English Department, Box 870244, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0244
http://www.as.ua.edu/english/index.html
English Department; College of Arts and Sciences
Amy E. Dayton-Wood, adayton@bama.ua.edu , 205-348-4644
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The CRES Program is designed for students wishing to study the many facets of expository writing and become involved in research on writing instruction, literacy, and digital and visual rhetorics. The curriculum provides a solid foundation in English Studies as well as elective opportunities for those who wish to develop secondary specializations in literary theory, creative writing, African-American rhetoric and literature, linguistics, and other areas.
Core Faculty:
Ralph Voss, Prof., Composition Pedagogy, General Theory and Criticism, Literature
Carolyn Handa, Prof., Computers and Design, Visual Rhetoric, WPA
Luke Niiler, Assoc. Prof., WPA, Composition Pedagogy, Research Methods
Amy Dayton-Wood, Assist. Prof., Community Literacy, Linguistics, Composition Pedagogy
Stephen Schneider, Assist. Prof., Critical Pedagogy, Social Theory, Professional Writing
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Nicole Amare, “Constructing Neo-Aristotelian Ethics in the Field of Composition Studies: Authorship, Authority, Plagiarism, and Intellectual Property,” 2003
Timothy Taylor, “A Historical Understanding of Ecocomposition: The Greening of University Rhetoric,” 2002
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Writing sample
4 Personal knowledge of applicant
5 GRE Scores
6 Graduate GPA
Total number of PhD students in Department: 43
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 7
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
4 2005-2006
5 2004-2005
NA 2003-2004
NA 2002-2003
NA 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
4 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
NA 2003-2004
NA 2002-2003
NA 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
2 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
NA 2003-2004
NA 2002-2003
NA 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 07/01; Department Application, 02/01; Financial Aid, 02/01
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 30
Core courses: Workshop in Academic Writing; Approaches to Teaching Composition; Theories of Teaching Composition
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Visual Rhetoric; Community Literacy; Democracy and Literacy
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensive, Orals
Foreign languages required: Advanced proficiency in one language or basic proficiency in two languages
Brief description of exam process:
Students compile a reading list covering four topics in composition, rhetoric, and/or English Studies. At least three of the topics should focus on matters directly related to composition-rhetoric; the fourth topic can concern itself with the study or teaching of English or an interdisciplinary area with connections to English. The four-hour written exam covers two of the four topic areas. Once the candidate passes the written examination, the CRES faculty conducts an oral examination on all four topic areas.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: $10,908; Benefits: Heath insurance for student; also Heath insurance for spouse/family (for a fee)
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions, Ongoing orientation and training sessions, Professional development workshops, GA-GA mentoring program, Required course in composition theory and practice, Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Information not provided
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: NA
We face the challenge of continuing to grow and to develop interdisciplinary collaboration with other areas of the university.
Program Strengths
We are a diverse program. Although we are a small program, we have doubled our size in both new faculty and new students in the last three years. We have a newly revised PhD curriculum. For more information, please see our website ( http://www.as.ua.edu/cres/index.html ) or contact our field adviser, Amy Dayton-Wood ( adayton@bama.ua.edu ) to set up a visit.
University of Arizona, Department of English, Modern Languages, Rm. 445, P.O. Box 210067, Tucson, AZ 85721
http://english.arizona.edu/index_site.php?id=156
PhD in Rhetoric and Composition (1988)
English Department; Humanities
Theresa Enos, enos@email.arizona.edu , 520-621-3371
Program Description/Mission Statement:
At the University of Arizona, we view rhetoric and composition as arts that must be studied and practiced in the context of broad cultural and public interests. These commitments are reflected in the array of research published by our faculty and graduate students and by our efforts to improve the teaching of writing at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our work on writing program administration and curriculum development is informed by our commitment to addressing issues of difference in equality and our outreach to the community. Our outreach efforts have taken us to local schools, reservations, community literacy centers, and advocacy groups. Because of these commitments, students and faculty look for opportunities within our institution and the Southwest region to relate the study of rhetoric to the cultural and technological changes that are redefining what it means to teach writing in the twenty-first century.
Core Faculty:
John Warnock, Prof., Community Literacy, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Creative Nonfiction, Law
Theresa Enos, Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, History of Rhetoric, Composition Pedagogy, Stylistics, Publishing, Rhetoric Review Editor
Thomas Miller, Prof., History of Rhetoric, Civic Discourse, Praxis
Ken McAllister, Assoc. Prof., History of Rhetoric, Cultural Studies, Media
Amy Kimme Hea, Assoc. Prof., Visual Rhetoric, Computers and Design, Technology, Rhetorical Criticism
Adela Licona, Assist. Prof., Race, Public Discourse, Feminist Theory, Borderlands Rhetorics
Ed White, Prof., Assessment, Composition Pedagogy, WPA
Damian Baca, Assist. Prof., Postcolonial, Race, Rhetorical Traditions
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Kristen Welch, “Oklahoma Women Preachers, Pioneers, and Pentecostals: An Analysis of the Elements of Collective and Individual Ethos within the Selected Writings of Women Preachers of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church,” 2007
Stephanie Vie, “Engaging Others in Online Social Networking Sites: Rhetorical Practices in MySpace and Facebook,” 2007
Erica Reynolds Clayton, “Students’ Response to Teacher Commentary: An Emotive, Cognitive, and Behavioral Examination,” 2007
Jill McCracken, “Listening to the Language of Sex Workers: An Analysis of Street Sex Worker Representations and Their Effects on Sex Workers and Society,” 2007
Erik Juergensmeyer, “Transforming Social Conflict Through an Expanded Theory of Rhetoric,” 2007
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
6 History of rhetoric or composition
9 Theory of rhetoric or composition
6 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Literary studies
2 Writing center studies
1 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
2 Writing program administration
2 Writing across the curriculum
4 Rhetorical criticism
3 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
6 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
4 GRE Scores
5 Graduate GPA
6 Undergraduate GPA
Total number of PhD students in Department: 208
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 67
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
60 2005-2006
50 2004-2005
48 2003-2004
42 2002-2003
30 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
26 2005-2006
25 2004-2005
23 2003-2004
25 2002-2003
20 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
9 2005-2006
7 2004-2005
11 2003-2004
13 2002-2003
14 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 12/31; Department Application, 12/31; Financial Aid, 12/31
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 15
Core courses: Teaching of Composition (at least 1, for a total of 4 courses in Research, Theory, and Praxis); History of Rhetoric—Classical, 18th/19th, Medieval, Contemporary (2 required); Research and Composition—Qualitative, Research Methods (at least 1, for a total of 4 courses in Research, Theory, and Praxis)
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Professional Writing Theory and Practice; Teaching of Composition; Comparative Pedagogies: Culture and Education in Mexico and the US; Fundamental Controversies; Rhetoric among the Disciplines; A Rhetoric of Fiction
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Timed examination on general background, take-home examination on area of specialization, essay (analytical or bibliographical) for publication
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $13,489; Benefits: Health insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; also “Praxis” a core requirement
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Industry Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also Assist with two journals published here, community literacy work, writing project work in local schools, comparative pedagogy work with schools in Mexico, professional studies colloquium
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 12
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Improving fellowship support and benefits for graduate students; Hiring more faculty
Program Strengths
Professionalization of graduate students; Range of student projects; Collaborative research with faculty; Interdisciplinary work; Service learning; Community connections; Teaching cultural perspectives
Department of English, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-0302
http://www.asu.edu/clas/english
PhD in Rhetoric/Composition and Linguistics (1995)
English Department; Liberal Arts and Sciences
Keith Miller, Keith.Miller@asu.edu , 480-965-3168
Program Description/Mission Statement:
We offer a PhD program in Rhetoric/Composition and Linguistics with many faculty members in both areas. Our faculty members maintain a
broad range of research and teaching interests and they have gained national and international reputations. Our students can also take courses
in other areas of our department and in other departments and colleges within our large university. Our students are able to teach a wide
variety of courses, both face-to-face and online.
Core Faculty:
Sharon Crowley, Emerita Prof., History of Rhetoric, Composition, Postmodernism, Feminist Theory
Maureen Daly Goggin, Prof., History of Rhetoric, Feminist Theory, Composition, Material Culture
Peter Goggin, Assist. Prof., Composition, Community Literacy, Technology, Rhetoric of Sustainability
Keith Miller, Prof., Political Rhetoric, Religious Rhetoric, Composition, African American Rhetoric
Paul Matsuda, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Linguistics, World English
Karen Adams, Prof., Discourse Analysis, Linguistics, Southeast Asian Linguistics
Roy Major, Prof., Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition
Jessica Early, Assist. Prof., Composition, English Education
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Cynthia Roses-Thema, “Capturing the Dancer as Rhetor: Embodied Perception in a Dance Performance,” 2007
Paul Walker, “Writing and Learning from Context: Perceptions of Composition in First-Year Learning Communities,” 2007
Zachary Waggoner, “Passage to Morrowwind: (Dis)Locating Virtual and ‘Real’ Identities in Video Role-Playing Games,” 2007
Jennifer Clary-Lemon, “The Rhetoric of Identity: Scholarly Journals and Activism as Sites of Change, 1939-2004,” 2006
Lutfi Hussein, “Discursive Construction of Arab-American Group Identity on the World Wide Web,” 2006
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
3 Theory of rhetoric or composition
5 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
12 Linguistics
4 Technology and communication
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
7 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
4 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
7 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
2 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
Information not provided
Total number of PhD students in Department: 84
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 65
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
45 2005-2006
35 2004-2005
31 2003-2004
24 2002-2003
25 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
17 2005-2006
22 2004-2005
18 2003-2004
15 2002-2003
16 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
6 2005-2006
12 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
10 2002-2003
10 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 02/01; Department Application, 02/01; Financial Aid, NA
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 60
Core courses: Research Methods; One course in Composition Studies; One course in Rhetoric
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Too numerous to list
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Part I, Portfolio consisting of two papers; Part II, Written or oral exam covering material from a bibliography to be used for dissertation; Part III, Colloquy: Defense of the dissertation prospectus.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $13,735; Benefits: Health insurance, tuition waiver
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Writing center training; also graduate students support each other through Graduate Scholars of English Association
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work; also many around the university and its 3 branch campuses in our metropolitan area
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 6
We expect to hire new professors this year and next year.
Program Strengths
We have many strengths, more than two or three.
Department of English, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization
English Department; Sciences and Humanities
Deborah M. Mix, dmmix@bsu.edu , 765-285-8415
Program Description/Mission Statement:
To provide the background knowledge and practical experience in a mentoring environment for motivated and talented scholars to succeed in
careers in English studies (primary emphasis in composition/rhetoric) within a wide variety of institutions and job descriptions.
Core Faculty:
Jacqueline Grutsch McKinney, Assist. Prof., Composition, Visual Rhetoric, Theory, Writing Center Theory and Administration
Linda Hanson, Prof., 18th Century, Rhetoric and Literature, Basic Writing, National Writing Project
Paul Ranieri, Assoc. Prof., Classical Rhetoric, Pedagogy, First-Year Programs
Webster Newbold, Assoc. Prof., Medieval, Computers and Composition
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Jennifer Haley, “Encomium, Agency, and Subversion: Baby Books as Women’s Domestic Rhetoric,” 2007
Carmen Siering, “Rhetorical Vision: Resistance, Fantasy, and the Work of Texts in Creating and Sustaining Subculture,” 2006
Janalee D. Shaw, “Perceptions of Self-Efficacy in Graduate Assistant Composition Instructors,” 2005
Fahad Al-Quarashi, “Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning in Composition Classrooms in Saudi Arabia,” 2005
Barbara J. Bird, “George Jardine’s Investigative Rhetoric and Epistemic Writing Theory,” 2005
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
4 History of rhetoric or composition
4 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Program evaluation or assessment
1 Writing center studies
1 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
2 Technology and communication
1 Rhetorical criticism
1 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
1 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Writing sample
4 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
5 Graduate GPA
6 Type of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 60
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 15
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
6 2005-2006
3 2004-2005
2 2003-2004
1 2002-2003
2 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 07/31; Department Application, 07/31; Financial Aid, 01/31
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 90
Core courses: Teaching Composition; Linguistics and the Study of English; Research Methods in Composition
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching with Technology; Teaching in English Studies; Seminar in Basic Writing; Writing Without Classrooms; Public Rhetoric
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Exam process is under revision.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: $16,887; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit, Dental
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; also shadowing with faculty semester before assuming own classroom; Teaching circles
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work, Assessment; also Asst. to WPA
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Faculty retention
Program Strengths
Mentoring (size of program enables this); Competitive stipends and top-notch TA training; Breadth and depth of curriculum; Technology
integration within program and across campus
Bowling Green State University
Department of English, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403
http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/english/rcweb/index.html
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1980)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Richard Gebhardt, richgeb@bgnet.bgsu.edu , 419-372-6864
Program Description/Mission Statement:
This PhD prepares graduates for faculty careers in rhetoric and composition with a program that emphasizes writing instruction and encourages students to pursue their scholarly interests by working on a wide range of dissertation topics. Students and faculty utilize a range of intellectual approaches—rhetorical, cultural, empirical, technological—that characterize the field of rhetoric and composition in the twenty-first century. The program requires eight core courses and several RandW electives (or, for those with composition MAs, optional cognate courses). Prelims feature a portfolio that advances scholarly and curricular expectations of faculty and leads directly toward the dissertation proposal.
Core Faculty:
Kristine Blair, Prof., Technology, Cultural Studies, Feminist Theory
Bruce Edwards, Prof., Contrastive Rhetoric, Technology, Rhetoric and Literature
Richard Gebhardt, Prof., Composition Pedagogy, WPA, WAC
Lance Massey, Assist. Prof., Discourse Analysis, Composition Pedagogy, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
Lee Nickoson Massey, Assist. Prof., Assessment, Research Methods, Feminist Theory
Sue Carter Wood, Assoc. Prof., Historiography, History of Rhetoric, Feminist Theory
Donna Nelson-Beene, Assoc. Prof., Basic Writing, WPA, Pedagogy
Gary Heba, Assoc. Prof., Visual Rhetoric, Professional Writing, Technology
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Robin Murphy, “Post-9/11 Rhetorical Theory and Composition Pedagogy: Fostering Trauma Rhetorics as Public Space,” 2007
Eric Stalions, “Dynamic Criteria Mapping: Rhetorical Values in Writing Placement,” 2007
Richard Colby, “Computers, Composition, and Context,” 2006
Lanette Cadle, “Weblogs, Adolescent Girls, and the Cybermuse Community Memorial Center,” 2005
Inez Schaecterle, “Speaking of Sex: The Rhetorical Strategies of Frances Willard, Victoria Woodhull, and Ira Craddock,” 2005
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 History of rhetoric or composition
2 Theory of rhetoric or composition
5 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Literary studies
2 Program evaluation or assessment
1 Linguistics
1 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
2 Nonacademic or workplace studies
5 Technology and communication
2 Writing program administration
1 Rhetorical criticism
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
5 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Graduate GPA
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Goals/Statement of purpose
4 Undergraduate GPA
5 GRE Scores
6 Writing sample
Total number of PhD students in Department: 39
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 39
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
73 2005-2006
64 2004-2005
42 2003-2004
74 2002-2003
37 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
16 2005-2006
13 2004-2005
13 2003-2004
13 2002-2003
8 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
11 2005-2006
7 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
7 2002-2003
7 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 02/15; Department Application, 02/15; Financial Aid, 02/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 60
Core courses: Introduction to Rhetoric and Composition; History of Rhetoric and Written Discourse; Issues in Historical Rhetoric
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching of Writing; Computer Mediated Writing; Advanced Writing Pedagogy; Writing Administration; Advanced Writing Pedagogy; Writing across the University
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
After the completion of coursework (usually during the fifth semester), students take a three-part examination, developed by their Committees in consultation with the students. Over a weekend, students write on several questions based on a General Examination Reading List. They develop a Specialized Portfolio including a Revising Project (typically, a seminar paper revised toward article submission), a Curriculum Project, an Initial Dissertation Reading List developed in consultation with the Committee, and a Bibliographic Essay based on the reading list. Students meet with their Committees for an Oral Examination centered on the General Exam and the Specialized Portfolio.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $11,765 plus waiver of all fees (in 2007); Benefits: Waiver of several fees usually charged students
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; also several PhD courses are directly relevant
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work, Assessment; also Administrative/mentoring positions, Placement experience, Website development, and Online courses
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 12
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 8+
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 4+
To increase compensation and benefits of teaching assistants. To help applicants understand—for accurate comparison with other offers—that BGSU’s stipend is accompanied by waiver of all instructional, general, and parking fees; that summer work is widely available; and that summer instructional fees are waived, even for non teachers.
