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last.updated 9.2.07
Rhetoric and/or Composition
Purpose
We will enter into the conversation at the intersections of rhetorical studies and composition studies by focusing on a recent conversation on this topic. By the end of class
Before Class
- Read Enculturation 5.1 Articles
- Coleman & Goodman, Ratcliffe, Farris, Crowley, Jarrett
- Read Enculturation 5.2 Articles
- Peters, Metzger, Atwill, Claycomb & Riedner, Casteel
- Respond to instructor's introductory email
FreeWrite
Imagine that you walked into a parlor and there are twelve people sitting around the room–represented by the authors of these twelve articles–discussing the connections between rhetorical studies and composition studies. Based upon what you wrote about rhetoric and composition, how would you position yourself in this conversation (Who would you find yourself dis/agreeing with? Why?) Who in this room has been able to prompt you to reconsider your initial position? Explain.
Questions and Discussion
- How are these different authors defining rhetoric? Are they even having the same conversation?
- Several of the authors reference a cultural studies pedagogy. What is a cultural studies pedagogy? Is it rhetorical in nature?
- What is the connection between rhetoric and labor? How then does composition enter into this relationship?
- Based upon your own experiences, what do you see missing from the part of the conversation that we read?
- If we create a martix where the x-axis spans from a scholar arguing that there is a no connection between rhetoric and composition to one who argues the connection is strong and the y-axis spans from a scholar placing an emphasis on rhetoric to one placing an emphasis on composition, where would the authors of these ten articles be found?