Graduate Studies in Rhetoric

The Departments of English and Comparative Literature invite applications for their Ph.D. programs from students interested in combining study of literature and theory with an emphasis in rhetoric. Students with a background in a language other than English and an interest in comparative studies of literatures and theories along with rhetorics should apply to the program in Comparative Literature, which offers a track in Cultural Rhetoric. Students who would like to merge a study of rhetoric with readings in British or American literature may apply for Ph.D. work in English. Students interested in rhetoric and composition have also benefited from connections with UCI’s interdisciplinary programs such as Women’s Studies, African American Studies, Asian American Studies, as well as the department of Film and Media Studies. Courses in the Critical Theory Emphasis often feature rhetorical perspectives.

In each program, students have considerable freedom to develop examination lists and dissertation topics based in rhetorical study. All students teach composition and take a seminar in Rhetoric and the Teaching of Writing. After advancement to candidacy, students may apply to design and teach an upper-division writing course. UCI graduate students regularly present papers individually and collaboratively at the Conference on College Composition and Communication, the meeting of the Rhetorical Society of America, and other such conferences. Two collaborative writing studies have originated at UCI, each of which involved graduate students: “Transnational Identifications: Bilingual Writers in a First-year Humanities Course” and “Retrospective Writing Histories.” (See the Campus Writing Coordinator website for more information: www.writing.uci.edu.)

UCI provides an intellectually exciting atmosphere, featuring visiting lectures from internationally known scholars in the humanities. We have recently offered a colloquium in comparative rhetorics and are building a regional network of scholars and students interested in rhetoric and composition. For example, small groups of faculty and graduate students have traveled to UC Santa Barbara for their biennial conferences in writing studies and to San Diego State University for their annual fall lecture on rhetoric. Students are in the process of establishing a works-in-progress seminar and have organized rhetoric reading groups. Recent courses in rhetoric and writing include: "Ancient Greek Rhetoric"; "19-century American Rhetoric and Political Theology"; "Public Sphere Theories"; "21st-century Composition Studies"; "World Englishes"; and "Rhetoric, Empire, and Public Memory".

For more information, contact Susan Jarratt or Steven Mailloux.