Program Strengths
There is an energetic program climate with monthly Third-Friday meetings, a Postprelim Group and blog for advanced students, and lots of interaction among students and faculty who have wide-ranging research interests and a common commitment to the importance of teaching in the career of rhetoric and composition faculty members. Core courses are offered on a reliable rotation to facilitate on-schedule completion of coursework. Web-based course components and online courses increase individuality and flexibility. Prelims and Dissertation Proposals work together to move students efficiently toward dissertation work. The central program goal—preparing students for faculty careers—is reflected in a near-100% placement rate, with tenure-line positions typical, except when students need to limit their job searches (for instance, to a narrow geographical area).
English Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213
PhD in Rhetoric (1980)
English Department; College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Christine M. Neuwirth, cmn@cmu.edu , 412-268-8702
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The PhD in Rhetoric at Carnegie Mellon University focuses on how people produce and understand discourse across a variety of social, cultural, and material contexts, in schools, workplaces, and communities. The program familiarizes students with the history and theory of rhetoric and language study and with a variety of methods, qualitative and quantitative, for systematically exploring their interests in research projects and dissertation work. The program prepares students for academic careers centered on the history and theory of rhetoric, research about the writing process and communication design more generally, or rhetorical approaches to discourse and cultural studies.
Core Faculty:
Claudia Carlos, Assist. Prof., History of Rhetoric, Religious Rhetoric, Classical Rhetoric, 17th Century
Linda Flower, Prof., Civic Discourse, Community Literacy, Composition, Processes of Composing
Paul Hopper, Prof., Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, Language Theory
Suguru Ishizaki, Assoc. Prof., Visual Rhetoric, Computers and Design, Media, Communication Design
Barbara Johnstone, Prof., Discourse Analysis, Linguistics, Ethnography, Discourse and Identity
David Kaufer, Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Discourse Analysis, Theory, Design
Chrstine Neuwirth, Prof., Computers and Design, Technology, Composition, Professional/Technical Writing
Andreea Deciu Ritivoi, Assoc. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Cross-cultural Rhetoric, Political Rhetoric, Professional/Technical Writing
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Neeta Bhasin, “Nation and Ethnicity in Everyday Lives of Immigrants: Toward a Rhetorical Approach to Identity,” 2007
Craig O. Stewart, “Orders of Discourse in the Science-Based Controversy Over ‘Reparative Therapy’ for Homosexuality,” 2006
Danielle Zawodny Wetzel, “A Temporal Approach to Organizational Rhetoric: A Case Study of the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board,” 2005
Peter Cramer, “A Medium-Based Rhetorical Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of the Brooklyn Museum Controversy,” 2005
Susan Lawrence, “Accounting for the Past: Memory, Responsibility, and The Political Motivation Requirement in the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission Amnesty Hearings,” 2005
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
3 History of rhetoric or composition
1 History of technical/professional communication
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
3 Linguistics
3 Technology and communication
2 Rhetorical criticism
1 Visual Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
4 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
Information not provided
Total number of PhD students in Department: Information not provided
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
NA 2005-2006
NA 2004-2005
NA 2003-2004
NA 2002-2003
NA 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
3 2005-2006
3 2004-2005
3 2003-2004
3 2002-2003
3 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
2 2005-2006
3 2004-2005
1 2003-2004
5 2002-2003
2 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, NA; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 48
Core courses: History of Rhetoric; Contemporary Rhetorical Theory; Discourse Analysis
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: History, Theory, and Practice of Writing Instruction; Teaching Internship; Process of Reading and Writing
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 0
Brief description of exam process:
The qualifying exam is a comprehensive exam designed to determine if the doctoral student has substantial knowledge of major theoretical work in the discipline and expertise in a specific area and method of scholarly research. The exam for a rhetoric student serves two functions. First, it should be a preliminary step toward the student’s dissertation, sketching the general area in which the dissertation will be located. Second, it should position the student in the discipline of rhetoric, identifying three or four subfields or concentric circles of endeavor in which he or she would like to be able to claim expertise.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Not Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 1; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: Information not provided; Benefits: Flat rate that at minimum covers individual health insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Industry Internships, Committee Work, Assessment
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 12
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 24
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 6
Information not provided
Program Strengths
Size and selectiveness, a distinguished faculty, interdisciplinary resources, professional development, and the Pittsburgh community
Case Western Reserve University
Department of English, Case Western Reserve University, 11112 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, OH 44106-7117
http://www.case.edu/artsci/engl/emmons
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (2000)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Kimberly Emmons, kimberly.emmons@case.edu , 216-368-6924
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Information not provided
Core Faculty:
Todd Oakley, Assoc. Prof., Linguistics, Classical Rhetoric, Discourse Analysis
Kimberly Emmons, Assist. Prof., Medical, Discourse Analysis, Composition Pedagogy
Martha Woodmansee, Prof., Law, Cultural Studies
Judith Oster, Prof., Cross-cultural Rhetoric, Basic Writing
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Brian Ballentine, “Toward a Rhetoric of Engineering: Explorations in the Practices of Engineers and the Implications for the Teaching of Technical Communications,” 2006
Maria Assif, Nonrhetoric Dissertation, but completed the concentration, 2005
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 Technical/professional communications pedagogy
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
3 Writing sample
4 Letters of recommendation
5 Graduate GPA
6 GRE Scores
Total number of PhD students in Department: 28
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 5
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 02/15; Department Application, 02/15; Financial Aid, 02/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 27
Core courses: History and Theory of Rhetoric; Rhetoric and the Teaching of Writing; Writing in the Disciplines
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Rhetoric and the Teaching of Writing; Writing in the Disciplines; ESL Composition Theory; Discourse Analysis; Rhetorics of Health and Illness; Gender and Language
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Students create reading lists in 2-3 subject areas, totaling 75 works; using these lists, students develop 4 questions of which they are asked to write on two in a 72-hour period (15-20 pages per question). A 2-hour oral examination follows the written portion.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Not Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: Information not provided; Courses taught by GAs: Information not provided; Teaching system: Information not provided; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $14,000; Benefits: Information not provided
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Assessment
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
Information not provided
Program Strengths
Information not provided
Director, PhD in RCID 711, Strode Tower College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities, Clemson University, Clemson SC 29634-0523
http://www.clemson.edu/caah/rcid/
PhD in Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design (2005)
College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities
Victor J. Vitanza, sophist@clemson.edu , 864-656-6411
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design is an academic-professional degree, preparing students to conduct research and to disseminate their findings through teaching in the university and through publishing in professional and popular journals. RCID prepares students, through research, to be consultants for and to work within industry, government, and nonprofit organizations. RCID prepares students to be professionals in traditional and emerging economies. At present, virtually all of the students wish to work primarily in academia. We expect that they will be of value to the growing demand for innovative faculty in colleges of liberal arts and humanities: Specifically in departments of Art, Communication Studies, English, Rhetorics, Writing, New Media, as well as departments and centers whose names have yet been determined in an ever-emerging economy for undergraduate and graduate education.
Core Faculty:
Art Young, Prof., WAC, Pedagogy, Community Literacy
Sean Williams, Assoc. Prof., Computers and Design, Professional Writing, Public Discourse
Victor J. Vitanza, Prof., History of Rhetoric, Historiography, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
Summer Taylor, Assoc. Prof., Professional Writing, Research Methods, Business Writing
Joseph Sample, Assist. Prof., Contrastive Rhetoric, Pedagogy, Professional Writing
Steven Katz, Prof., History of Rhetoric, Science, Professional Writing
Martin Jacobi, Prof., History of Rhetoric, Professional Writing, Business Writing
Tharon Howard, Prof., Computers and Design, Media, Professional Writing
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Information not provided
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
Information not provided
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Writing sample
1 Letters of recommendation
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 GRE Scores
2 Teaching experience
Total number of PhD students in Department: 0
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 22
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
37 2005-2006
35 2004-2005
12 2003-2004
0 2002-2003
0 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
8 2005-2006
9 2004-2005
5 2003-2004
0 2002-2003
0 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
0 2005-2006
0 2004-2005
0 2003-2004
0 2002-2003
0 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 02/15; Department Application, 02/15; Financial Aid, 02/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 36
Core courses: Histories of Rhetorics; Cultural Research Methods; Empirical Research Methods
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Pedagogy, Administration, and Assessment; Perspectives in Information Designs; Cultural Critiques of Mechanical Reproductions; Youth Cultures
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 0
Brief description of exam process:
There are four exams: three written, one oral multimedia presentation. The exams are comprehensive in terms of one primary area and two supporting areas for the dissertation. Once the written exams are completed, the student makes a multimedia presentation on the dissertation topic and its importance.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: Information not provided; Courses taught by GAs: Information not provided; Teaching system: Information not provided; Number of FYC students taught/year: Information not provided
Salary: very high, but not willing to announce; Benefits: Information not provided
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work; also MATRF, multimedia lab
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
We are a new program and have not yet had students pass through the four-year program.
Program Strengths
We are not situated in a department but in the College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities. We have a large pool of faculty to draw on, an embarrassment of riches, given the excellent faculty with international reputations. We financially support our doctoral students sending them to conferences, to workshops/symposia, and to study abroad.
Department of English, Williams Building, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306
http://www.english.fsu.edu/rhetcomp/index.html
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1989)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Kathleen Blake Yancey, kyancey@fsu.edu , 850-645-6896
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The doctoral program in rhetoric and composition at Florida State University provides both a broad general foundation in rhetorical, composition, and literacy studies and a specialized topics area of the student’s choosing. Our program focuses more specifically on social practices and theories of composing and composition, emphasizing relationships among texts (verbal, visual, audio, and video), technologies, and literacies. Included in this focus are curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, policy, and research. In addition, we study rhetorical depictions of (for example, in films) and practices (for example, related to events) connected to the contemporary public sphere.
Core Faculty:
Kathleen Blake Yancey, Prof., Composition, WAC, Technology, Electronic Portfolios
Kristie Fleckenstein, Assoc. Prof., Literacy, Visual Rhetoric, Theory, Embodied Theory and Practice
Michael Neal, Assist. Prof., Assessment, Composition Pedagogy, Computers and Design, Composition Research
Debborah Coxwell Teague, Composition Pedagogy, WPA, TA and Faculty Development
Ormond Loomis, Basic Writing, Community Literacy, Writing Centers
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Kathleen Ashman, “Online Composition Classes Call for a Pedagogical Paradigm Shift: Students as Cartographers of Their Own Knowledge Maps,” 2006
Charles Lowe, “‘The Future Is Open’ for Composition Studies: A New Intellectual Property Model in the Digital Age,” 2006
Amy Hamilton Hodges, “Writing from the Inside Out: Connecting Self and Community in the First-year Writing Classroom,” 2005
Kevin Miller, “One of Ours: James McCrimmon and Composition Studies,” 2003
Pavel Zamilansky, “Genuine Training in Academic Discourse or Artificial Construct? Reconsidering the Past, Present, and Future of the College Research Paper,” 2002
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
3 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
2 Technology and communication
1 Writing across the curriculum
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
2 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
2 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Type of MA degree
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
4 Graduate GPA
5 Writing sample
6 Letters of recommendation
Total number of PhD students in Department: 60
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 6
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
30 2005-2006
NA 2004-2005
NA 2003-2004
NA 2002-2003
3 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
8 2005-2006
NA 2004-2005
NA 2003-2004
NA 2002-2003
2 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
6 2005-2006
NA 2004-2005
NA 2003-2004
NA 2002-2003
1 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/01; Department Application, 01/01; Financial Aid, 01/01
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 27
Core courses: Rhetorical Theory and Practice; Composition Theory; Research Methods in Composition and Rhetoric
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching of English in College; Teaching English as Guided Study; Designing Writing; Qualitative Research
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Students have a core reading list drawing from texts in rhetoric and composition, and they add to this selections based on their special focus. Exams are 12 hours: 3 in comp; 3 in rhetoric; 3 special focus; 3 minor field (for example, media or cultural studies). The oral exam follows within 2-3 weeks; it is a follow-up to the written.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Rhetoric; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: Approximately $11,000 (it varies); Benefits: Health insurance, Life insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also program assistants for the R/C program, for the FYC program, and for the Writing Center
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 8
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Like all programs, we could use more resources, especially for TA stipends and conference support. In fact, plans for increases in both are in process.
Program Strengths
One program strength is size; we know all the students, and they know us. As members of the program, we meet frequently—in class, of course, but outside as well. And the program director meets with each student twice a term until she or he forms a committee and chooses a director. A second strength is our speakers series; four scholars in rhetoric and composition visit each year, and students have the chance to engage with them in various ways (for example, at a talk, in a class visit, at a subsidized meal). A third programmatic strength is the range of opportunities that students have, from acting as program assistant (to the Writing Center, for example, or the Rhetoric and Composition program) to collaborating on research.
Department of English, P.O. Box 3970, Atlanta, GA 30302-3970
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1990)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Mary Hocks, mhocks@gsu.edu , 404-651-2900
Program Description/Mission Statement:
As the only doctoral program in the state with a specialty in Rhetoric, Composition, and Technical Communication, and located in the heart of a diverse metropolitan urban center, we strive to educate students to become active professionals in academic and industry settings with thorough grounding in the histories, theories, and practices of Composition Studies, Pedagogy, Classical Rhetoric, Medieval Rhetoric, Renaissance and Enlightenment Rhetoric, Modern Rhetoric, and Technical Communication; with additional coursework in research methodologies, visual and digital rhetorics and academic publishing; with teaching and administrative preparation and practical experience in the classroom, Writing Studio, electronic environments, and community internships.
Core Faculty:
Lynée Lewis Gaillet, Assoc. Prof., 19th Century, History of Rhetoric, Composition
Marti Singer, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Literature, Assessment
George Pullman, Assoc. Prof., History of Rhetoric, Technology, WAC
Mary Hocks, Assoc. Prof., Feminist Theory, Visual Rhetoric, WAC, Computers and Composition
Elizabeth Lopez, Assoc. Prof., Research Methods, Professional Writing, Technology, Technical Writing and Editing
Baotong Gu, Assist. Prof., Professional Writing, Technology, Cross-cultural Rhetoric, Technical Writing
Beth Burmester, Assist. Prof., History of Rhetoric, Classical Rhetoric, Composition Pedagogy, WPA
Jennifer Bowie, Assist. Prof., Professional Writing, Computers and Design, Research Methods
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Elizabeth Tasker, “Low Brows and High Profiles: Rhetoric and Gender in the Restoration and Early Eighteenth Century Theater,” 2007
Marc Pietrzykowski, “Winning, Losing, and Changing the Rules: The Rhetoric of Poetry Contests and Competition,” 2007
Shannon Warren Wisdom, “Peer Review in the Contemporary Corporation,” 2005
Heather Palmer, “Subject of Ethos at the Ends of Rhetoric,” 2005
Ruth Goldfine, “Computer Science Majors’ Perception of the Overlapping Cognitive Structures Between Computer Programming and English Composition,” 2004
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
6 History of rhetoric or composition
3 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Program evaluation or assessment
2 Nonacademic or workplace studies
1 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
1 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
3 Letters of recommendation
4 Personal knowledge of applicant
5 Graduate GPA
6 Type of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 220
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 32
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 02/01; Department Application, 02/01; Financial Aid, 02/01
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 30
Core courses: Writing and Research Methodology; Composition Theory; Historical Foundations of Rhetoric
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Composition Pedagogy; Composition Theory; Computers and Composition; Topics in Visual Rhetoric; Computers and Composition; User-Centered Design
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Students select a primary specialty area and a secondary specialty area, form a committee for each, create a reading list and questions. They can
take exams during separate semesters according to the department schedule.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: $12,000; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit, Tuition waivers, Bookstore discount
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training; also Teaching portfolios
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Industry Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also WPA program assistants
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 18
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
As part of an approved component of our Strategic Action Plan, we do expect to see a reduction in GTA teaching load from 2/2 to 2/1 within the next year or two. Funding is competitive.
Program Strengths
Urban location, diverse student population, and technologically enhanced classrooms, including a usability lab; Opportunities for writing center, WAC, and WPA practice, research, scholarship, and our professionally active faculty create solo and collaborative opportunities for graduate students to present at conferences and get publications; Program offerings in history of rhetoric, rhetorical theory, technical communication, digital and visual rhetorics, composition theory and pedagogy at undergraduate and graduate levels create diverse curriculum and teaching assignments.
