The practice of strategic communication aimed at effective persuasion: in everyday life, in politics, in business, in science.
The theorie of strategic communication, which dates back to ancient Greece and, together with philosophy, represents the oldest systematic theory in European intellectual history.
Science of strategic communication, which is taught at the University of Tübingen at a separate institute with an inter- and transdisciplinary orientation.
The renowned journal Argumentation et Analyse du Discours, edited by Israeli linguist and rhetorician Ruth Amossy, has published a special issue on Tübingen: https://journals.openedition.org/aad/
Guest Lecture with Dr. Zoltan Majdik (North Dakota State University, USA): How AI Systems Argue … and how to study them
October 27, 2026, 18:15 , Brechtbau, Room 119, University of Tübingen
The lecture focuses on the rhetorical tradition and how it can be used to examine AI systems. In his lecture, Dr. Majdik highlights four ways in which this can be done: as an object, as an instrument, as a rhetorician, and as a site of intervention. Based on this, he argues that persuasion and AI systems have less to do with individual persuasive power and more to do with the norms of rhetorical culture itself.
Inside the Machine: How Language Models Work (Compact Course)
October 28/29, 2026, 9:00–17:00 each day, Room -1.04, Doblerstraße 21/1, University of Tübingen
In the compact seminar, participants will explore the fundamentals of artificial intelligence: how LLMs function, how mathematical algorithms generate text, and how training and fine-tuning shape models. Using the knowledge gained, the seminar will then discuss how AI systems are increasingly influencing the way we communicate and interact with one another. In addition, through hands-on exercises, participants will be empowered to experiment with artificial intelligence on their own and to use it to conduct and reflect on their own research.
Successful completion of the seminar earns 3 ECTS credits.
