RHETORIC MINOR
A. Description and requirements for the minor
The Rhetoric minor provides undergraduate students an opportunity to acquire special competence in the history, theory, and criticism of civic discourse and cultural practices. It brings together courses from both the Department of English and the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, from which students may learn about the nature and function of rhetoric in politics, the professions, the classroom, and the media. The list of course offerings is designed to feature applied as well as theoretical approaches, and allows students to explore the subject in breadth as well as depth. Students completing the minor will command a greater knowledge of an appreciation for the significance of rhetoric as a central component of civic life.
B. Requirements for the minor
The Rhetoric minor consists of 18 credit hours. A minimum of six credit hours must be taken at the 400 level. Maximum of six credits may be double-counted for major
Prescribed Courses: 6 credits
CAS 201 (3 credits) Introduction to Rhetorical Theory
ENGL 471 (3 credits) Rhetorical Traditions
Additional courses: 9 credits
Students must take at least nine credits from a list of core courses; these include:
CAS 175 (3 cr.): Persuasion and Propaganda
CAS 311 (3 cr.): Methods of Rhetorical Criticism
CAS 321 (3 cr.): Rhetoric and Law
CAS 375 (3 cr.): Rhetoric and Public Controversy
CAS 411 (3 cr.): Rhetorical Criticism
CAS 415 (3 cr.): Rhetoric of Film and Television
CAS 420 (3 cr.): Rhetorical Theory
CAS 426W (3 cr.): Communication Ethics
CAS 475 (3 cr.): Studies in Public Address
CAS 478 (3 cr.): Contemporary American Political Rhetoric
ENGL 415 (3 cr.): Advanced Non-Fiction Writing
ENGL 416 (3 cr.): Science Writing
ENGL 417 (3 cr.): Editorial Process
ENGL 420 (3 cr.): Writing for the Web
ENGL 472 (3 cr.): Contemporary Theories of Writing and Reading
ENGL 473 (3 cr.): Rhetorical Approaches to Discourse
ENGL 474 (3 cr.): Issues in Rhetoric and Composition
Capstone Courses: 3 credits
Students will choose 3 credits from the following, pending approval of the minor advisor to ensure relevance.
CAS 499/ENGL 499 (3 cr.): Foreign Study
LA 495 (3 cr.): Internship
CAS 494H/ENGL 310H (3 cr.): Honors
ENGL 487W (3 cr.): Senior Seminar
E., F. How the Minor strengthens the educational mission of the College of the Liberal Arts and the University:
The College of the Liberal Arts has targeted four areas for improvement. Two of these goals, strengthening the humanities and enhancing the education of Penn State undergraduate students, are directly addressed by the Rhetoric minor. By bringing together the combined resources of two distinguished programs in rhetoric, the minor offers a unique consolidation of faculty strengths, course offerings, and extra-classroom activities. Approval of the minor will, in addition, enhance graduate teaching opportunities, bolster recruitment and retention, and strengthen Penn State’s already high reputation in rhetoric across the discipline nationally. Several other leading universities, including the University of Texas and the University of Iowa, currently feature a similar program; approval will accordingly help place undergraduate education in rhetoric in conspicuous company.
To date, students wishing to develop competencies in rhetoric have had no formal means to access appropriate courses and no formal advising to steer them toward their desired ends. While students may currently take minors in both English and Communication Arts, those options involve coursework not related to interests in rhetoric specifically. The Rhetoric minor will provide a coherent program of curricular offerings and supervision through the process. It will be housed in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, which will initially assume advising responsibilities. General oversight will be provided by faculty from both departments. These faculty members include:
Thomas W. Benson, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Rhetoric
Stephen H. Browne, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Rhetorical Studies
Rosa Eberly, Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences and English
Jenny Edbauer, Assistant Professor of English
Jeremy Engels, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Keith Gilyard, Distinguished Professor of English
Cheryl Glenn, Professor of English
J. Michael Hogan, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Christopher Johnstone, Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Elaine Richardson, Associate Professor of English and Applied Linguistics
Stuart Selber, Associate Professor of English
Jack Selzer, Professor of English and Associate Dean for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies
Ryan Stark, Assistant Professor of English
Xiaoye You, Assistant Professor of English
More information at the University Bulletin