Department of English, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4240
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1978)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Ron Fortune, rfortune@ilstu.edu , 309-438-7158
Program Description/Mission Statement:
At Illinois State we theorize, teach, and practice rhetoric and composition studies in ways that emphasize the field’s contributions to a better understanding of why we do what we do in the classroom and the world beyond it. We believe that study in rhetoric and composition studies opens up new ways of understanding the relationships among different subfields of English studies, and this belief is borne out in a program that considers, for example, connections between rhetorical and critical theory, rhetorics of emotion, rhetorics of authorship, feminist rhetorics and pedagogies, writing assessment, and computers and writing. Rhetoric and composition studies at Illinois State is a thriving, innovative, and exciting program with faculty whose shared goals include fostering critical language awareness in students’ academic, personal, and professional lives. Our undergraduate and graduate courses in rhetoric and composition studies help students develop an understanding of the field in historical, political, and ideological contexts.
Core Faculty:
Cheryl Ball, Assist. Prof., Media, Technology, Visual Rhetoric
Bob Broad, Prof., Assessment, Pedagogy, Research Methods
Ron Fortune, Prof., Computers and Design, Rhetoric and Literature, Composition
Julie Jung, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Feminist Theory, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
Janice Neuleib, Prof., Composition, Composition Pedagogy, Writing and Rhetoric
Gary Olson, Prof., Theory, Cultural Studies, Rhetorical Criticism
Amy Robillard, Assist. Prof., Composition, Rhetorical Criticism, Theory, Authorship Studies
Lynn Worsham, Prof., Rhetoric and Literature, Cultural Studies, Feminist Theory
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Lori Ostergaard, “Composition in the Illinois State Normal University and Illinois High Schools, 1892-1921,” 2006
Paul Morris, “Moving Grammar from the Margins: Exploring and Integrated and Constructivist Approach to Teaching Microstructure,” 2006
Elizabeth Kleinfeld, “Dissonance and Excess: Four Students’ Experiences of Revision in a Composition Classroom,” 2006
William P. Banks, “Performing the Not-Me: Ethos in Four Student Portfolios,” 2003
Lee Ann Nickson-Massey, “The Making and Unmaking of Author(ities): A Microethnography on the Complexities of Writing Assessment as a Rhetorically and Institutionally Situated Activity,” 2003
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
8 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Program evaluation or assessment
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
12 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
2 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
4 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
1 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Writing sample
4 Letters of recommendation
5 Graduate GPA
6 GRE Scores
Total number of PhD students in Department: 97
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 19
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
20% 2005-2006
20% 2004-2005
20% 2003-2004
20% 2002-2003
20% 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
20% 2005-2006
20% 2004-2005
20% 2003-2004
20% 2002-2003
20% 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
20% 2005-2006
20% 2004-2005
20% 2003-2004
20% 2002-2003
20% 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/15; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 45
Core courses: Seminar in Composition; Seminar in Literature; Seminar in Linguistics
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching Internship; Seminar in the Teaching of English; Teaching Composition; Authorship in Composition Studies; Social Class in Composition; Rhetoric and Disability
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives
Foreign languages required: 0
Brief description of exam process:
Students write three 20-page synthesis statements on which each comprehensive exam question is based. The comprehensive exams cover English Studies, pedagogy, and for students with a rhetoric/composition concentration, rhetoric/composition.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available; Nonteaching fellowships: Not Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Rhetoric, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: $12,888; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice
Professional opportunities: Teaching Internships, Industry Internships, Committee Work
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
We need to fill multiple vacant lines so that we have enough faculty to do the work we are already doing and to envision productive change for the future. We also expect to continue to address the need for diversity among faculty and students and to increase measures to support the professional development of graduate students.
Program Strengths
Emphasis on rhetoric and multidisciplinarity; Quality and commitment to teaching, at the graduate and undergraduate levels; Nationally recognized faculty.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Graduate Studies in Composition and TESOL English Department, 110 Leonard Hall, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA 15705
http://www.iup.edu/composition-tesol
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1976)
English Department; College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Ben Rafoth, brafoth@iup.edu , 724-357-2263
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Information not provided
Core Faculty:
Ben Rafoth, Prof., WPA, Research Methods, Composition
Donald McAndrew, Prof., Composition, Pedagogy, Postmodernism
Gian Pagnucci, Prof., Composition, Computers and Design, Literature
Jean Nienkamp, Assist. Prof., Classical Rhetoric, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
Lynne Alvine, Prof., Composition Pedagogy, Women’s Studies, Interdisciplinary
Mark Hurlbert, Prof., Rhetorical Traditions, Expressionism, Composition
Michael Williamson, Prof., Assessment, Technology, Research Methods
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Maria S. Rankin-Brown, “Defining Moments in Literacy: Influences that Shape the Literary Experiences and Beliefs of English Professors,” 2005
Robert M. Wallace, “This Wild Strange Place: Local Narratives of Literacy Use in Appalachian Families Over Three Generations,” 2004
Robert T. Koch, “Articulating a Moo-Integrated Writing Pedagogy,” 2004
Elizabeth Graber, “Old Believer Women in a Postmodern World: Changing Literacy, Changing Lives,” 2002
Steven L. Reagles, “Rhetorical Redolence: Socio-Semiotic Explorations of the Multimodal Effects of Odor on Verbal/Visual Rhetoric,” 2002
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 History of rhetoric or composition
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
4 Literary studies
2 Program evaluation or assessment
3 Writing center studies
3 Linguistics
1 Nonacademic or workplace studies
3 Technology and communication
1 Rhetorical criticism
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Graduate GPA
3 Goals/Statement of purpose
4 Letters of recommendation
5 Teaching experience
Total number of PhD students in Department: 80
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 40
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
125 2005-2006
120 2004-2005
120 2003-2004
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
50 2005-2006
50 2004-2005
50 2003-2004
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
30 2005-2006
30 2004-2005
30 2003-2004
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, Information not provided; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: Information not provided
Core courses: Information not provided
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Information not provided
Examinations required for PhD students: Information not provided
Foreign languages required: Information not provided
Brief description of exam process:
Information not provided
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Information not provided; Nonteaching fellowships: Information not provided
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: Information not provided; Courses taught by GAs: Information not provided; Teaching system: Information not provided; Number of FYC students taught/year: Information not provided
Salary: Information not provided; Benefits: Information not provided
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Professional opportunities: Information not provided
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
Information not provided
Program Strengths
Information not provided
203 Ross Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011
http://engl.iastate.edu/programs/rhetoric/phd/
PhD in Rhetoric and Technical/Professional Communication (1991)
English Department; Liberal Arts and Sciences
David R. Russell, drrussel@iastate.edu , 515-294-4724
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Our program is committed to studying the rhetorical and technological complexities of contemporary communication practice. We embrace multimodal composition, new media, and digital collaboration. Our PhD in Rhetoric and Professional Communication focuses on the rhetoric of professional communities and the need for communication expertise within business, technical, and scientific communities.
Core Faculty:
Barb Blakely, Assoc. Prof., Critical Pedagogy, Composition Pedagogy, WPA
Scott Consigny, Assoc. Prof., Classical Rhetoric, Rhetoric and Literature, Theory
Lee Honeycutt, Assoc. Prof., Political Rhetoric, Computers and Design, Classical Rhetoric
Charles Kostelnick, Prof., Visual Rhetoric, Professional Writing, Cross-cultural Rhetoric
Carl Herndl, Prof., Science, Theory, Cultural Studies
David R. Russell, Prof., WAC, Social Theory, Professional Writing
Michael Mendelson, Prof., Classical Rhetoric, Civic Discourse, Pedagogy
Amy Slagell, Prof., Public Discourse, Rhetorical Criticism, 19th Century
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Rebecca Pope-Ruark, “Challenging the Necessity of Organizational Community for Rhetorical Genre Use: Community and Genre in the Work of Integrated Marketing Communication Agency Writers,” 2007
Neil Lindeman, “Blurred Boundaries of Science and Advocacy: The Discourse of Scientists at a Conservation Organization,” 2006
David Fisher, “Remediating the Professional Classroom: The New Rhetoric of Teaching and Learning,” 2006
Adela Licona, “Third Space Sites, Subjectivities and Discourses: Reimagining the Representational Potentials of (B)orderlands’ Rhetorics,” 2005
Elizabeth Wardle, “Contradiction, Constraint, and Re-mediation: An Activity Analysis of FYC Motives,” 2004
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 History of rhetoric or composition
2 History of technical/professional communication
4 Theory of rhetoric or composition
1 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
3 Technical/professional communications pedagogy
1 Program evaluation or assessment
6 Nonacademic or workplace studies
1 Technology and communication
2 Writing across the curriculum
6 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
10 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Writing sample
3 Letters of recommendation
4 Graduate GPA
5 Work experience
6 Source of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 36
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 21
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
10 2005-2006
15 2004-2005
16 2003-2004
15 2002-2003
14 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
5 2005-2006
7 2004-2005
11 2003-2004
9 2002-2003
7 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
4 2005-2006
4 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
4 2002-2003
4 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, None; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 33
Core courses: Theory and research in professional communication; Writing and analyzing professional documents; History of rhetorical theory I: Sophists to Bacon
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Proseminar: Teaching English Composition; Teaching Business and Technical Communication; Seminar in advanced pedagogy: Theory and research; Rhetoric of science; Qualitative Research and Cultural Representation; Cultural Studies and Rhetoric
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 0
Brief description of exam process:
The student creates a reading list in collaboration with her faculty advisory committee. The list reflects her own interests but includes reading in history, theory, methodology, and pedagogy. The committee then creates five questions based on the list and the student’s coursework. The student then has 17 days to write about a ten-page essay on three questions of her choice. The answers are evaluated by her committee, augmented by two members of the examinations committee. The exam is designed to give students focused reading in the general area of their dissertation research.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Rhetoric; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: $17,500; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Required course in technical/professional communication theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Industry Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also Editorial assistant
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Organizing three regional or national conferences in the next five years; Expanding current collaborations with science and technology departments and research groups (for example, sustainable agriculture policy, virtual reality); Expanding graduate student’s use of our new multimedia studio for production, user testing, etc.; Further lowering teaching loads for PhD students.
Program Strengths
A large faculty with diverse research interests; Excellent graduate student opportunities for teaching, research, and outreach; Faculty committed to working closely with graduate students
Department of English, 113 Satterfield Hall, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242
http://www.kent.edu/english/PhDinRhetoricComposition/
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1997)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Christina Haas, chaas@kent.edu , 330-672-2676
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The PhD in Rhetoric and Composition is focused on Literacy, Rhetoric, and Social Practice. Literacy encompasses all acts of meaning-construction in academic and nonacademic settings and across reading, writing, and other forms of representation. Rhetoric includes the production and use of texts for distinct audiences and social contexts. Social Practice refers to the embeddedness of literacy and rhetoric within larger discursive and material contexts of human activity. Grounded in rhetoric and language study, coursework and research center on how advanced literacy is embedded within and constitutive of communities of work and citizenship in contemporary culture.
Core Faculty:
Marlia Banning, Assist. Prof., Information not provided
Raymond Craig, Assoc. Prof., Classical Rhetoric, History of Writing and Representation, Computers and Writing
Patricia Dunmire, Assoc. Prof., Discourse Analysis, Media, Political Rhetoric
Christina Haas, Assoc. Prof., Literacy, Research Methods, Technology
Brian Huot, Prof., Writing Theory, Pedagogy and Assessment, WPA, Literary Studies
Sara Newman, Assoc. Prof., Classical Rhetoric, History of Rhetoric, Interdisciplinary, Science
Margaret Shaw, Assoc. Prof., Composition, History of Rhetoric, Cultural Studies, Classical Rhetoric, Contemporary Rhetoric, Historiography
Pamela Takayoshi, Assoc. Prof., Computers and Writing, Research Methods, Pedagogy
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
David Overbey, “Verifying Web-Based Information: Detailed Accounts of Web Use in Real Time,” 2007
Kathryn Weiss, “Material Rhetoric: Literacy Beyond Language at Kent State’s May 4th Memorial,” 2006
Kenneth Marunowski, “The Euro: A Multimodal Study in Presence,” 2006
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
4 Theory of rhetoric or composition
1 Technical/professional communications pedagogy
2 Nonacademic or workplace studies
1 Technology and communication
2 Visual Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
3 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Letters of recommendation
4 Graduate GPA
5 Writing sample
6 Personal knowledge of applicant
Total number of PhD students in Department: 68
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 21
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
10 2005-2006
13 2004-2005
9 2003-2004
9 2002-2003
7 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
7 2005-2006
6 2004-2005
5 2003-2004
4 2002-2003
1 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 02/01; Department Application, 02/01; Financial Aid, 03/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 30
Core courses: Introduction to the Field: Perspectives on Theory, Research, and Practice; Reading and Interpreting Research on Writing; Rhetorical Theory: Greek and Roman
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Literate Practices and Sociolinguistics; Field Research Methods in Writing; Discourse Analysis; Directed Readings in Writing and Rhetoric: Linguistics: Research Methods; Directed Readings in Writing and Rhetoric: Linguistics for Rhetoricians; Directed Readings in Writing and Rhetoric
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Information not provided
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $12,000; Benefits: Health insurance, Students can take a leave of absence from the program and then return to the program with their assistantship.
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Required course in technical/professional communication theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work; also writing program assistant, undergraduate writing internship assistant, editorial assistants for scholarly journals
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
Limited and dwindling resources; Lack of self-governance within English Department
Program Strengths
Coherent, principled curriculum; Explicit and sustained training in research; Individual mentoring of students by faculty; Strong faculty contingent with a variety of interests
5A Olds Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824
PhD in Rhetoric and Writing (2003)
College of Arts and Letters
Malea Powell, powell37@msu.edu , 517-353-9183
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Our aim is to prepare students to be culturally and technologically engaged thinkers, writers, researchers, teachers, and citizens. To meet this goal, we work to provide a humane educational experience informed by rigorous intellectual and ethical practices. Because our program emphasizes rhetoric not only as theoretical engagement but also as productive action, we envision many sites of practice as appropriate for “doing rhetoric”: communities, classrooms, workplaces, cultures, and texts (print, digital, and non-alphabetic). Our sense of professional identity extends to a commitment to service to our department, institutions, professional organizations, and communities. Students in our program are encouraged to envision their work as taking place at the intersections of scholarship, teaching, and service within a range of linguistically and culturally diverse contexts.
Core Faculty:
David Cooper, Prof., Nonfiction, Outreach, Public Discourse
Ellen Cushman, Assoc. Prof., Ethnography, Community Literacy, Technology
Nancy DeJoy, Assoc. Prof., Assessment, Composition, Feminist Theory
Danielle DeVoss, Assoc. Prof., Visual Rhetoric, Computers and Design, Professional Writing
Kathleen Geissler, Assoc. Prof., Interdisciplinary, Literacy, Pedagogy
Jeff Grabill, Assoc. Prof., Community Literacy, Technology, Outreach
Bump Halbritter, Assist. Prof., Composition, Technology, Pedagogy
Bill Hart-Davidson, Assist. Prof., Computers and Design, General Theory and Criticism, Technology
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Doug Eyman, “Digital Rhetoric: Ecologies and Economies of Circulation,” 2007
Jill McKay (Chrobak), “The Rhetoric of Appropriation: Hip Hop Culture, Black Language, and Upper Middle Class White Males,” 2007
Suzanne Rumsey, “Multi-modal Discourse and Heritage Literacy Practices,” 2006
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
1 Literary studies
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
2 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Writing sample
3 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
4 Teaching experience
5 Letters of recommendation
Total number of PhD students in Department: 31
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 31
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
50 2005-2006
40 2004-2005
30 2003-2004
10 2002-2003
0 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
12 2005-2006
12 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
5 2002-2003
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
7 2005-2006
7 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
5 2002-2003
0 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, 12/15; Financial Aid, 12/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 27
Core courses: Rhetoric History and Theory; Composition Pedagogies; Research Methodologies in Rhetoric and Writing
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Community Literacy; Teaching with Technology; Seminar in Language, Literacy, Pedagogy; Portfolio Workshop; Qualitative Methods; Teaching with Technology
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
1. A core comprehensive exam over core coursework (portfolio plus two 15-page essays written in response to collaboratively developed questions over a 7-day period). 2. A concentration comprehensive exam over specialty area (portfolio plus annotated bibliography plus review of the literature). 3. Oral defense of the dissertation prospectus.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $12,500; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit, Short-term disability, Long-term disability
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Required course in technical/professional communication theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Industry Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also Editoral assistantships, Residential College in Arts and Humanities assistantships
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 3
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 12
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 4
State budget constraints that trickle down to units in the University
Program Strengths
Cultural rhetorics; Digital rhetorics; The ability of the program to focus on Rhetoric and Writing studies exclusively
Michigan Technological University
Department of Humanities, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Dr., Houghton, MI 49931-1295
PhD in Rhetoric and Technical/ Professional Communication (1989)
Department of Humanities; College of Sciences and Arts
Elizabeth A. Flynn, eflynn@mtu.edu , 906-487-3227
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The Rhetoric and Technical Communication Program offers both master’s and doctoral degrees that engage faculty and students in interdisciplinary work across a range of fields, focusing on the complex interactions among rhetoric and communication within their social and cultural contexts. Special attention is given to the changing role of technology, communication, and representation in contemporary societies.
