Contemporary public discourse makes an impressive use of emotions: it appeals to fear, expresses indignation, calls for pity. Emotions are present in all the discourses that intend to persuade and exert influence. This course analyzes the ways argumentation appealing to emotions orients ways of thinking and of taking decisions. It also explores the interrelation between reason and emotion. A long tradition gives an exclusive role to logic arguments and sees in the appeal to emotion a source of fallacies. Today, many researchers stress the interconnection between reason and emotion and see in the latter an integral part of the first. They consider that without feelings, it is impossible to achieve a good understanding on the human, moral and social levels. We will examine the delicate balance between reason and passion, and raise the question of manipulation through appeal to feelings. We will examine the question of pathos as theorized from Aristotle to Douglas Walton and will mostly analyze texts borrowed from political discourse and elections, the written press and the social networks., manifest and petitions, literary texts dealing with social issues, etc.
After the introduction courses, guest speakers specialized in discourse analysis and rhetoric will present case studies from the Israeli and the French culture. 
 The students will write a final paper on a case study of their choice (with the approval of the teacher). Each one will have a personal meeting with the teacher during the semester.