Stacy Korbelak to Present Free Lecture “Argue Like an Ancient Greek”

Whether you find yourself trying to persuade a Facebook friend, a local politician, or your supervisor, Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion are just as relevant today as they were in 4th century BC.

“Aristotle is often considered a ‘practical philosopher’,” explains Stacy Korbelak, professor of English. “He saw things that we could apply in our everyday lives.”

Korbelak will present a free community lecture, “Argue Like an Ancient Greek,” on Tuesday, February 12, at 6 p.m., to share her lessons learned and help people become better persuaders.

“Even though [Aristotle] lived about 2300 years ago, he talked about three key ways to persuade someone that are still being used today in advertising, speech writing and more,” said Korbelak. “We just need to learn to use those three techniques strategically to make sure our argument speaks in some way with our listener.”

According to Korbelak, each person has an argument quotient (AQ). Once known, it will help people avoid their argument blind spots to effect change.

Korbelak holds a master’s degree in administration from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in organizational behavior from University of Michigan. She currently teaches English at Howard Community College. Aside from her position at Howard Community College, Korbelak is a board member of the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women, a place where she can utilize Aristotle’s methods.

She will present in the Monteabaro Recital Hall, located in the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center at Howard Community College.

Korbelak is the first of the three-part English and World Languages Lecture Series. It continues with Dr. Abdelrahim Salih and Professor David Buck’s "History in Whose Image" on Tuesday, March 12 at 6 p.m., and Professor Laura Yoo’s “It's All in a Name” on Tuesday, April 9 at 6 p.m. All lectures will take place in the Monteabaro Recital Hall.

Each lecture is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. RSVP and more information at www.howardcc.edu/lectureseries.