Core Faculty:
Robert Johnson, Prof., Technology, Rhetorical Traditions, Composition, Technical Communication
Elizabeth A. Flynn, Prof., Feminist Theory, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Composition, Modernism/Postmodernism
Marilyn Cooper, Prof., Composition, Linguistics, Discourse Analysis
Randall Freisinger, Prof., Creative Nonfiction, Composition Pedagogy, Literature
Nancy Grimm, Assoc. Prof., Literacy, Composition Pedagogy, Writing Center work
Craig Waddell, Assoc. Prof., History of Rhetoric, Classical Rhetoric, Public Discourse
Erin Smith, Assist. Prof., Computers and Design, Media, Composition
Ann Brady, Assist. Prof., Professional Writing, Feminist Theory, Composition
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Ksenia Ilyasova, “Writing, Identity and Practice: The Role of Sexual Identity in the Composition Classroom,” 2007
Kristin Arola, “Invitational Listening: Exploring Design in Online Spaces,” 2006
Leslie Bowen, “Reconfigured Bodies: Ownership, Responsibility and Control Relations in the Biotechnology Age,” 2006
Felobia Dallas, “Can Academic Theorizing Guide Technical Communication or is Industry Experience Necessary? A Rubric Toward Situating Students’ Perspectives,” 2006
Michael Robertson, “Aristotle for the Post-Industrial Republic,” 2005
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
3 History of rhetoric or composition
2 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
4 Technical/professional communications pedagogy
5 Literary studies
2 Technology and communication
1 Writing program administration
4 Rhetorical criticism
4 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
2 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Writing sample
4 Letters of recommendation
5 Graduate GPA
Total number of PhD students in Department: 51
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 30
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
28 2005-2006
34 2004-2005
43 2003-2004
43 2002-2003
53 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
10 2005-2006
14 2004-2005
17 2003-2004
16 2002-2003
18 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
5 2005-2006
9 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
8 2002-2003
6 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/15; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 32
Core courses: Rhetoric, Composition, and Literacy; Technical Communication/Technology Studies; Communication in Cultural Contexts
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Oral, Written, and Visual Communication Pedagogy; Theories of Pedagogy; Composition Theory; Gender Studies; Communication; New Media
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Students identify three areas of concentration, usually drawing from the student’s major stream and one from within the minor stream of study. The three streams are Rhetoric/Composition/Literacy, Technical Communication/Technology Studies, Communication in Cultural Contexts. Students have four options for the written portion of the exam: two-week, month-long, in-house, and eight months. All students have a two-hour oral examination. Students can pass or pass conditionally.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available; Nonteaching fellowships: Not Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Information not provided; Teaching system: Information not provided; Number of FYC students taught/year: 15-25
Salary: Our stipend is $5,438 per term plus tuition and fees; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Industry Internships, Committee Work
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 3
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 7
A big challenge will be filling vacant positions with faculty who can contribute in creative ways to the program. Another challenge will be meeting the needs of the excellent students who have come to us. Achieving balance among the different areas within the department is always a challenge as our program is considerably more interdisciplinary than most.
Program Strengths
Our program is interdisciplinary: Students benefit from small seminars in a variety of areas including rhetoric, composition, technical communication, literacy studies, communication, modern languages, philosophy, linguistics, nonfiction, and literature.
PO Box 30001/MSC 3E, Las Cruces, NM 88003
PhD in Rhetoric and Technical/ Professional Communication (1991)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Monica F. Torres, mftorres@nmsu.edu , 505-646-2319
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The PhD in Rhetoric and Professional Communication offers courses in rhetoric, composition studies, professional communication, and critical/cultural studies. Drawing on a range of research methods and pedagogical approaches, faculty support students from diverse backgrounds pursuing interests in industry, government, and education. We encourage critical engagements that challenge the borders traditionally drawn between theory/practice, production/reception, and creativity/critique. We promote situated inquiry that negotiates cultural, technological, disciplinary, and textual constraints in order to imagine and realize new possibilities. Students complete courses in four core areas, and using additional coursework, internship experiences, and dissertation research, develop expertise in specialized areas.
Core Faculty:
Stuart Brown, Prof., History of Rhetoric, WPA, Rhetorical Criticism, Ethics
Chris Burnham, Prof., Assessment, Composition, WAC, Expressive Rhetoric
Jennifer Sheppard, Assist. Prof., Computers and Design, Professional Writing, Technology, Visual Rhetoric
Barry Thatcher, Assoc. Prof., Cross-cultural Rhetoric, Professional Writing, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Research Methods
Monica F. Torres, Assist. Prof., Cultural Studies, Race, Theory, Popular Culture
Kathryn Valentine, Assist. Prof., Composition, Literacy, Research Methods, Writing Centers
Patti Wojahn, Assoc. Prof., Interdisciplinary, Professional Writing, Research Methods, WAC
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Carlos Caire, “Chicanos in Higher Education: Oral Testimony as Social Justice,” 2007
James Melton, “Professional Communication in Global Contexts: A Case Study of the Rhetorical Competencies of an International Training Team,” 2007
Susanne Green, “Teacher and Student Identity: Pedagogy and Reiteration in First-Year Writing,” 2004
Erin Harvey, “A Case Study of Graduate Assistants’ Reactions to Students’ Writing,” 2004
Phillip Bernick, “Habitability in Search Engine Interfaces: Characteristics Identified through Formative Evaluation,” 2003
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
6 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Literary studies
2 Writing center studies
2 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
2 Nonacademic or workplace studies
1 Technology and communication
1 Visual Rhetoric
3 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
3 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
3 Letters of recommendation
4 Work experience
5 Teaching experience
6 Type of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 100
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 24
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
25 2005-2006
20 2004-2005
20 2003-2004
25 2002-2003
25 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
9 2005-2006
8 2004-2005
8 2003-2004
7 2002-2003
10 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
7 2005-2006
3 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
6 2002-2003
7 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 02/01; Department Application, 02/01; Financial Aid, 02/01
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 54
Core courses: Proseminar in Rhetoric and Professional Communication; Research Methods (Quantitative, Qualitative, Rhetorical Criticism); Internship
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Composition Pedagogy; Tech/Prof Comm Theory and Pedagogy; Multimedia Theory and Production; Documentary Film Theory and Criticism; Managing Client-Based Projects
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 0
Brief description of exam process:
The comprehensive examination is normally taken in the semester following completion of doctoral coursework. The comprehensive examination tests students’ knowledge in the four core coursework areas and in a specialized area. The examination covers coursework and related reading in all areas. The examination comprises: Part 1: Written examination on core coursework. Part 2: Written examination on area of specialization. Part 3: Oral exam on Parts 1 and 2. The doctoral committee prepares and administers the comprehensive examination.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Not Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: Information not provided; Benefits: Health insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Industry Internships, Committee Work; also WPA Assistant, Puerto del Sol Assistant, Computer Support
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Information not provided
Program Strengths
Information not provided
North Carolina State University
CRDM Program, Campus Box 8101, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8101
PhD in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media (2005)
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Carolyn R. Miller, crmiller@ncsu.edu , 919-515-4126
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The CRDM program prepares students to pose and solve research problems pertaining to the human dimensions of new communication media and information technologies. Students work with faculty from the departments of Communication and English to study oral, written, and visual modes of communication, their interactions in the context of digital media, and issues of interdisciplinary research. Mentoring for professional development in teaching and research is an integral part of the program.
Core Faculty:
Christopher Anson, Prof., Composition Pedagogy, WAC, WPA
Mike Carter, Prof., Composition, Assessment, WAC
Ann M. Penrose, Prof., Composition, Science, Research Methods
Brent Faber, Prof., Discourse Analysis, Professional Writing, Social Theory
Hans Kellner, Prof., Historiography, Theory, Psychoanalysis
Victoria Gallagher, Prof., Rhetorical Criticism, Visual Rhetoric, Organizational Communication
Carolyn R. Miller, Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Rhetorical Criticism, Rhetoric of Science and Technology
Susan Miller-Cochran, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Computers and Design, WPA
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Information not provided
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
Information not provided
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
Admission is based on academic quality and fit with program goals. Quality can be demonstrated by GPA, recommendation letters, GRE scores,
writing sample. Fit can be demonstrated by recommendation letters, statement of goals, type of MA degree, writing sample, teaching or other work experience.
Total number of PhD students in Department: 22
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 22
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
46 2005-2006
19 2004-2005
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
10 2005-2006
8 2004-2005
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
6 2005-2006
5 2004-2005
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 06/15; Department Application, 02/01; Financial Aid, 02/01
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 56
Core courses: History and Theory of Communication Technology; Rhetoric and Digital Media; Communication in Networked Society
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Technologies and Pedagogies in the Communication Arts; Foucault in Communication and Culture; Emerging Genres; Supervised Teaching; Teaching College Composition; Visual Rhetoric; Theorizing Writing; Analysis of Verbal Data
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Orals
Foreign languages required: 0
Brief description of exam process:
Students select three areas, develop reading lists with committee, write for 12 hours within 72 hours, take 2-hour oral when committee satisfied with writtens. No retake of writtens but supplemental answers may be presented at oral.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Restricted number of teaching assistantships available; Nonteaching fellowships: Not Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: $14,500; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice
Professional opportunities: Industry Internships, Committee Work; also Writing and Speaking across the Curriculum assistant
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 8
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
Since we are just starting our third year, our next challenge is graduating our first students and testing them on job market; we aim to produce students who will be successful in Communication or English departments.
Program Strengths
Interdisciplinary approach and interdepartmental administration; Established research faculty; Resources of high-tech campus and Research Triangle Park
Department of English, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization
English Department; Liberal Arts and Sciences
Philip Eubanks, eubanks1@niu.edu , 815-753-0615
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The PhD program at NIU permits students to select rhetoric as one of two areas of special concentration. It offers a wide variety of courses in rhetoric, composition, and professional writing for both MA and PhD students. PhD students may write a dissertation in rhetoric, rhetoric and composition, or professional writing. Dissertations are directed by a specialist in the field, and committees typically are composed of specialists in rhetoric and composition.
Core Faculty:
Michael Day, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Technology, Computers and Design
Philip Eubanks, Assoc. Prof., Discourse Analysis, Professional Writing, Composition
Susan Callahan, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Assessment, Composition Pedagogy
Bradley Peters, Assoc. Prof., Composition, WAC, Composition Pedagogy
Jessica Reyman, Assist. Prof., Professional Writing, Technology, Legal Rhetoric
John Schaeffer, Prof., Classical Rhetoric, Rhetoric and Literature, History of Rhetoric
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Phyllis R. Gooden, “Religion, Voodoo, Conjuring, and Ghosts: The Rhetoric of the African American Cultural Language as a Theory for Literary and Film Criticism in Analyzing Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved,’” 2005
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
1 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
5 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Type of MA degree
2 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
3 GRE Scores
4 Graduate GPA
5 Goals/Statement of purpose
6 Writing sample
Total number of PhD students in Department: 60
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 2
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 07/15; Department Application, 07/15; Financial Aid, 02/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 60
Core courses: Traditions in Written Rhetoric; The Rhetoric of Prose Composition; Seminar: Rhetorical Studies
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: The Rhetoric of Prose Composition; Internship in the College Teaching of English; The Rhetoric of the Essay; Writing for Electronic Media; LGBT Communities: Images and Debates
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Written examination in two fields. Oral examination defending dissertation prospectus.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Literature; Teaching system: Information not provided; Number of FYC students taught/year: >100
Salary: $12,500; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Industry Internships, Committee Work, Assessment
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Although we have had some success in supporting professionalization, we would love to find additional funding to help students begin their professional lives by traveling to and presenting at national and regional conferences.
Program Strengths
Our department has faculty with wide-ranging interests that include computers and composition, professional and technical writing, WAC, and classical rhetoric. PhD study is done in the context of a department with a vibrant professional writing MA and strong first-year composition program. Our department provides strong support for writers of dissertations, including dissertation completion awards and job-placement advising.
English Department, 360 Ellis Hall, Athens, OH 45701
PhD in Rhetoric and Composition (1995)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Sherrie Gradin, gradin@ohio.edu , 740-593-2820
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Ohio University’s graduate program in Rhetoric and Composition emphasizes connections between theory and pedagogy. Courses focus on tensions between practice and theory in context, exploring tensions through sites of gender, class, writing program administration, and historical constructions while also bridging rhetoric and composition, literary, and creative writing studies. The program is intentionally small, the atmosphere is supportive, and faculty work closely with individual students. Graduate Teaching Associates teach an assortment of undergraduate courses. Writing courses are held to twenty students. The program offers several possibilities for gaining experience in writing program administration.
Core Faculty:
Sherrie Gradin, Prof., Composition Pedagogy, Critical Pedagogy, WPA, Gender and Writing Expressivism
Mara Holt, Assoc. Prof., Race, Pedagogy, WPA, Feminist Theory
Jennie Nelson, Assoc. Prof., Composition Pedagogy, WPA, Race, Responding to Student Writing
Albert Rouzie, Assoc. Prof., Composition Pedagogy, Technology, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
Sung Ohm, Assist. Prof., Race, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Composition
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
William Breeze, “Teaching a Critical Culture: Raising our Pedagogical Consciousness in the Writing Classroom,” 2006
Kelly Kinney, “A Political Administration: Pedagogy, Location, and Teaching Assistant Preparation,” 2005
Christina Fisanick, “The Embodied Pedagogue: Teaching and Writing with the Body,” 2003
Candace Stewart, “(Re)imagining the Person(al): A History of Composition’s Scholarly Representations of the Self, 1980-2001,” 2003
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Writing program administration
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
1 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Goals/Statement of purpose
4 Writing sample
5 Teaching experience
6 Graduate GPA
Total number of PhD students in Department: 27
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 12
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
12 2005-2006
10 2004-2005
14 2003-2004
16 2002-2003
8 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
2 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
2 2003-2004
3 2002-2003
2 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
1 2005-2006
1 2004-2005
0 2003-2004
2 2002-2003
0 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 12/15; Department Application, 09/15; Financial Aid, 12/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 55
Core courses: The Rhetorical Tradition and the Teaching of Writing; Major Rhetorical Theories and the Teaching of Composition; Research Methods in Rhetoric and Composition
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching College English; Colloquium on the Profession; Professional Issues in Teaching College English; Assessing and Responding to Student Writing; Constructive Approaches to Issues of Community, Identity, and Difference in Rhetoric and Writing; Representations of Race and Ethnicity in Rhetoric and Composition
Examinations required for PhD students: Information not provided
Foreign languages required: Information not provided
Brief description of exam process:
Information not provided
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Rhetoric, Literature; Teaching system: Quarter; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $13,000; Benefits: Information not provided
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work, Assessment
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 12
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 15
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Challenges include the need for better benefits for graduate teaching associates, the need to increase diversity of program participants, and the need for more resource funding, for fellowships, for example.
Program Strengths
Close working relationship with faculty and other grad students; Wide variety of opportunities to gain teaching and writing program administration experience; Strong support and preparation for job interviews results in excellent job placement
Department of English, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529
http://al.odu.edu/english/academics/phd.shtml
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (2006)
English Department; Arts and Letters
Jeffrey H. Richards, jhrichar@odu.edu , 757-683-4032
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The PhD in English explores the full range of written English through such modes of inquiry as rhetoric, composition, linguistics, literature, and journalism, and through such media as print, speech, and hypertext. The program is designed to integrate writing, rhetoric, discourse, and textual studies, thus offering opportunities for creative reinterpretation of these fields within the discipline of English, and it makes use of the full range of teaching media, from traditional classroom, to mediated, televised, and asynchronous forms of delivery, to reach the widest possible audience, including those whose work and domestic situations prevent them from full-time, on-campus studies.
