened ethos instead. By analyzing how this works out in court we can see that the court’s norms are more susceptible to the prosecution’s use of rhetorical forms of expression than what they are to the defense’s use of the same. I will argue that the courtroom norms often put the defendant in danger by not giving them a sufficient amount of possibility to rebuild their ethos, and by that their legal certainty, especially if the case is under remarkable press from the outside. From what this thesis have discovered I will furtherm

English abstract: This master thesis presents a rhetorical analysis of the public debate in Denmark concerning Israel and Palestine, following Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023 and the following Israeli invasion in Gaza. The research explores the Danish media landscape, political discourse, and activist narratives to uncover how polarization occurs and is sustained in public conversations about this highly contentious issue. By examining rhetorical strategies such as style, discursive constructs and protests employed by various stakeholders — including journalists, politicians and activists — this study explores how polarization manifests as a process in public discourse. Utilizing a critical rhetorical approach and drawing on both close-reading methods and ethnographic field methods, the project identifies key patterns in how media representations and activist rhetoric either amplify or challenge dominant discourses, often leading to heightened conflict rather than mutual understanding. The study also considers the implications of its’ critical rhetorical approach and furthermore discusses how to understand polarization and dissent as a democratic, engaging process that can further public understanding. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of polarization as a dynamic process in rhetorical contexts, examining not only its divisive effects but also its potential to foster different forms of democratic engagement and social mobilization. In relation to this, we ask for further investigation how rhetorical genre studies can expand and guide our understanding of polarization in a historical and transnational perspective.

English abstract: This master thesis is a rhetorical study of three opening monologues in the Oscar shows, and what functions they and the hosts presenting them serve. The thesis also seeks to discuss, how the opening monologues represent the values of Hollywood. The three monologues, that serve as the analysis subjects of this paper, are the 2014 opening of the 86th Oscars by Ellen DeGeneres, the 2016 opening of the 88th Oscars by Chris Rock, and the 2023 opening of the 95th Oscars by Jimmy Kimmel. The thesis is methodological grounded in the close reading tradition, as described by Stefan Iversen and Lisa Villadsen, and has the protocol analysis as a supplement that challenges and offers a frame of reference to the analysis. The analysis in the thesis is among others based on John C. Meyer and Mette Møllers work on the functions of humor and on James C. McCroskey and Dale L. Sullivans work on ethos and ethos in the epideictic genre. The analysis shows that the opening monologues serve several different functions throughout the span of the monologues. The functions at stake depend on the context of the previous year, although, the thesis concludes that several patterns in the monologues are recurrent in all three and serve as a general assumption about the genre. These patterns include amongst others, that the hosts and the academy are intertwined in a complex relationship, where they both are the main actor, but the hosts become the spokespersons of the academy’s agenda. Another pattern that is recurrent, is the act of introduction, which is both used as model and rhythm for the monologue, and as a way of creating identification between the audience in the theater and the ones at home behind their screens.

English abstract: This thesis examines the signifigance of gendered vocal cues in the attribution of ethos in voices. Drawing upon the masculinity hypothesis and arousal hypothesis as delinated in Alice Zoghaib (2019) it investigates the complex interplay between dynamic and static vocal cues of the voice and their relation to gender, gendered cues in the attribution of ethos. The masculinity hypothesis suggests that voices perceived as low, dull, and smooth are associated with more masculine traits, enhancing perceptions of competence and attitude towards the speaker but decreasing warmth, regardless of the speaker's gender. Conversely, the arousal hypothesis posits that high, bright, and rough voices generate more energy and therefore similarly affecting perceptions of competence and attitude but also reducing warmth. Furthermore it integrates and build upon the results of Vestgård Sørensen (2010). Utilizing a combination of empirical data gathered through focus group discussions and theoretical analysis this thesis highlight how ethos based on the sound of voices are influenced by both vocal qualities and gendered expectations. Additionally it suggests that static cues are not adequate to describe this proces. The findings underscore the nuanced ways in which voice contributes to rhetorical effectiveness and the perpetuation of gender stereotypes in communication contexts.

