BY KAREN BOSSICK

Allison M. Prasch is the assistant professor of an interesting discipline called “rhetoric, politics and culture” at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

And in that capacity she has examined how the appearances of U.S. presidents overseas touted American superiority during the Cold War.

Prasch will examine five foundational moments in the development of what she calls the “global rhetorical presidency” during a free presentation at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at Ketchum’s Community Library.

She will examine Truman at Potsdam, Eisenhower’s Goodwill Tours, Kennedy in West Berlin, Nixon in the People’s Republic of China and Reagan in Normandy in a presentation she calls “The World is Our Stage: The Global Rhetorical Presidency and the Cold War.”

The program is presented in partnership with the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University, and Prasch will be joined by Sam Martin, the Institute’s scholar of public address and political communication.

RSVP to see it in person at https://thecommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/9874102. The program also will be livestreamed and recorded to watch later at https://vimeo.com/event/2803200.

A book signing for Prasch’s book “The World is Our Stage” will follow Thursday’s presentation.