Core Faculty:
David Metzger, Prof., Classical Rhetoric, History of Rhetoric, Medieval
Kevin DePew, Assist. Prof., Composition, Technology, WPA
Craig Stewart, Assist. Prof., History of Rhetoric, Science, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
Joyce Neff, Prof., Composition Pedagogy, WAC, Professional Writing, Research Methods
Julia Romberger, Assist. Prof., Professional Writing, Technology, Visual Rhetoric
Kathy Gossett, Assist. Prof., Visual Rhetoric, Medieval, Pop Culture
Janet Bing, Prof., Cross-cultural Rhetoric, Discourse Analysis, Linguistics, Women’s Studies
Joanne Scheibman, Assoc. Prof., Discourse Analysis, Feminist Theory, Linguistics
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Information not provided
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
Information not provided
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Graduate GPA
2 Writing sample
3 GRE Scores
4 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
5 Letters of recommendation
6 Type of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 28
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 28
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
20 2005-2006
40 2004-2005
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
9 2005-2006
20 2004-2005
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
8 2005-2006
20 2004-2005
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 02/15; Department Application, 02/15; Financial Aid, 02/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 39
Core courses: Texts and Technologies; Rhetoric and Discourse across Cultures; Major Debates in English Studies
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Pedagogy and Instructional Design; Teaching College Composition; Seminar in Sociolinguistics; Kenneth Burke; Visual Rhetoric
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Written examinations on field and research concentrations to enter dissertation candidacy; Oral defense when dissertation complete
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: $15,000; Benefits: Information not provided
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Industry Internships
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 8
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
Inaugurating a new program (in its second year 2007-08) and integrating distance and on-campus students.
Program Strengths
Innovative, cross-disciplinary curriculum; Focus on interrelationship of media and the full variety of textual and rhetorical practices; Availability of program via distance education to limited number of mid-career professionals who otherwise cannot relocate. Summer residencies required.
116 Sparks Building, University Park, PA 16802
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1985)
English Department; Liberal Arts
Jack Selzer, jls25@psu.edu , 814-865-1438
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Penn State’s large and nationally visible faculty in rhetoric and composition recruits and develops outstanding students and places them in excellent tenure-track positions. A diverse, talented group of students work with rhetoric faculty in English as well as Communications Arts and Sciences, teach a variety of courses in a comprehensive composition program while they study, learn cutting-edge research techniques and publication strategies, and are directed to complete highly publishable dissertations. Program is particularly strong in history and theory; ethnic rhetorics; and the rhetoric of science and technology. Semi-annual conferences on site provide intellectual stimulation and professional contacts.
Core Faculty:
Keith Gilyard, Prof., Cross-cultural Rhetoric, Race, Linguistics, African-American and Ethnic Rhetorics
Cheryl Glenn, Prof., Feminist Theory, History of Rhetoric, Rhetorical Traditions
Jack Selzer, Prof., Rhetorical Criticism, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Science, Kenneth Burke
Richard Doyle, Prof., Science, Cultural Studies, Theory
Suresh Canagarajah, Prof., Cross-cultural Rhetoric, Contrastive Rhetoric, Linguistics, World Englishes
Rosa Eberly, Assoc. Prof., Civic Discourse, Political Rhetoric, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Publics Theory
Stuart Selber, Assoc. Prof., Technology, Computers and Design, Professional Writing
Jon Olson, Assist. Prof., WPA, WAC, Pedagogy, Writing Centers
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Steven Schneider, “Rhetorical Education at the Highlander Folk School,” 2007
Jeffrey Pruchnic, “The Transhuman Condition: Rhetoric and Ethics in the Cybernetic Age,” 2007
Scott Wible, “Language Diversity As Policy: Lessons from Three Instances,” 2006
Aesha Adams, “The Language and Literacy Practices of Contemporary Black Women Preachers,” 2006
Jay Jordan, “ESL, ‘Comp,’ and Composition: Terms, Assumptions, and Practices for Native and Non-Native English-Speaking Students,” 2006
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
3 History of rhetoric or composition
1 History of technical/professional communication
6 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Technical/professional communications pedagogy
3 Literary studies
1 Linguistics
2 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
2 Technology and communication
2 Rhetorical criticism
2 Visual Rhetoric
3 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
5 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Graduate GPA
2 Undergraduate GPA
3 GRE Scores
4 Source of undergraduate degree
5 Source of MA degree
6 Writing sample
Total number of PhD students in Department: 100
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 14
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
45 2005-2006
40 2004-2005
40 2003-2004
40 2002-2003
40 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
3 2005-2006
4 2004-2005
3 2003-2004
4 2002-2003
3 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
3 2005-2006
4 2004-2005
5 2003-2004
3 2002-2003
3 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/15; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 15
Core courses: The Theory and Teaching of Composition; Rhetoric of Science and Technology; History of Rhetoric
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Kenneth Burke; Ethnic Rhetoric; Literacy Studies; Teaching Practicum
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Comprehensives
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Major Field Exam (in rhetoric and composition) requires mastery of the field and of special area related to the dissertation. Students also pick two supporting field exams: theory or literary period or genre or special topic.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: $18,000; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit, Maternity leave for student
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training; also Participate in annual conference
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work; also Assist the Director of Composition, Research assistantships, Conference assistant
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 12
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
While there are always challenges as a program strives to improve, Penn State is positioned well to maintain a leadership position in graduate studies in rhetoric and composition.
Program Strengths
Large number of faculty ensures outstanding seminar offerings each semester and talented committee members; Excellent financial support, including fellowships, high-caliber assistantships, and support for travel and research; Strong sense of community among faculty and students.
Department of English, 500 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2038
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1980)
English Department; Liberal Arts
Irwin Weiser, iweiser@purdue.edu , 765-494-3740
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The Department of English at Purdue University offers an MA and PhD in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition for students pursuing the serious study of written discourse in academic, workplace, and public settings. The program provides students with strong historical, theoretical, and practical preparation for a variety of positions within and outside academia.
Core Faculty:
Jennifer Bay, Assist. Prof., Feminist Theory, Media, Professional Writing
Linda Bergmann, Assoc. Prof., WAC, Rhetoric and Literature, WPA, Writing Center Theory and Practice
Samantha Blackmon, Assoc. Prof., Composition Pedagogy, Computers and Design, Technology, Minority Rhetoric
David Blakesley, Prof., Professional Writing, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Visual Rhetoric, Digital Writing and Publishing
Richard Johnson-Sheehan, Assoc. Prof., Classical Rhetoric, History of Rhetoric, Professional Writing, Composition Pedagogy
Thomas Rickert, Assoc. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Postmodernism, Cultural Studies, Public Rhetoric
Shirley K. Rose, Prof., WPA, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Composition Pedagogy, Feminist Rhetoric
Michael Salvo, Assist. Prof., Professional Writing, Research Methods, Technology
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Barbara Whitehead, “A Rhetorical Analysis of John Fowles’s Daniel Martin,” 2007
James Beasley, “A Prehistory of Rhetoric and Composition: New Rhetoric and Neo-Aristotelianism at the U of Chicago, 1947-1959,” 2007
Huiling Ding, “Rhetoric of a Global Epidemic: Intercultural and Intracultural Communication about SARS,” 2007
Karl Stolley, “An Art of Emergent Visual Rhetoric,” 2007
Lisa McGrady, “Writing Together with Technology: Technological Literacy and Collaboration in Professional Writing Student Teams,” 2007
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
7 History of rhetoric or composition
7 Theory of rhetoric or composition
7 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
7 Technical/professional communications pedagogy
2 Literary studies
1 Writing center studies
2 Linguistics
8 Nonacademic or workplace studies
2 Technology and communication
1 Writing program administration
2 Writing across the curriculum
3 Rhetorical criticism
1 Visual Rhetoric
3 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
4 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Writing sample
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Letters of recommendation
4 Type of MA degree
5 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
6 Teaching experience
Total number of PhD students in Department: 184
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 49
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
49 2005-2006
50 2004-2005
44 2003-2004
43 2002-2003
21 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
19 2005-2006
20 2004-2005
20 2003-2004
15 2002-2003
10 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
8 2005-2006
10 2004-2005
10 2003-2004
4 2002-2003
6 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, none; Department Application, none; Financial Aid, ,one
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 30
Core courses: College Composition Theory and Practice; Composition Studies: Classical; Composition Studies: Modern
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching First-Year Composition; Professional Writing Practicum; Practicum in Writing Center Tutoring; Seminar in Writing Program Administration; Professional Writing Theory; Cultural Studies and Composition
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Two-part examination: 24-hour take home requiring five 1,000-word essays on topics related to core courses; week-long 15-20-page essay based on topics suggested by individual examinees, designed to help focus on dissertation topic
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: $12,500 plus full tuition remission; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family requires additional cost
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Industry Internships, Committee Work; also Program Assistants
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Because we are regularly offering new seminars and secondary area courses, we will need to pay careful attention to the scheduling of core and elective courses in order to continue to offer students a range of courses that meet their needs and interests.
Program Strengths
Quality of faculty; Strong primary core courses and a variety of secondary areas of emphasis; Attention to students
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Language, Literature, and Communication, Rensselaeer Polytechnic Institute, Sage Lab 110, Eighth Street, Troy, NY 12180
PhD in Communication and Rhetoric (1965)
Language, Literature, and Communication; Humanities and Social Sciences
Kathy Colman, colmak@rpi.edu , 518-276-6469
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The mission of the PhD in Communication and Rhetoric is to enable students to make contributions with rigor, depth, and creativity on issues related to communication in technologically mediated contexts. For over 30 years, our graduates have been leaders in the study of communication and technology. We combine the resources of a premier technological university with a faculty strongly grounded in theory and research and in technology and media. We draw on the insights of rhetoric, technical communication, composition, communication studies, human-computer interaction, game studies, and graphic design. Students wishing to take a multidisciplinary approach are encouraged to apply.
Core Faculty:
Merrill Whitburn, Prof., History of Rhetoric, Classical Rhetoric, Rhetorical Traditions
Lee Odell, Prof., Visual Rhetoric, Composition Pedagogy, WAC
James Zappen, Prof., Computers and Design, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Technology, Community Networks
Ekaterina Haskins, Assoc. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Classical Rhetoric, Rhetorical Criticism, Public Memory
Jan Fernheimer, Assist. Prof., Religious Rhetoric, Public Discourse, Technology, Jewish Rhetoric
Cheryl Geisler, Prof., Discourse Analysis, Literacy, Research Methods, Women in the Academic Professions
Robert Krull, Prof., Research Methods, Computers and Design, Technology, Human Computer Interaction
James Watt, Prof., Computers and Design, Media, Technology, Human Computer Interaction
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Jason Waite, “Identifying Agency: The Construction of Rhetorical Agency in Foxfire,” 2007
Shaun Slattery, “Techniques of Textual Coordination: An Activity-Based Study of a Mediated Techne of Technical Writing,” 2006
Andreas Karatsolis, “Synthesizing from Sources: Patterns of Use in the Academia and Implications for the Design of Electronic Reading and Writing Systems,” 2005
Huatong Sun, “Expanding the Scope of Localization: A Cultural Usability Perspective on Mobile Text Messaging Use in American and Chinese Contexts,” 2004
Terese Monberg, “Re-Positioning Ethos: Rhetorics of Hybridity and the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS),” 2002
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
10 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
4 Nonacademic or workplace studies
15 Technology and communication
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
7 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
2 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 GRE Scores
4 Graduate GPA
5 Personal knowledge of applicant
6 Letters of recommendation
Total number of PhD students in Department: 22
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 22
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
29 2005-2006
25 2004-2005
30 2003-2004
51 2002-2003
42 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
11 2005-2006
8 2004-2005
13 2003-2004
19 2002-2003
25 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
6 2005-2006
4 2004-2005
5 2003-2004
7 2002-2003
4 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/15; Department Application, none; Financial Aid, 01/30
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 60
Core courses: Rhetoric, Culture, and Comm. Technology; Communication Theory; 2 Methods courses from the following: Rhetorical Analysis OR Comm. Research I OR Ethnography and Cultural Analysis OR Techniques for Verbal Analysis; 3 of the following seminars (Literacy, HCI Theory, Media Studies, Digital Rhetoric, Social and Emotional HCI, Visual Comm., Rhetoric of Photograph, Media and Persuasion)
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Peer Response to Writing; Teaching Communication in Technologically Mediated Contexts; Visual Design; Interactive Narrative; Visual Literacy
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: Information not provided
Brief description of exam process:
In consultation with the chair and other members of the dissertation committee, the student is examined in a major area and two minor areas. The exam consists of written and oral portions. Three of the committee members pose questions for the written portion; all committee members read the written examination and participate in the oral examination. The purpose is not to test memory of specific, isolated facts but to permit students to demonstrate that they can develop and defend an informed position on topics or questions that are important in the major and minor areas of study.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Intermediate/Advanced Composi; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 15-25
Salary: $16,500; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Maternity leave for student
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Industry Internships, Committee Work; also Students on school fellowships are required to complete Professional Development Projects of their own design, activities that involve substantial work, make a contribution to the department, school, or community, and be independent of dissertation.
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 8
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
As a relatively small department, offering sufficient depth in each of several areas of PhD study; Working within institutional constraints on funding and opportunities for teaching experience; Offering adequate opportunities for publication and other professional development within the limited time available for PhD study
Program Strengths
A multidisciplinary faculty that are nevertheless held together by a common interest in communication in tech mediated contexts; An alumni base of over 140 graduates, among whom we count 14 full professors, 6 department chairs, 3 deans, and 2 endowed chairs and 77% of grads who in the last 10 years have permanent positions in academia, fully 40% in Doctoral/ Research Universities; A flexible program is highly tailored to the individual career goals of each student.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Department of English, Mailcode 4503, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL 62901
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1988)
English Department; College of Liberal Arts
Gerald Nelms, gnelms@verizon.net , 618-549-7866
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The Department of English at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale offers an MA and PhD in English with emphasis on Rhetoric and Composition. Well aware of the role that Writing Program Administration plays in advancing literacy efforts across the university and the nation, the Rhetoric and Composition faculty now offer a program intended to prepare candidates with training and experience in directing writing programs in a variety of contexts, such as First-Year Composition, Advanced Composition, Writing Centers, and Writing across the Curriculum. Committed to providing our students the opportunity to gain understanding and experience in conducting empirical research as the basis for understanding composition and the teaching of composition, we encourage students in our program to focus their research accordingly. We expect graduates from our program to be fully grounded in both the subject of and research on composition, the teaching of composition, and the administration of writing programs. The program curriculum blends learning in rhetoric and composition theory, research, and teaching.
Core Faculty:
Jane Cogie, Assoc. Prof., Literacy, Discourse Analysis, Linguistics, Critical Pedagogy
Ronda L. Dively, Assoc. Prof., Composition Pedagogy, WPA, Research Methods, Creativity Theory
Lisa J. McClure, Assoc. Prof., Theory, Research Methods, Pedagogy, Technical Communication
Gerald Nelms, Assoc. Prof., WAC, Composition, Historiography, Plagiarism
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Evon Hawkins, “Classifying and Characterizing Student Writers’ Metacognition: A Social Cognitive Ethnography,” 2007
Gloria Ulloa-Caceres, “Computers in Second Language (L2) Composition Classroom,” 2006
Trishena (Missy) Neiveen-Phegley, “Complicating Notions of Access: Class, Computers, and the Composition Student,” 2005
C. L. Costello, “The Metis of Mediation: An Application of Classical Rhetoric to Alternative Dispute Resolution,” 2005
Ernest Enchelmeyer, “Rhetorical Iconography: Representing Rhetoric in the History of Visual Arts,” 2005
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 Theory of rhetoric or composition
4 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Literary studies
2 Technology and communication
1 Writing across the curriculum
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
3 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 GRE Scores
2 Undergraduate GPA
3 Graduate GPA
4 Letters of recommendation
5 Goals/Statement of purpose
6 Type of undergraduate degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 49
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 14
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
6 2005-2006
3 2004-2005
3 2003-2004
7 2002-2003
5 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
6 2005-2006
6 2004-2005
2 2003-2004
2 2002-2003
5 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
5 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
1 2003-2004
5 2002-2003
3 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, NA; Department Application, 01/10; Financial Aid, 01/24
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 48
Core courses: Research in Rhetoric and Composition (ProSeminar); Composition Theory; Histories of Rhetoric (special topics)
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching College Writing; Writing Program Administration (special topics); Writing Program Administration (History and Politics); Writing Center Administration; Creativity Theory and Expository Writing
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives
Foreign languages required: 2
Brief description of exam process:
Students take exams at the end of their coursework as follows: a six-hour exam in the major, and three hours in each of two minors. Exams are closed book and although student may have a general idea of focus, he/she does not know the questions. Exams are reviewed by the students’ exam committee consisting of two professors from the major and one from each of the minors.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: >100
Salary: $12,348; Benefits: Health insurance, Dental and vision, Prescription drug benefit
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Assessment; also administrative assistants
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 6
Staffing. In a period of economic cutbacks, we have trouble acquiring permission to hire new or replacement faculty. This is complicated by the fact that our R/C faculty are often enlisted as administrators.