By tracing the rhetorical ecology of an iconic protest logo created in Denmark in 1975, this article sheds light on an important part of the rhetoric of the Danish (and global) anti-nuclear power movement and how it continues to influence collective life in unpredictable and contradictory ways. Initially, the logo created a sense of community amongst anti-nuclear power activists. It was a powerful recruitment and fundraising tool, now it circulates as nostalgia, sparking both solidarity and alienation. The article builds on interviews with members of the Danish anti-nuclear power movement and a group of Danish youth today, including the founder of a current pro-nuclear power group. It relies on theories of rhetorical agency and ecology that have pinpointed the unpredictability and interconnectedness of rhetoric, and reminds us, further, of rhetoric’s potential endurance., By tracing the rhetorical ecology of an iconic protest logo created in Denmark in 1975, this article sheds light on an important part of the rhetoric of the Danish (and global) anti-nuclear power movement and how it continues to influence collective life in unpredictable and contradictory ways. Initially, the logo created a sense of community amongst anti-nuclear power activists. It was a powerful recruitment and fundraising tool, now it circulates as nostalgia, sparking both solidarity and alienation. The article builds on interviews with members of the Danish anti-nuclear power movement and a group of Danish youth today, including the founder of a current pro-nuclear power group. It relies on theories of rhetorical agency and ecology that have pinpointed the unpredictability and interconnectedness of rhetoric, and reminds us, further, of rhetoric’s potential endurance.

Hvis nogen gør noget, som Hitler eller nazisterne gjorde, må de også være onde. Argumentet skaber opmærksomhed, men løfter det debatten?

Introduction to special issue "To Move the Social: Rhetorical Perspectives on Activism in the Nordic Region"

“The Bridge builders – Center for dialogue coffee” (in Danish Brobyggerne – center for dialogkaffe), established in 2016, is a Danish organization dedicated to “strengthening democratic conversation in Denmark” based on the understanding that Danish society (as many other societies globally) is politically and affectively polarized to a degree that limits democratic conversation and progress. One of the Bridge builders’ various initiatives is a bridge building training program, where participants are guided to carry out their own “bridge building” activity after two weekends of seminars and workshops. In this chapter I describe and discuss the training program as a form of rhetorical citizenship (Kock and Villadsen, 2015) designed especially for a politically polarized society. First, I introduce the organization “The Bridge builders”, their foundation, stated values, purposes and initiatives. Following this I describe the training program through readings of the organization’s written materials and through fieldwork done at the seminars including interviews with two participants. I then present the theoretical framework that informs the presentation and discussion, namely the concept of rhetorical citizenship (Kock and Villadsen, 2015). I finally point out which aspects of the training program might meaningfully be placed under a heading of rhetorical citizenship, and which might not. The chapter thereby offers a rhetorical lens on the training program and ideas for how this and other educational programs designed to improve democratic conversation for the current political moment might place themselves within a rhetorical tradition and where else they might find useful perspectives and inspiration., This article describes, discusses and evaluates Danish organization The Bridge Builders’ training program “The Bridge Builder education” as a form of propaedeutic rhetorical citizenship (Villadsen, 2019) designed especially for a politically polarized society. The Bridge Builders, established by opinion maker, author, former member of the Danish parliament, Özlem Cekic, aims at strengthening the democratic dialogue in Denmark and one of their newest activities is “The Bridge Builder education”, which will tour Denmark in 2022 and train participants to communicate better with people with whom they disagree deeply. The participants will be trained in basic rhetorical theory (e.g. argumentation (Kock 2013) and the topics (Pontoppidan, Gabrielsen & Jønch-Clausen, (2010)) and basic conflict mediation techniques and will be presented with Cekic’ personal experiences of meeting with people who have sent her hateful messages (see Cekic 2018). Based on the training the participants will be supervised to plan and carry out their own difficult dialogues with people they hold disagreements with. First training takes place in January and this article will investigate and evaluate the process through readings of the teaching material, interviews with organizers and participants, as well as through a participatory lens as the author of the article contributes to the training program with a shorter section on rhetorical argumentation.

500 ord er blevet tilføjet Den Danske Ordbog i 2021. Et af dem er adjektivet “woke”, et flertydigt ord med en interessant historie og en ærgerlig udvikling. Et ord der udspringer af afrikansk-amerikansk sprogbrug og livserfaringer og som oprindeligt blev brugt som solidarisk opråb og som nu fungerer som skældsord i dansk offentlig debat. Her skal vi se nærmere på hvor det kommer fra, hvilken rolle det spiller i de danske debatsider og hvad det kan sige os om dansk offentlig debat i dag.

Retorik og metode handler om de måder, hvorpå man undersøger retorisk kommunikation. Vores fælles samtaler forandrer sig hastigt i disse år, og den stigende kompleksitet kalder på nye, tidssvarende tilgange. Retorik og metode består af 12 kapitler, der hver præsenterer og diskuterer en aktuel metode. Blandt de metoder, der behandles, er digital tekstanalyse, tænkehøjt-læsning, interviewstudier, aktionsforskning, etnografisk feltarbejde, digital issue mapping og nærlæsning. Kapitlerne placerer metoden historisk, fremlægger dens vigtigste antagelser og greb og anvender den til at undersøge et nyere materiale. Retorik og metode er skrevet af skandinaviske retorikforskere og giver læseren en samlet fremstilling af metoder til arbejdet med retorisk kommunikation.

