The rise of persuasive agitation within the past decade has led to the development of courses in contemporary dissent and a reexamination of persuasive practices in society. This study examines the issues raised by these courses and proposes a detailed approach to the teaching of communication and contemporary dissent. Special recommendations are proposed for successful teaching and testing strategies, based upon the author's experiences in three years of teaching a dissent course. The development of course objectives, basic reading, selections and classroom procedures designed for study in the areas of freedom of speech; contemporary advocacy and social order; and social movements are specifically addressed. A sample course syllabus of six units: the Movement for Equal Rights, Student Activism and Campus Protest, Women's Liberation, the Chicano Movement, the Indian Movement, and the Radical Right accompanies the main text. (LG)