Program Strengths
Focus on writing program administration (supported by the respective faculty members’ expertise); Focus on empirical research; Quality of faculty both in terms of expertise and in ability to provide a breadth of experiences for our students
Writing Program, (HBC 239), Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13204
Composition and Cultural Rhetoric (1996)
Writing Program; Arts and Sciences
Collin Brooke, cbrooke@syr.edu , 315-443-1067
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The Composition and Cultural Rhetoric Doctoral Program at Syracuse University emphasizes research on the dynamic interaction of rhetoric and writing in a variety of cultural and historical contexts. As the first independent writing program in the country to offer a doctorate in Rhetoric and Composition, and with doctoral education as our sole focus, the CCR program offers a unique environment with a highly favorable faculty-student ratio. Our research and teaching centers entirely around writing and rhetoric, with faculty and students whose interests span a broad range of contemporary and historical specializations.
Core Faculty:
Lois Agnew, Assist. Prof., 19th Century, Classical Rhetoric, History of Rhetoric, Historiography
Adam Banks, Assist. Prof., Race, Technology, Community Literacy, African-American Rhetorics
Collin Gifford Brooke, Assoc. Prof., Technology, Theory, Computers and Design, Network Studies
Margaret Himley, Assoc. Prof., Feminist Theory, Literacy, Pedagogy, Queer Studies
Rebecca Moore Howard, Assoc. Prof., Pedagogy, WPA, Assessment, Plagiarism
Carol Lipson, Assoc. Prof., Classical Rhetoric, Professional Writing, Contrastive Rhetoric, Ancient Egyptian Rhetoric
Iswari Pandey, Assist. Prof., Cross-cultural Rhetoric, Contrastive Rhetoric, Ethnography
Steven Parks, Assoc. Prof., Composition Pedagogy, Critical Pedagogy, Community Literacy
Louise Wetherbee Phelps, Prof., Composition, General Theory and Criticism, Interdisciplinary
Gwen Pough, Assoc. Prof., Feminist Theory, Pop Culture, Race, African American Women Writers
Minnie Bruce Pratt, Professor, Feminist Theory, Women's Studies
Eileen Schell, Assoc. Prof., Feminist Theory, Community Literacy, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Rural Literacies
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Damian Baca, “Border Insurrections: How IndoHispano Rhetorics Revise Dominant Narratives of Assimilation,” 2006
Tennyson O’Donnell, “Intertextuality and the Rhetorical Construction of Hawaii: Examining Text and Context Relationships through ‘The Journals of M. Leopoldina Burns,’” 2005
Mary Queen, “Technologies of Representation: Fields of Rhetorical Action in Transnational Feminist Encounters,” 2005
Paul Butler, “Out of Style: A Retrospective and Prospective Look at Style in Composition Theory and Practice,” 2004
Amy Robillard, “Reimagining Students’ Writerly Authority: Co-investigation and Representations of Student Writers in Composition Studies,” 2004
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
3 History of rhetoric or composition
3 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
2 Literary studies
1 Technology and communication
1 Writing program administration
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
4 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Writing sample
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Goals/Statement of purpose
4 Teaching experience
5 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
6 Type of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 33
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 33
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
23 2005-2006
22 2004-2005
26 2003-2004
28 2002-2003
34 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
4 2005-2006
5 2004-2005
4 2003-2004
3 2002-2003
6 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
4 2005-2006
5 2004-2005
4 2003-2004
3 2002-2003
6 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/15; Department Application, 01/10; Financial Aid, 02/01
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 36
Core courses: Introduction to Scholarship in Composition and Rhetoric; Development of Modern Composition Studies; Twentieth-Century Rhetorical Studies
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Composition Pedagogy; Critical Studies in Writing Curriculum; Advanced Theory and Philosophy of Rhetoric; Interdisciplinary Influences on Composition and Rhetoric: Special Topics; Ancient Rhetoric and its Reception
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 0
Brief description of exam process:
The major exam asks students to synthesize their coursework and to extend beyond it to demonstrate knowledge of the field of composition or cultural rhetoric. The minor exams are developed between the student and his/her faculty adviser(s) to develop emphasis and expertise in special topics or subfields and to acquire or deepen the methodological knowledge necessary for the student’s potential dissertation topic. One minor exam must reflect studies in other disciplines. Examinations include a written component in three parts (covering one major and two minor areas) and an oral component.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $14,095; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit, Short-term disability, Long-term disability, Life insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also Administrative internships
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: NA
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 8
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Like most programs, we struggle sometimes with the balance between core and elective coursework in the curriculum. Unlike most programs, our graduates take positions in departments that are quite different from the one where they were trained, and it can be a challenge to communicate that difference and to prepare our students for it.
Program Strengths
Program emphasis on cultural rhetoric; High faculty-student ratio; Wide range of rhetoric/composition course offerings; Students encouraged to pursue interdisciplinary interests
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Department of English, 301 McClung Tower, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0430
http://web.utk.edu/~english/grad/gs_phdrwl.shtml
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (2006)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Janet Atwill, jatwill@utk.edu , 865-974-5401
Program Description/Mission Statement:
A dynamic and interdisciplinary course of study, RWL is part of the University of Tennessee’s tradition of excellence in rhetoric and composition. The concentration in RWL is designed to foster innovative and imaginative as well as rigorous scholarship and teaching. To that end, the core curriculum invites students to work across a broad range of RWL areas, including the history of rhetoric, theories of rhetoric and writing, critical theory, composition research and pedagogy, literacy studies, technical communication, applied linguistics, and second-language acquisition.
Core Faculty:
Janet Atwill, Prof., Rhetoric in Antiquity, Critical Theory
Bethany K. Dumas, Prof., Linguistics, Legal Rhetoric, Discourse Analysis
Jenn Fishman, Assist. Prof., 18th Century, History of Rhetoric, Composition
David Gold, Asst. Prof., History of Rhetorical Instruction in America
Russel Hirst, Assoc. Prof., Professional Writing, 19th Century
Mike Keene, Prof., Theory and Criticism, Composition Pedagogy, Professional Writing
Ilona Leki, Prof., Linguistics, Literacy, Composition
Mary Jo Reiff, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Public Rhetorics, WAC/WPA
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Bill Doyle, “’Presence’ and Literary Nonfiction”
Susan North, “Finding Nature’s Order: Humanism, Rhetoric, and Stoicism in Francis Bacon’s Philosophy”
Anne Snellen, "’Remember the Ordinary, If You Can’: Metaphor, Memory and Meaning of 9/11 and 11-M in the Editorials of The New York Times and El Mundo”
Chris Minnix, - Professional Publics/Private Citizens: Human Rights NGOs and the Sponsoring of Discursive Activism”
Ethan Krase, “Socio-Cultural Interactions and ESL Graduate Student Enculturation: A Cross-sectional Analysis”
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000: 8
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
4 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 GRE scores (verbal)
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Graduate GPA
4 Writing sample
5 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
Total number of PhD students in Department: 58
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 5
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
2 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
1 2003-2004
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 12/15; Department Application, 12/15; Financial Aid, 12/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: minimum 30 coursework hours; 24 dissertation credit
Core courses: Theories of Rhetoric and Writing, History of Rhetoric I (classical to medieval), History of Rhetoric II (Renaissance to 19th/20th century)
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Visual Rhetoric, Rhetorics of Space and Place, Kenneth Burke, Feminist Rhetorics, Literary Nonfiction, Classical Rhetoric in Translation, Research Methodology, Discourse Analysis, Rhetoric, Writing, and the Emergence of Public Culture, Writing in the British Eighteenth Century
Examinations required for PhD students: Two take-home written comprehensive exams; one oral exam over dissertation research area
Foreign languages required: one language, requirement can be met by exam or coursework.
Brief description of exam process: For comprehensive exam, students may choose any two of a list of period and disciplinary areas; students are given a full weekend to complete the exam (approximately 5000 words). The oral exam is based on a reading list compiled with research director.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available’ also Travel Support
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; numerous reduced-load fellowships. Courses taught by GAs: First-Year Composition; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: $14,600; Benefits: Health insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work; also WPA
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6-9 hours
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 4
Increasing PhD population
Program Strengths
Strong community; breadth and depth of areas of specialization; many fellowships available
Department of Rhetoric and Writing, 1 University Station B5500, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-0200
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization
English Department; Liberal Arts
Linda Ferreira-Buckley, linda-fb@uts.cc.utexas.edu , 512-471-6109
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Students in the Rhetoric and Writing specialization prepare to do research in history, theory, pedagogy, and application and to teach both in rhetoric and composition programs and in a range of interdisciplinary programs with cultural, literary, or linguistic emphases. Students specializing in other areas of English studies also regularly draw upon the rich resources of the program in their coursework and their projects. In addition to their interaction with many internationally known and productive scholars, students have opportunities to perform vital roles in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing, the Undergraduate Writing Center, and the Computer Writing and Research Lab.
Core Faculty:
Lester Faigley, Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Visual Rhetoric, Composition Pedagogy
Jeffrey Walker, Prof., Classical Rhetoric, History of Rhetoric, Literature, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
Diane Davis, Assoc. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Psychoanalysis, Technology, Post-Structuralist Theory
Trish Roberts-Miller, Assoc. Prof., 19th Century, Civic Discourse, History of Rhetoric
Clay Spinuzzi, Assoc. Prof., Technology, Professional Writing, Activity Theory
Davida Charney, Prof., Science, Research Methods, Composition Pedagogy
Joan Mullin, Prof., WPA, Composition, Feminist Theory
John Ruszkiewicz, Prof., Composition, Composition Pedagogy, Visual Rhetoric
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Vessela Valiavitcharska, “Rhetoric and Poetics in Byzantine Homilies: The Case of Rhythm,” 2007
Janice Fernheimer, “The Rhetoric of Black Jewish Identity Construction in America and Israel: 1964-1972,” 2006
James Warren, “Literary Knowledge in the Reader: English Professors Processing Poetry and Constructing Arguments,” 2006
Aimee Kendall, “The Meaning of Computer Simulations: Rhetorical Analyses of Ad Hoc Programming,” 2006
William Wolff, “Faculty Learning Communities: Cultivating Innovation in Educational Technology Support Organizations,” 2006
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
5 History of rhetoric or composition
2 History of technical/professional communication
3 Theory of rhetoric or composition
6 Technology and communication
3 Writing across the curriculum
1 Rhetorical criticism
1 Political Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
4 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
3 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Writing sample
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Letters of recommendation
4 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
5 Type of undergraduate degree
6 Undergraduate GPA
Total number of PhD students in Department: Information not provided
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/08; Department Application, 01/08; Financial Aid, 01/08
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 24
Core courses: Research Methods
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Methods of Teaching College Writing; Coursebuilding for the Electronic Classroom; Teaching the Masterworks of American Literature; Methods of Research in Rhetoric and Composition; Qualitative Research with Readers and Designers of Texts; Women, Gender, and Writing
Examinations required for PhD students: Information not provided
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
The graduate program has recently eliminated a comprehensive examination taken in the fourth semester of graduate study. Faculty are deliberating options for replacing this with another mechanism.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Rhetoric, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: $12,520; With MA: $13,792-$15,594. Tuition and health insurance included; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit, Short-term disability, Long-term disability
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also Many graduate employees work as assistant directors in the Computer Writing and Research Lab and in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing where they perform vital administrative duties.
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 14
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
We are presently shaping a new undergraduate major in Rhetoric and Writing (now 1 year old). Undergraduates have chosen our major in numbers far larger than anticipated. The popularity of our faculty and our degree program will create new opportunities and new responsibilities for the faculty in the coming years.
Program Strengths
Our faculty in rhetoric and composition, one of the largest and most productive in North America, includes Bump, Charney, Davis, Faigley, Ferreira-Buckley, Harris, Kimball, Rebhorn, Richmond-Garza, Ruszkiewicz, Slatin, Spinuzzi, Syverson, Trimble, Walker, and Woods. Faculty strengths include the history of rhetoric; rhetorical and discourse theory; composition theory, pedagogy, and practice; discourse analysis; and computers and writing. Our students work in and learn about three major initiatives housed in the DRW: Students gain experience in planning and administering writing programs by teaching in the Division of Rhetoric and Writing < http://www.drw.utexas.edu/ > (DRW) and the Undergraduate Writing Center. < http://uwc.fac.utexas.edu/ > (UWC). Students with an interest in writing in digital environments frequently teach in state-of-the-art networked-computer classrooms and make use of the Computer Writing and Research Lab < http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/ > (CWRL). The CWRL has a long history of innovative research and development focusing on the pedagogical and scholarly implications of network technology, hypertext, and multimedia.
241 Blocker Building, English Department, MS-4227, Texas A&M, University College Station, TX 77843-4227
PhD with Emphasis in Discourse Studies (1970)
English Department; Liberal Arts
Sally Robinson, sallyr@tamu.edu , 979-845-8355
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The PhD in English includes a PhD with a concentration in discourse studies. The discourse studies option mixes coursework in rhetoric with additional studies in linguistics and cultural theory/cultural studies. Students frequently do significant work in English and American literature, as well, with the idea of integrating studies that prepare for a wide range of teaching and scholarship in English departments. Our students teach a wide range of courses and have the opportunity to work on writing center administration, writing program administration, textual editing projects, and various research projects undertaken by faculty.
Core Faculty:
M. Jimmie Killingsworth, Prof., Rhetoric and Literature, Rhetorical Criticism, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
C. Jan Swearingen, Prof., Classical Rhetoric, History of Rhetoric, Religious Rhetoric
Valerie Balester, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Literacy, WAC
Elizabeth Tebeaux, Prof., Business Writing, Professional Writing, History of Rhetoric
Stephanie Kerschbaum, Assist. Prof., Literacy, Composition, Discourse Analysis
Craig Kallendorf, Prof., Classical Rhetoric, History of Rhetoric
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Matthew Sherwood, “An Analysis of Conceptual Metaphor in the Professional and Academic Discourse of Technical Communication,” 2004
David J. Pruett, “Writing the Life of the Self: Constructions of Identity in Autobiographical Discourse by Six Eighteenth-Century American Indians,” 2004
Christopher J. Kreiser, “I’m Not Just Making This Up as I Go Along: Reclaiming Rhetorical Theories of Improvisation for Modern Discussions of Writing,” 2003
Brad S. McAdon, “Reading and Using the Past: Aristotle’s Rhetoric, American Civic Discourse, and Syllogism,” 2002
Laura B. Carroll, “The Rhetoric of Silence: Understanding Absence as Presence,” 2002
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
3 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
2 Writing center studies
7 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
1 Rhetorical criticism
1 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Writing sample
2 Source of MA degree
3 Type of MA degree
4 Graduate GPA
5 Letters of recommendation
6 Goals/Statement of purpose
Total number of PhD students in Department: 76
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 13
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, 01/05; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 36
Core courses: History of Rhetoric to 1800; History of Rhetoric since 1800; Rhetoric and Poetics
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Pedagogy
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
First-year review, based on dossier. Prelims: 4-hour written, based on three field lists. 2-hour oral, based on written exam and draft dissertation proposal
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Rhetoric, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: $11,000 (9 months); Benefits: Health insurance, Prescription drug benefit
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Industry Internships, Committee Work
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 12
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 6
The flexibility of our program in discourse studies sometimes makes it difficult for us to recruit students who want to work, specifically, in composition and rhetoric.
Program Strengths
We have a strong emphasis in rhetorical literary studies, as well as strengths in mixing cultural theory with linguistics and rhetoric; Strengths in feminist rhetorical studies and gender and discourse studies.
