PREPARATION FOR THE CCR VIDEO CONFERENCE
ÖREBRO UNIVERSITY, SWEDEN & STANFORD UNIVERSITY, USA
To PREPARE: Please review the speeches assigned to your group prior to the video conference and
consider the focus questions below. (You only need review the speeches of your group, not all of them.).
It is strongly suggested that you read the focus questions first, then, as you listen to the speeches, jot
down a few notes to help foster group analysis and discussions during the video conference.
Note: Feel free to come with any additional videos you want to share or questions you want to
ask – this is a chance for you to exchange ideas with students from across the globe!!
Focus questions to consider as you review the speech of your small group:
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Think about rhetorical situation: persona, audience, context.
o How does he/she embody the persona of a leader in the use of oral rhetoric as well as in
physical appearance, gesture, voice, etc? Does the speaker strategies such as example,
comparison/contrast, definition, cause and effect in making his/her argument? How do
factors such as the ethnicity, gender and religion of the persona shape the rhetoric of this
leader in terms of language, stories, metaphors, or even assumptions?
o What rhetorical strategies does the speaker use to address a specific audience (appeals to
ethos, pathos, logos, kairos) in his/her speech? (Does the speaker use repetition of words
or ideas that will resonate with the audience? Dramatic pauses or emphasis? Does s/he
speak plainly or use ornate language?) How does the context effect the speech?

Think about cultural values: How does the speech reflect or construct cultural values or doxa?
Through what word choice, allusions, jokes, historical references? How might other audiences
respond to these parts of the speech? How do the speaker’s choices help shape cultural values as
well (through nomos – imposing new cultural values on an audience). What is the speaker
hoping to convey that is a new vision or idea for this audience?
PREPARATION FOR THE CCR VIDEO CONFERENCE
ÖREBRO UNIVERSITY, SWEDEN & STANFORD UNIVERSITY, USA
GROUP A: Leadership and Cultural Identity: New Governmental Officials call on the people
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Barack Obama, A New Foundation for Growth. March 17, 2009.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8QVg2TWLo8
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, February 27, 2008
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A5m70lPauI
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgd-k7jbla4
Obama Speaks in Cairo, Egypt
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEXioD7pjAg
Group B. Religious Worldviews and Political Controversies.
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Dalai Lama, Address to the European Parliament, December 4, 2008
o Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SwxXKBfD04;
Christopher Hitchens on Religion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD0B-X9LJjs
Obama on Religion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Kh-xzerjE
Group C. Gender and Politics
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Mona Sahlin, Leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYoOxWHEdXc
Nyamko Sabuni, Swedish Minister for Integration and Gender Equality, held at the European Parliament
Assembly, October 2, 2008:
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxNVxD79ysk
Hilary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vcmbp9upRI
Group D. Focus on Climate Change: Unexpected use of rhetoric
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Al Gore's new presentation at TED, using religious comparison
o http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/al_gore_s_new_thinking_on_the_climate_crisis.htm

David Keith, Environmental scientist on no Global Governance, Scientists as subculture
o http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/david_keith_s_surprising_ideas_on_climate_change.html
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Jill Sobule, A happy song about global warming, “Manhattan in January.” Humos
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http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jill_sobule_sings_to_al_gore.html