Spring 2021
Volume 12
Welcome to Volume 12 of
Relevant Rhetoric: A New Journal of
Rhetorical Studies.
Staying true to the mission of Relevant Rhetoric, the essays in this volume explore relevant and timely issues, emphasizing sports and politics. Each submission we receive is carefully peer reviewed by members of the Editorial Board. Thank you for your submissions and for your support.
This is the final issue of Relevant Rhetoric: A New Journal of Rhetorical Studies.
Although we will no longer publish the journal, the site will remain active, and all essays published since its inception are available in the Archives. Over the next several months, we will create an archives library that makes the essays published in this journal searchable by topic, author, or publication date. For questions, please contact founding editor Nancy Legge.
Contents of Volume 12
Karen L. Hartman and LeAnne W. Woods, "How Scansis Functions: Lessons From the Houston Astros Sign-Stealing Crisis" --The authors of this paper analyze Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Houston Astros organizational rhetoric and crisis response efforts after the organization was found guilty of cheating throughout the 2017 season. By viewing the crisis as a scansis, a newly conceived type of event that combines elements of a crisis and scandal, this research hopes to further the academic study of scansis, investigate how crisis communication impacts stakeholders after a scansis, and identify practical steps crisis communication practitioners can take in scansis situations. | |
William L. Benoit, "Image Repair of Judge Brett Kavanaugh" --President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh for a seat on the Supreme Court on July 9, 2018. Republicans were excited at the possibility of a conservative majority on the court; not surprisingly Democrats were opposed. Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination provoked a huge storm of controversy. The Judge was accused of sexual misconduct during high school. Kavanaugh gave an interview for Martha MacCallum on September 24. President Trump offered his thoughts on the attacks on Kavanaugh during a press conference. The hearing featuring Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s statement, his responses to questions, and remarks by Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, occurred on September 27. The senate voted to confirm Kavanaugh 50-48 as the 114th Supreme Court justice on October 6, 2018. This essay analyzes the image repair on Kavanaugh by Kavanaugh and others in this case. Strategies employed were denial, bolstering, and attack accusers (the Democrats). | |