Department of Literature and Languages, ET Station, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX 75429
PhD in Rhetoric and Composition (2000)
Literature and Languages; Graduate
Donna Dunbar-Odom, Donna_Dunbar-Odom@tamu-commerce.edu , 903-886-5264
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Information not provided
Core Faculty:
Donna Dunbar-Odom, Prof., Composition Pedagogy, Composition, Cultural Studies
Bill Bolin, Assoc. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Political Rhetoric, 19th Century
Shannon Carter, Assoc. Prof., Basic Writing, Community Literacy, Feminist Theory
Salvatore Attardo, Prof., Linguistics
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Christy Foreman, “Negotiating Meaning in Context: How Composition Students Make Sense of Writing Assignments,” 2007
Hsuehching Shih, “Connecting the Critical Pedagogy in Basic Writing to College EFL Teaching: A Content Analysis of English Learning Magazines as Freshman English Teaching Material in Taiwan,” 2006
Tonya Scott, “Composition Studies and Cultural Identity: Writing Instruction at a Historically Black University,” 2005
Paullett Roddam Golden, “Responding with Purpose: Analysis of a Writing Center’s Commenting Practices in an Asynchronous Online Writing Lab (OWL) Environment,” 2005
Lori Rios Doddy, “Asking Students What Works: The Usefulness of Comments to First-Year Students’ Revisions,” 2005
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
6 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
3 Political Rhetoric
1 Writing center studies
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Writing sample
3 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
4 Letters of recommendation
4 GRE Scores
5 Graduate GPA
Total number of PhD students in Department: 17
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 7
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
9 2005-2006
? 2004-2005
? 2003-2004
? 2002-2003
? 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
4 2005-2006
? 2004-2005
? 2003-2004
? 2002-2003
? 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
1 2005-2006
1 2004-2005
3 2003-2004
2 2002-2003
1 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, Information not provided; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 60
Core courses: Information not provided
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Information not provided
Examinations required for PhD students: Information not provided
Foreign languages required: Information not provided
Brief description of exam process:
Information not provided
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Information not provided; Nonteaching fellowships: Information not provided
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: Information not provided; Courses taught by GAs: Information not provided; Teaching system: Information not provided; Number of FYC students taught/year: Information not provided
Salary: Information not provided; Benefits: Information not provided
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Professional opportunities: Information not provided
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
Information not provided
Program Strengths
Information not provided
English Department, TCU, Box 297270, Fort Worth, TX 76129
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization
English Department; AddRan College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Daniel Williams, d.e.williams@tcu.edu , 817-257-6250
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The program encourages students to conceive of rhetoric in broad terms, as a means of perceiving and ordering, as well as its particular applications to composition and literature. Particular strengths are in composition studies (theory and pedagogy), the history of rhetoric, and new media. The emphasis is on preparing scholar-teachers. The program is particularly strong in preparing students to be active members of the profession.
Core Faculty:
Richard Leo Enos, Prof., Classical Rhetoric, History of Rhetoric, Rhetorical Criticism
Ann George, Assoc. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Rhetorical Criticism, Rhetoric and Literature
Charlotte Hogg, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Literacy, Creative Nonfiction
Carrie S. Leverenz, Assoc. Prof., Composition, WPA, Computers and Design
Brad E. Lucas, Assist. Prof., Research Methods, Historiography, Composition
Joddy Murray, Assist. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Computers and Design, Interdisciplinarity
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Angela Gonzalez, “Shaping the Thesis and Dissertation: Case Studies of Writers Across the Curriculum,” 2007
Loren Marquez, “Dramatic Consequences: Integrating Performance into the Writing Classroom,” 2007
Cassandra Parente, “Manufacturing Literacies,” 2007
Jamie Thornton, “The Rhetorical Strategies of Lyndon Baines Johnson Promoting Education,” 2007
Brenda Tuberville, “Inside/out(sourced): The Problematic Nature of Teaching Basic Writing at the Community College,” 2007
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
4 History of rhetoric or composition
3 Theory of rhetoric or composition
6 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
2 Literary studies
2 Program evaluation or assessment
2 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
1 Nonacademic or workplace studies
1 Writing across the curriculum
1 Rhetorical criticism
1 Visual Rhetoric
1 Medical Rhetoric
9 Political Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Writing sample
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
4 Goals/Statement of purpose
5 GRE Scores
6 Type of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 40
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 20
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
20 2005-2006
20 2004-2005
20 2003-2004
20 2002-2003
20 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
5 2005-2006
5 2004-2005
5 2003-2004
5 2002-2003
5 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
NA 2005-2006
NA 2004-2005
NA 2003-2004
NA 2002-2003
NA 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, NA; Department Application, 01/31; Financial Aid, 01/31
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 30
Core courses: Introduction to Modern Critical Theory or Feminist Theory; Theories of Composition; History of Rhetoric or Modern Rhetoric
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching Writing; Teaching Practicum; Introduction to Composition Studies
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Three written exams are conducted over five days. Each written examination requires the student to answer two of six questions generated by the student’s full committee. All three areas of the written exam must be passed, following a majority vote of the faculty committee, before the student may take the oral exam. Within one week following the successful completion of the written exam, a two-hour oral takes place, divided equally among the three study areas.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: Information not provided; Benefits: Information not provided
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Required course in composition theory and practice
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work, Assessment; also Managing Editor for journal; Assistantship for New Media Writing Studio; Assistant WPA
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
Continuing to integrate the study of rhetoric and composition with literature and new media
Program Strengths
The close working relationship that exists between teachers and students, one of the benefits of a program that is small by design; Our students appear regularly at national meetings, and most of them begin publishing before they complete the degree; A vision of English studies that includes both literature and rhetoric/composition.
Box 43091, Lubbock, TX 79409
PhD in Rhetoric and Technical/ Professional Communication (1991)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Locke Carter, locke.carter@ttu.edu , 806-742-2500
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The mission of the Technical Communication and Rhetoric Program is to facilitate communication in action in a complex society and to advance the interdisciplinary study of rhetoric, science, and technology. The aims of study are broad knowledge of the literature on technical communication and rhetoric, specialized knowledge of some aspect of technical communication or rhetoric as reflected in the dissertation research, and ability to conduct ongoing independent research using one or more methods. This degree program requires courses in qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Core Faculty:
Sam Dragga, Prof., Professional Writing, Visual Rhetoric, Cultural Studies
Thomas Barker, Prof., Professional Writing, Pop Culture, Business Writing
Miles Kimball, Assoc. Prof., Visual Rhetoric, Pedagogy, History of Rhetoric
Ken Baake, Assoc. Prof., Science, Civic Discourse, Research Methods
Locke Carter, Assoc. Prof., Theory, Technology, Computers and Design
Amy Koerber, Assist. Prof., Science, Medical, Research Methods
Craig Baehr, Assoc. Prof., Computers and Design, Technology, Theory
Angela Eaton, Assist. Prof., Research Methods, Professional Writing, General Theory and Criticism
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Mialisa Hubbard, “Knowledge-building Spaces in Technical Communication: Navigating a Tertiary Orality,” 2007
Yingqin Liu, “Rhetorical Organization in Contemporary Chinese and English Argumentation: A Contrastive and Comparative Study,” 2007
Dave Yeats, “Open-Source Software Development and User-Centered Design: A Study of Open-Source Practices and Participants,” 2006
Rachel Harlow, “Technical Communication in the Public Sector: Convergence Analysis of Historical Discourse and the Reports of the Immigration Commission, 1911,” 2005
Miriam Williams, “Culture and Context: Invention and Style in Historical and Contemporary Regulations,” 2005
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
2 Theory of rhetoric or composition
3 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
2 Technical/professional communications pedagogy
7 Nonacademic or workplace studies
3 Technology and communication
1 Writing program administration
1 Visual Rhetoric
2 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
3 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
4 Writing sample
5 Graduate GPA
5 Teaching experience
Total number of PhD students in Department: 95
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 68
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
67 2005-2006
72 2004-2005
52 2003-2004
10 2002-2003
10 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
17 2005-2006
20 2004-2005
12 2003-2004
5 2002-2003
8 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
16 2005-2006
16 2004-2005
10 2003-2004
5 2002-2003
7 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 02/01; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 30
Core courses: History and Theory of Composition; Introduction to Research Methods; History of Rhetoric
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: History and Theory of Composition; Teaching Technical Communication; Teaching Practicum; Grants and Proposals; Rhetoric and Economics; Intercultural Rhetoric
Examinations required for PhD students: Information not provided
Foreign languages required: Information not provided
Brief description of exam process:
After completing coursework, students take the qualifying exam and prepare for dissertation research. Knowledge of the literature of the field is one of the qualifications for conducting research. Dissertations will have to engage with this literature. The exam helps to establish and determine qualifications to proceed to dissertation research, including knowledge of the issues in the fields of rhetoric, composition, and technical communication, including achievements and gaps in knowledge. These qualifications also point to a direction for individual students’ research, including mastery of research methods. Students will also be examined over materials related to their dissertations.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: $14,500; Benefits: Health insurance, Dental and vision, Prescription drug benefit, Short-term disability, Long-term disability, Life insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Required course in composition theory and practice; Required course in technical/professional communication theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Industry Internships, Committee Work, Assessment
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 8
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Managing growth
Program Strengths
Technology; Diversity of faculty and research interests; Rigorous requirements for research methods
PO Box 425829, Denton, TX 76201
PhD in Rhetoric (1969)
English, Speech, Foreign Languages; Arts and Sciences
Bruce Krajewski, bkrajewski@twu.edu , 940-898-2324
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The PhD in Rhetoric at TWU coordinates the areas of language, literature, and rhetoric to offer a program that provides balance. The goal of the PhD program is to graduate students who can succeed in teaching, research, and service. With emphases on historical, theoretical, and applied rhetoric as well as requirements for significant study in literature, linguistics, and literary theory, the PhD program offers diversity and flexibility. The Department recognizes that the history of rhetoric, the history of literary criticism, the history of philosophy, and literary history have significant overlap.
Core Faculty:
Hugh Burns, Prof., History of Rhetoric, Political Rhetoric
Bruce Krajewski, Prof., History of Rhetoric, Rhetorical Criticism, General Theory and Criticism
Guy Litton, Assoc. Prof., History of Rhetoric, Composition, Composition Pedagogy
Joyce Palmer, Prof., 18th Century, Literature
Lou Thompson, Prof., Visual Rhetoric, Pop Culture, Disability Rhetoric
Lori Doddy, Assist. Prof., Composition, Composition Pedagogy, Basic Writing
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Woosung Kim, “English in the Era of Globalization: The Conceptualization of English in Korean Students in American Higher Education,” 2007
Jeanne Atwell Sluder, “The Importance of Cultivating the Art of Logical Reasoning for Empowerment and Advancement: The Successful Female Leader,” 2007
Roxanne G. Kirkwood, “Liminal Spaces in Popular Culture: Social Change Through Rhetorical Agency,” 2005
Crystal Dawn McCage, “Narrative Technique as Rhetorical Strategy in Selected Children’s Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne,” 2005
Joy Lynn Spicer, “Collaboration as Rhetorical Action: Angelina and Sarah Grimké’s Private Correspondence, Public Oratory, and Development of Feminist Theory,” 2004
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
2 Writing center studies
5 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
2 Technology and communication
3 Rhetorical criticism
2 Visual Rhetoric
3 Political Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
3 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Graduate GPA
2 Type of MA degree
3 Writing sample
4 Letters of recommendation
5 GRE Scores
6 Source of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 38
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 38
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, Information not provided; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 90
Core courses: Rhetoric/Composition I; Rhetoric/Composition II; History of Rhetoric I
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Rhetoric/Composition I; Rhetoric/Composition II; Research Methods in Rhetoric/Composition; Visual Rhetoric; Presidential Rhetoric; Disability Rhetoric
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: Information not provided
Brief description of exam process:
Each student takes three written exams in (1) historical/theoretical rhetoric, (2) applied rhetoric, and (3) an elective area. After successful completion of the three written exams, the student takes an oral examination of two hours.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 6; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 15-25
Salary: $12,000 for nine months; Benefits: Health insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Required course in technical/professional communication theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work, Assessment
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 8
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 4
Additional resources are needed for the program to grow in numbers of students admitted and courses offered.
Program Strengths
Balance of rhetoric and literature; Historical and applied rhetoric
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
1111 Spring Garden Street, Greensboro, NC 27402
http://www.uncg.edu/eng/graduate
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1986)
English Department
Nancy Myers, nancymyers@uncg.edu , 336-334-3974
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The Department of English strives to maintain its excellence in teaching, in research and creative activity, and in service to the College, University, profession, and community. Department faculty share the conviction that the study of English language and literature exercises the imagination and teaches the value of individual perception, the empowering continuity of literary and rhetorical traditions, the significance of culture, and the power of ideas. The faculty believe that by fostering critical thinking, and reading, writing and speaking skills, English Studies provides a foundation for lifelong learning and preparation for a variety of careers. In our view no skills are more crucial to our students’ development toward their role as citizens in our nation and world, nor more broadly applicable to their individually chosen endeavors, than the cognitive and communicative skills made available to them through English Studies programs and engagement with Department faculty.
Core Faculty:
Nancy Myers, Information not provided
Hephzibah Roskelly, Information not provided
Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater, Information not provided
Stephen Yarbrough, Information not provided
Walter Beale, Information not provided
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Elizabeth Bir, “Teaching Matters: Pedagogical Ideologies and Success in the Basic Writing Classroom,” 2007
Linda Gretton, “The Rhetorical Helix of the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries: Strategies of Transformation through Definition, Description, and Ingratiation,” 2007
Katie Guest, “In Search of Pragmatic Justice: Race, Gender, Ethics,” 2007
Michelle Jackson, “Composing Compassionate Selves: Using Service-Learning to Move Students from a Place of Conflict to a Place of Resolution,” 2007
Nicol Nixon Auguste, “The Rhetoric of Nuna Dual Tsuny: Retelling the Cherokee Trail of Tears,” 2006
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 History of rhetoric or composition
3 Theory of rhetoric or composition
5 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Literary studies
3 Writing center studies
1 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
3 Nonacademic or workplace studies
1 Technology and communication
1 Writing across the curriculum
2 Medical Rhetoric
4 Political Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
3 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
2 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
3 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Writing sample
3 Letters of recommendation
4 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
5 Graduate GPA
6 Type of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 86
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 24
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
20 2004-2005
25 2003-2004
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
10 2004-2005
10 2003-2004
9 2002-2003
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
8 2004-2005
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/20; Department Application, 01/20; Financial Aid, 01/20
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 51
Core courses: Content, Methods, and Bibliography; Classical Rhetoric; Studies in Rhetorical Theory and Practice
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching Composition: Theories and Applications; Literacy, Learning and Fieldwork; Second Language Writing; Collaboration Theory; Political Rhetoric; Composition and Feminism
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Three written examinations during one week as follows: for major area, answer three out of five questions in five hours; for two minor areas, answer two out of four questions in three hours for each exam. If written exams are passing, two-hour oral exam follows within one month.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $13,000-$16,500; Benefits: Health insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also Assistant to the Director of Composition; Assistant to the Director of the Writing Center; Oversee (1) Undergraduate Essay Contest, (2) All Freshman Read, (3) Writing Matters (annual program publication on rhetoric and composition)
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Funding
Faculty involvement with graduate students; Graduate student community
University of Texas at El Paso
UT El Paso, 500 W. University Ave., 101 Vowell Hall, El Paso, TX 79968
http://academics.utep.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=3302
(2004)
English Department; Liberal Arts
Helen Foster, hfoster@utep.edu , 915-747-6623
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Information not provided
Core Faculty:
Katherine Mangelsdorf, Prof., Basic Writing, L2 Writing
Isabel Baca, Assist. Prof., Outreach, Professional Writing, L2 Writing
Evelyn Posey, Prof., Basic Writing, WPA, Rhetorical Criticism, Computers and Writing
Carlos Salinas, Assist. Prof., Rhetorical Traditions, Technical Writing
John Scenters-Zapico, Assoc. Prof., Rhetorical Traditions, Computers and Writing
Elaine Fredericksen, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Cultural Rhetoric
Beth Brunk-Chavez, Assist. Prof., Composition, WPA, Rhetorical Traditions, Technology
Carol Clark, Assoc. Prof., History of Rhetoric
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Information not provided
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
Information not provided
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Letters of recommendation
4 Writing sample
5 Teaching experience
6 Work experience
Total number of PhD students in Department: 18
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 18
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
1 2005-2006
6 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
4 2002-2003
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, Information not provided; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: Information not provided
Core courses: Information not provided
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Information not provided
Examinations required for PhD students: Information not provided
Foreign languages required: Information not provided
Brief description of exam process:
Information not provided
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Information not provided; Nonteaching fellowships: Information not provided
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: Information not provided; Courses taught by GAs: Information not provided; Teaching system: Information not provided; Number of FYC students taught/year: Information not provided
Salary: Information not provided; Benefits: Information not provided
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Professional opportunities: Information not provided
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
Information not provided
Program Strengths
Information not provided
University of California, Santa Barbara
Education Department, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
http://www.education.ucsb.edu/
PhD in Education with Specialization (1999)
Education Department; Givertz Graduate School of Education
Charles Bazerman, bazerman@education.ucsb.edu , 805-893-7543
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Situated within an education school, the Language, Literacy and Composition specialty brings together students with interests in College Writing, Writing across the Curriculum, Writing in Society, Secondary English Education, Literacy Development, English Language Learners, and Special Needs Learners. With multidisciplinary resources in the Graduate School of Education, students get a grounding in many research methods and many aspects of learning, teaching, development, educational institutions, biliteracy, and special needs. Our students also draw on campus-wide interdisciplinary resources. The independent Writing Program and the South Coast Writing Project provide deep practical experience, training, and sites of research.
