Persuasion in Society, Third Edition introduces readers to the rich tapestry of persuasive technique and scholarship, interweaving rhetorical, critical theory, and social science traditions. This text examines current and classical theory through the lens of contemporary culture, encouraging readers to explore the nature of persuasion and to understand its impact in their lives. Employing a contemporary approach, authors Jean G. Jones and Herbert W. Simons draw from popular culture, mass media, and social media to help readers become informed creators and consumers of persuasive messages.

This introductory persuasion text offers:

• A broad-based approach to the scope of persuasion, expanding students' understanding of what persuasion is and how it is effected.
• Insights on the diversity of persuasion in action, through such contexts as advertising, marketing, political campaigns, activism and social movements, and negotiation in social conflicts.
• The inclusion of sender and receiver perspectives, enhancing understanding of persuasion in practice.
• Extended treatment of the ethics of persuasion, featuring opposing views on handling controversial issues in the college classroom for enhanced instruction.
• Case studies showing how and why people fall for persuasive messages, demonstrating how persuasion works at a cognitive level.
• Discussion questions, exercises, and key terms for very nearly every chapter.

The core of this book is that persuasion is about winning beliefs and not arguments and that communicators who want to win that belief need to communicate with their audiences. This new edition of Persuasion in Society continues to bring this core message to readers with updated case studies, examples, and sources.

Jean G. Jones is professor of communication at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and has over two decades' experience studying, teaching, and writing about rhetoric and persuasion. Named Edinboro University's Educator of the Year in 2006, Jones also has an active life in politics, having run for office and served on her city council.

Herbert W. Simons taught persuasion and related topics in communication at Temple University from 1960 until his retirement in 2007. A frequent media commentator, visiting professor, and guest lecturer, he directed Temple's London Study Abroad program, lectured at Peking University and at other institutions in China, and served as a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Hong Kong and Jakarta.