Rhetoric and Communication Perspectives on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

This book brings rhetorical, legal, and professional communication perspectives to the discourse surrounding policy-making efforts within the United States around two types of violent crimes against women: domestic violence and sexual assault. The authors propose that such analysis adds to our understanding of rhetorical concepts such as kairos, risk perception, moral panic, genre analysis, and identity theory. Overall, the goal is to demonstrate how rhetorical, legal, and professional communication perspectives work together to illuminate public discourse and conflict in such complicated and ongoing dilemmas as how to aid victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and how to manage the offenders of such crimes-social and cultural problems that continue to perplex the legal system and the social environment.

Policy and Protocol Through Discourse: An Introduction

1. Perspectives on Public and Political Controversy: Kairos, Moral Panic, and Risk

2. Disrupting Genres: Influencing Behavior and Belief

3. Othering Within Public Discourse: The Challenges of Power and Communication in Policy Making About a Controversial Group

4. Moving Between Text and Context: The Challenges of Systemic and Cultural Change Regarding Gender and Violence

5. Final Perspectives: The Rhetoric of the Civil Commitment Debate and the Lethality Assessment Protocol