UCI Humanities Core 1AS Midterm Vocab Review - WorldBuilding 2024

Rhetorical Situation

The context in which communication occurs, typically including the speaker, audience, message, purpose, and surrounding circumstances

Dialectic

A method of discussion and reasoning through dialogue, used to uncover truths by exploring opposing viewpoints

Binary Opposition

A concept in structuralism where two opposite ideas (like good/evil, light/dark) are seen as fundamental to meaning

Warrants

The underlying assumptions that connect evidence to a claim, often implicit in arguments

Cultural Rhetorics

The study of how cultural contexts and practices influence forms of persuasion and communication

Anthropocene

A proposed geological epoch marking the significant impact of human activity on Earth's ecosystems and geology, especially since the Industrial Revolution

Ambient Rhetoric

The idea that rhetoric exists beyond spoken or written words, influenced by environment, context, and material surroundings

Aesthetics

The study of beauty, art, and taste, especially in the context of perception

Xenia

An ancient Greek concept of hospitality, often involving respect and generosity toward guests

Metaphysics

A branch of philosophy exploring the nature of reality, being, and existence

Ontology

The study of being and what exists, often concerned with categorizing entities and their relationships

Epistemology

The study of knowledge, including its sources, validity, and limits

Ethics

The branch of philosophy focused on morality, exploring concepts of right and wrong, good and bad behavior

Sophists

Ancient Greek teachers who taught rhetoric and philosophy, often focusing on persuasion over absolute truth, which led to their controversial reputation

Ideology

A system of beliefs, values, and ideas that shape how individuals view the world and their place within it

Reification

The process of treating or viewing an abstract concept as a concrete object

Trope

A figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression, often shaping meaning through imagery or association

Information Literacy

The skills and abilities needed to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively

Citational Justice

The practice of giving proper credit to sources and acknowledging voices, especially those marginalized, in academic and creative work

Philogyny

The admiration or love of women, contrasting with misogyny

Brigatta

In The Decameron, the group of storytellers who gather during the Black Death to share tales

Frame Story

A narrative technique where one overarching story sets up and contains multiple smaller stories within it

Diegetic

Refers to elements that are part of the world within a story, such as sounds characters can hear or objects they interact with

Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally, often for effect

Verbal Irony

Saying something opposite to what is meant

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something the characters do not

Situational Irony

When the opposite of what is expected occurs

Medieval concept of the “Wheel of Fortune”

The idea that fate is cyclical and unpredictable, symbolized by a wheel that brings people up or down in fortune

Trebling

A rhetorical or literary technique that uses a sequence of three items for emphasis or rhythm

Fortunate Fall

A paradox in theology and literature where a misfortune (like the biblical Fall) ultimately leads to a greater good

Medieval Theory of Humors

Ancient medieval and medical theory that assume peoples personalities and health are influenced by their bodily desires - assumption that women are less balanced with men in terms of lust

Cuckold

A man or woman whose partner/spouse is sleeping with someone else - Boccaccio’s joke is that Christ approves when Masetto gives pleasure to the nuns

Prelapsarian

Idealized, innocent state of life before “the Fall” or moral lapse of religious belief connected before religious rules or beliefs existed - In Decameron is pre-plague

Postlapsarian

Describes the world after “the Fall” marked by loss and corruption - in Decameron reflects life after the plague where social norms and values are reconsidered or defied