Nærlæsning er den form for retorisk kritik, der går tættest på sin analysegenstand. I en nærlæsning studerer kritikeren en retorisk ytring – typisk en tekst – nøje for at forstå dens udtryk som en kompleks helhed i en bestemt kontekst. I nærlæsning er analyseteksten omdrejningspunktet, og opmærksomheden på detaljer gør analysen interessant at læse og tilfredsstillende at udføre. Den amerikanske kritiker Stephen Howard Browne har formuleret fire antagelser, som nærlæsning baserer sig på (Browne 2009): Den første antagelse – “rhetorical texts are sites of symbolic action” (ibid.: 64) – fremhæver opfattelsen af tekster som rumlige fænomener med udstrækning i tid, og at tekster handler med og via sprog. Den anden – “form and content cannot be divorced” (ibid.: 64) – fastholder samhørigheden mellem en teksts udsagn (ide, argument, pointe) og dens udformning (komposition, stil osv.). Den tredje antagelse – “text informs context, and vice versa” (ibid.: 65) – udpeger et distinktivt træk for en retorisk nærlæsning, nemlig dens dobbelte blik på tekst og kontekst samt på forholdet mellem dem. Den fjerde – “rhetorical texts exhibit artistic density” (ibid.: 66) – peger på, at en nærlæsning har særlig opmærksomhed på en retorisk teksts æstetiske kvaliteter og betragter den som en slags kunstværk. I dette kapitel udfolder vi disse antagelser, beskriver nærlæsningens særkender og viser, hvordan den kan bruges i arbejdet med en nutidig dansk tale. Til sidst diskuterer vi metodens styrker og svagheder.

Hvordan skaber man et gunstigt og trygt rum for undervisning i at holde taler? Her får du en introduktion til at lave et taleværksted, der kommer hele vejen rundt om diciplinen, som nogle elsker og andre frygter.

Hvem drømmer ikke om at holde en sjov tale, der underholder tilhørerne og får dem til at klappe og grine? Her får du nogle tips og tricks til, hvordan du kan bruge humor i taler. Men husk, at humor skal bruges med omtanke og ikke bare som et mål i sig selv.

In 2010 the Danish artist Søren Thilo Funder was in Cairo to produce the art film Disastrous Dialogue. As Funder set to work he had a foreboding about how politically charged the piece might be. When he cut the film, however, events had exceeded his most fateful premonitions, reshaping the interpretative context completely. The changes in Egyptian society, thus, altered the possible meaning–agency relations of the finished work. Through a close reading and a conceptually guided criticism of the text–context relationships of Disastrous Dialogue we explore interrelations of meaning and agency through the lens of the concept of plasticity. This leads us to propose a plastic understanding of agency as both formed by and formative of meaningful relationships—and able to creatively destruct and, thereby, transform configurations of meaning.

Artiklen analyserer eksempler på samtidens politiske debat om psykiatri med fokus på at kortlægge psykiatriens retoriske handlekraft. Dernæst præsenteres en retorisk kritik af Milos Formans film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Gøgereden) fra 1975. En af kritikkens pointer er, at film som Gøgereden, der reproducerer antipsykiatriske hjemler i kraft af en særlig brug af metaforer, stadig kan påvirker psykiatriens handlekraft i dag.

Festen i Hyskenstræde som retorisk handling. Et retorisk fællesskab er et fællesskab som fremstår, forestilles og udvikles i retoriske tekster. Disse tekster afslører således hvem der er inkluderet i fællesskabet, og hvem der er ekskluderet. Hvor flere teoretikere har beskæftiget sig med retoriske fællesskabers manglende inklusion, har der været mindre fokus på, hvordan man udstødes fra et retorisk fællesskab. I denne artikel analyseres mediedækningen af en fest, der endte i hærværk i Hyskenstræde i det indre København i maj 2009, og heraf udleder forfatterne tre forskellige retoriske eksklusionstrategier, der fravrister hærværksudøverne mulighederne for at udøve retorisk agency. Forfatterne argumenter for, at der herved skabes et misvisende billede af begivenheden, idet festen bør ses som en fortættet folkelig diskurs, som retoriske handlinger udført af en modoffentlighed. Fremfor at ekskludere afvigende og afstandstagende retoriske handlinger fra det retoriske fællesskab, vil det være mere hensigtsmæssigt at inkludere disse som retoriske – uafhængig af om man i øvrigt finder dem acceptable. Artiklens kritik tager således afsæt et andet sted end retorisk kritik oftest gør, idet dens mål ikke er at vurdere, hvorvidt handlingerne var hensigtsmæssige, men alene argumentere for, at det var retoriske handlinger med motiv og formål.