Rhetoric@Reno invites you to attend “Capitalism, Climate, and Public Discourse: The Limits and Possibilities of Rhetorical Invention,” a one-day symposium held in conjunction with a public lecture by Naomi Klein about her recent book This Changes Everything: Capitalism Versus the Climate. The symposium speakers are comprised of 16 nationally recognized scholars from English, rhetoric, and communication programs from across the country who have worked directly or tangentially on climate or capitalism as well as those who have expertise in movement politics and institutional critique, all themes found in Klein’s book. Using Klein’s book as a common text, four thematically focused panels will discuss 1) the relationship between knowledge production and public policy; 2) social movement strategizing; 3) the critique and construction of alternative institutional spaces; and 4) the relationship between the economy and discursive production. Though each panel will foster important academic debate in particular areas of rhetorical study, the symposium will more broadly address the role of the critical rhetorician as public intellectual and critically explore the ethical responsibilities of the University in knowledge and cultural production.

Panels and Speakers

Rhetoric, Science, and Public Deliberation

• Celeste Condit, Distinguished Research Professor, University of Georgia

• Lawrence Prelli, Professor of Communication, University of New Hampshire

• Leah Ceccarelli, Professor of Communication, University of Washington

• James Wynn, Associate Professor of English, Carnegie Mellon University

Publics, Counterpublics, and Social Activism

• Kevin DeLuca, Professor of Communication, University of Utah

• John Ackerman, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Colorado   

• Daniel Brouwer, Associate Professor of Communication, Arizona State University

• Robert Asen, Professor of Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Rhetoric and Institutional Critiques

• Carl Herndl, Professor and Associate Dean, Patel College of Global Sustainability, University of South Florida   

• David Downing, Professor of English, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

• Nancy Welch, Professor of English, University of Vermont   

• Rosa Eberly, Associate Professor of Communication, Pennsylvania State University   

Rhetoric and Political Economy

• Tom Goodnight, Professor of Communication, University of Southern California

• Ronald Greene, Professor of Communication Studies, University of Minnesota   

• Ralph Cintron, Associate Professor of English, University of Illinois at Chicago

Quick Reference
Dates: February 11-12, 2016
Naomi Klein Public Lecture: Thursday, February 11 Nightingale Auditorium 7pm
Sympoisum: Friday, February 12 Mathewson IGT Knowledge Center Rotunda 8am
Location: University of Nevada, Reno