Core Faculty:
Charles Bazerman, Prof., WAC, Literacy, Professional Writing
Sheridan Blau, Prof., Composition, Composition Pedagogy, Community Literacy
Susan McLeod, Prof., WPA, WAC, Assessment
Karen Lunsford, Assist. Prof., Technology, Composition Pedagogy, Computers and Design
Christopher Dean, Lect., Composition Pedagogy, Assessment, WPA
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Jessie Singer, “A Retrospective Interview Study of Literacy Sponsorship and First Generation Latino College Writers,” 2007
Rene de los Santos, “Nation Building as Rhetoric and Socio-Cultural Activity: Two Institutional Moments in Post-Revolutionary Mexico, 1928-1940,” 2007
Timothy Dewar, “Investigating Writing Assessment: A Comparison of Scaled-Scoring and Forced-Choice Scoring,” 2007
Anne Whitney, “The Transformative Power of Writing: Teachers’ Writing at a National Writing Project Summer Institute,” 2006
Joseph Little, “Inscribing Objectivity: An Ethnographic Study of the Relation Between Communicative Setting and Epistemic Practice,” 2004
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of technical/professional communication
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Literary studies
1 Writing program administration
1 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
2 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Letters of recommendation
4 Undergraduate GPA
5 Teaching experience
6 GRE Scores
Total number of PhD students in Department: 110
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 27
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
12 2005-2006
12 2004-2005
12 2003-2004
10 2002-2003
10 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
7 2005-2006
7 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
6 2002-2003
6 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
5 2005-2006
5 2004-2005
5 2003-2004
4 2002-2003
4 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 03/01; Department Application, 03/01; Financial Aid, 12/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 48
Core courses: Introductory Statistics; Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods; Textual Analysis
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Applied Rhetoric, Poetics, Linguistics; Writing across the Curriculum and in the Disciplines; Writing Program Administration; Genre Theory; Rhetorical Theory and History
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives
Foreign languages required: 0
Brief description of exam process:
Each student selects an individualized set of readings in consultation with the dissertation committee. At the end of the reading period, the student is given a set of questions to write on over a period of one to two weeks. The student then defends the responses orally.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition; Teaching system: Quarter; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: Around $15,000 plus fees; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Required course in technical/professional communication theory and practice
Professional opportunities: Committee Work, Assessment; also Research assistantships
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 18
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Institutionalizing the strong interdisciplinary and interprogram connection with the independent writing program, the regional writing project, and other departments
Program Strengths
Research; A life-span perspective on writing development and instruction; WAC/WID and sociocultural approach to writing
Department of English, Unit 4025 215 Glenbrook Road, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269
http://english.uconn.edu/graduate/graduate_main.html
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1995)
English Department; Liberal Arts and Sciences
Gregory M. Colon Semenza, semenza@uconn.edu , 860-456-1580
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Our department features a graduate faculty of more than 50 distinguished full-time members, whose books, articles, and reputations make UConn one of the premier research institutions in the country. The department boasts of considerable strengths in a variety of research areas such as Early Modern British literature, Early and Later American literatures, Irish literature, Children’s literature, and Ethnic literature, but also prides itself on its coverage of nearly all major areas of study, including World Literature, Theory, and Rhetoric and Composition. As diverse as these specializations are the research methodologies that faculty and graduate students employ, from archival and textual research, to political and gender theory, to historicism and cultural studies. All members of our research community benefit from our affiliations with programs such as Medieval Studies and American Studies. The Homer Babbidge Library, New England’s #1 public research library, houses more than 2.5 million volumes, more than 45,000 periodicals, and offers researchers the most useful and cutting-edge electronic resources in the world.
Core Faculty:
Pamela Bedore, Assist. Prof., Women’s Studies, 19th Century, Rhetoric and Literature
Lynn Bloom, Prof., Composition, Feminist Theory, Professional Writing
Scott Campbell, Assist. Prof., 18th Century, Rhetoric and Literature, Composition
Jason Courtmanche, Nonfaculty, Basic Writing, Pedagogy,
Timothy Cox, Assist. Prof., Professional Writing, Rhetoric and Literature, Rhetoric and Literature
Tom Deans, Assoc. Prof., Composition Pedagogy, Nonfiction, Rhetoric and Literature
Harris Fairbanks, Assoc. Prof., Political Rhetoric
Serkan Gorkemli, Assist. Prof., Information not provided
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Elizabeth Bidinger, “Inventions and Reinventions in Working Class Autobiography,” 2005
Karen Cajka, “The Forgotten Women Grammarians of Eighteenth-Century England,” 2004
Stephanie Roach, “A Rhetoric of Crisis: A Historical/Rhetorical Analysis of the Emergence of the WPA and its Continued Identity Formation,” 2003
Valerie Smith, “Crossroads: Cultural Autobiography and Imperial Discourse,” 2002
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
10 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
4 Rhetorical criticism
4 Medical Rhetoric
30 Political Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Type of undergraduate degree
2 Type of MA degree
3 Graduate GPA
4 Undergraduate GPA
5 GRE Scores
6 Goals/Statement of purpose
Total number of PhD students in Department: 52
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 5-7
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
2 2005-2006
1 2004-2005
1 2003-2004
NA 2002-2003
NA 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
12 2005-2006
8 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
10 2002-2003
9 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 24
Core courses: Theory and Teaching of Writing; Advanced Research Methods (academic argument component); History of the English Language
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Theory and Teaching of Writing; Professional Development in English; Teaching College Literature; History of Rhetoric: Classical—Renaissance; History of Rhetoric: Renaissance—Modern; Word and Image
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
2 lists: 1 is the field list (Renaissance, Eighteenth Century, Rhetoric, etc.) 60-80 works; 1 is the specialist list based on dissertation topic (40 works). Both exams, taken on separate days, 4 hours each.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Not Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Rhetoric, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: >100
Salary: $19,000; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit, Short-term disability, Maternity leave for student
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Industry Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also journal managerial positions, admin in writing center, and teaching assistantships
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Recruitment of minority students
Program Strengths
American Literature; Renaissance Literature; Children’s Literature
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Center for Writing Studies, 608 South Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1990)
English and Center for Writing Studies; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Gail E. Hawisher, hawisher@uiuc.edu , 217-333-3251
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The Center for Writing Studies is an interdisciplinary academic unit at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that facilitates research and promotes graduate study in the areas of written composition, language, literacy, and rhetoric. The Center’s mission is to sustain a community of scholars in Rhetoric and Writing Studies and to provide graduate students with opportunities to study various practices and discourses related to written and digital composition.
Core Faculty:
Dennis Baron, Prof., Linguistics, Literacy, Technology
Dale Bauer, Prof., Feminist Theory, Pedagogy, American Literature
Bertram C. Bruce, Prof., Literacy, Technology, Community Literacy
Gail E. Hawisher, Prof., Technology, Literacy, Writing Studies
Sarah McCarthey, Prof., Research Methods, Literacy, Elementary Education
Anne Haas Dyson, Prof., Research Methods, Literacy, Children’s Writing
Robert Markley, Prof., 18th Century, Science, Technology
Martin Camargo, Prof., Medieval, Rhetorical Traditions, History of Rhetoric
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Elizabeth Baldridge, “Medicalized Illiteracies: Learning Disabilities, Contentious Histories, and Writing Studies,” 2007
Kim Hensley, “Rhetorical Labor: Childbirth, Writing, and the Internet,” 2007
John Hudson, “Silent Readers, Silenced Readers: Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender (LGBT) Student Perceptions of LGBT Representation in Composition Readers,” 2007
Janine Solberg, “‘Pretty Typewriters’: Gender, Technology, and Literacy in Career Advice Literature for Women, 1900-1945,” 2007
Amy Wan, “Producing Good Citizens: Literacy and Citizenship Training in Anxious Times,” 2007
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
8 Literary studies
6 Technology and communication
1 Writing across the curriculum
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
7 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Writing sample
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 GRE Scores
4 Letters of recommendation
5 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
6 Graduate GPA
Total number of PhD students in Department: 150
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 35
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
30 2005-2006
30 2004-2005
30 2003-2004
30 2002-2003
30 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
5 2005-2006
5 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
5 2002-2003
5 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
35 2005-2006
35 2004-2005
35 2003-2004
30 2002-2003
30 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 12/15; Department Application, 12/15; Financial Aid, 04/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 32
Core courses: Writing Studies I; Writing Studies II; Topics in Research, Inquiry, and Writing Studies
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Proseminar in College Teaching; Topics Course in Pedagogy and Program Design; Writing Studies I; Historiography; Genre Studies; Globalization and the English Language
Examinations required for PhD students: Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Graduate students prepare for a Special Field examination in which they compile an extensive reading list and rationale to justify their reading. The two-hour exam (with a four-member committee) probes students’ overall knowledge of their area and finishes with a focus on their dissertation plans. Recent exams have been titled “Digital Technologies and Writing,” “Academic Literacy and Language Studies,” and “Rhetorics of Democracy and Visual and Expressive Culture.”
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: $17,819; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Short-term disability
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Required course in technical/professional communication theory and practice; Writing center training; also Extensive faculty advising
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work; also Administrative positions as Assistant Directors in the five writing programs
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 12
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 14
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
With continued stable support, we have every reason to believe that we can maintain our strengths while at the same time building new initiatives that broaden our scholarly and pedagogical successes. A major challenge is to continue hiring writing studies faculty in core departments.
Major strengths of the Center come from its graduate interdisciplinary faculty and the program’s emphasis on diverse areas in the study of written and digital composition, language, literacy, and rhetoric; Graduate students receive a great deal of personal attention from faculty members and work to create an energetic and productive intellectual community.
Department of English, University of Kansas, Wescoe Hall, 1445 Jayhawk Boulevard, Room 3001, Lawrence KS 66045
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization
English Department; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Amy Devitt, devitt@ku.edu , 785-864-2567
Program Description/Mission Statement:
We offer students the opportunity to pursue advanced studies in Rhetoric and Composition at both the Master’s and Doctoral levels. We emphasize a broad knowledge of the field—its history, trends, methods, issues, and themes—but we encourage and assist students in developing focused, timely research projects. Our program has special strengths in genre theory, public discourses, Bakhtin studies, and writing pedagogy. All of our students have considerable flexibility in developing their own course of study, and faculty work closely with students in their scholarly and professional development. Doctoral graduates of our program have gained positions at small liberal arts colleges as well as major research universities.
Core Faculty:
Amy Devitt, Prof., Theory, Composition, Linguistics, Genre studies
Frank Farmer, Assoc. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Composition Pedagogy, History of Rhetoric, Bakhtin
TBA, Assist. Prof., Information not provided
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Jill Zasadny, “Sow the Wind, Riepp the Whirlwind: A Bakhtinian Interpretation of the Riepp-Wimmer Controversy and Its Implications for English Studies,” 2006
Matt Hollrah, “A Foundherentist Approach to Teaching Written Argument: Susan Haack’s Inquiry-Based Philosophy as a Model for Arguing about Interpretation,” 2006
Donna Binns, “Effects of Prior Writing-to-Learn Instruction as Students Make the Transition from High School to College,” 2004
Bill Carpenter, “Redefining Style in Composition,” 2002
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
1 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Writing across the curriculum
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
2 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Letters of recommendation
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Graduate GPA
4 Writing sample
5 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
6 Undergraduate GPA
Total number of PhD students in Department: 59
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 8
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
0 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
1 2003-2004
1 2002-2003
0 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 03/01; Department Application, 03/01; Financial Aid, 12/31
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 24
Core courses: Composition Studies; Topics in Composition Studies and Rhetoric; Seminar in Composition
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Study and Teaching of Writing; Practicum in the Teaching of English; Rhetoric and Writing: (depending on topic); Genre Theory; Public Sphere Theory; Feminisms and Composition
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 2
Brief description of exam process:
Students choose three areas within composition and rhetoric (or include one literary area, English language, and literary theory areas). They construct reading lists to represent their primary interests. The examination is a 3-hour oral examination.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $12,000 with experience; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit, Maternity leave for student, Life insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Industry Internships, Committee Work; also Administrative Internship
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: NA
We are expanding our faculty with already authorized hires, but the current number of full-time faculty identifying solely as rhetoric and composition is fewer than we would like. We draw on faculty from Communication Studies, Education, and the Writing Center as well.
Individualized attention to each student, with a flexible curriculum, designed to meet students’ needs; Placement record in tenure-track positions; Ability to integrate rhetoric and composition with language or literary studies
Department of English, Humanities 315, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292
http://coldfusion.louisville.edu/webs/a-s/english/index.cfm
PhD in Rhetoric and Composition (1978)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Susan M. Ryan, sryan@louisville.edu , 502-852-0508
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The PhD in Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Louisville provides graduate training in the history and theory of rhetoric; theory and empirical research in composition; an area of British or American literature; linguistics; and the relation of rhetoric and composition to allied fields (for example, critical theory, cultural studies, cognitive psychology, educational research). Goals for the PhD are that students will (1) gain specialized and current disciplinary knowledge; (2) write a dissertation in which they initiate and complete specialized research that addresses a significant and original question in rhetoric and composition; and (3) acquire experience and expertise as writing teachers.
Core Faculty:
Beth Boehm, Prof., Rhetoric and Literature, Rhetorical Criticism
Geoffrey Cross, Prof., Business Writing, Professional Writing, Ethnography
Dennis Hall, Prof., 18th Century, Pop Culture
Bruce Horner, Prof., Composition, Composition Pedagogy, Basic Writing
Debra Journet, Prof., Rhetorical Criticism, Science, Media
Karen Kopelson, Assist. Prof., Composition, Critical Pedagogy, Cultural Studies
Min-Zhan Lu, Prof., Literacy, Cross-cultural Rhetoric, Interdisciplinary
J. Carol Mattingly, Prof., 19th Century, Women’s Studies, History of Rhetoric
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Information not provided
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 History of rhetoric or composition
2 Theory of rhetoric or composition
13 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
7 Literary studies
2 Program evaluation or assessment
5 Technology and communication
1 Writing across the curriculum
5 Rhetorical criticism
1 Visual Rhetoric
1 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
10 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Writing sample
4 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
5 Letters of recommendation
6 Graduate GPA
7 Teaching experience
Total number of PhD students in Department: 40
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 40
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
45 2005-2006
35 2004-2005
35 2003-2004
33 2002-2003
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
8 2005-2006
8 2004-2005
8 2003-2004
6 2002-2003
10 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/15; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 51
Core courses: Teaching College Composition; Contemporary Theories of Interpretation; Introduction to Research
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Information not provided
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives
Foreign languages required: 2
Brief description of exam process:
Information not provided
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: $20,000 paid across 12 months; Benefits: Health insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also Conference planning assistantships, editorial assistantships, research assistantships, and other opportunities
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 8
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 4
Information not provided
Program Strengths
Information not provided
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Department of English, P.O. Box 44691, Lafayette, LA 70504
http://english.louisiana.edu/students/graduate/index.shtml
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization
English Department; Liberal Arts
Claiborne Rice, englgrad@louisiana.edu , 337-482-1327
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The English department offers both an MA and PhD concentration in Rhetoric. The Rhetoric emphasis is designed for students who wish to prepare themselves for college teaching, English teachers who wish to broaden their knowledge within this specialty, those who plan to enter high school teaching, and those who wish to receive training in professional writing. The courses focus on contemporary theory and pedagogy, the history of rhetoric and literacy, and on linguistics.
Core Faculty:
Jim McDonald, Prof., History of Rhetoric, Composition Pedagogy, Renaissance, Writing Center Administration
Keith Dorwick, Assist. Prof., Technology, Renaissance, Religious Rhetoric, Gender Studies
Clancy Ratliff, Assist. Prof., Composition, WPA, Feminist Theory, Intellectual Ownership
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Brenda Ellington, “Fanny Fern, Writer and Rhetorician: The Influences of George Campbell and High Blair on Her Discourse,” 2006
Kevin Moberly, “‘Playing with the Pieces’: The Political Economy of Play in Two Forgotten Computer Games,” 2005
Larry Singleton, “University of Louisiana System Composition Faculty: Instructor Working Conditions and Student Learning Conditions,” 2004
Lindal Buchanan, “Regendering Delivery: The Fifth Canon and Nineteenth-Century Women Rhetors,” 2003
Beth Calloway, “An Investigation of the Success of a Specific Teacher-Research Network Based on a Study of Its Formation, Implementation, and Legacy,” 2003
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 History of rhetoric or composition
1 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Program evaluation or assessment
1 Technology and communication
1 Writing program administration
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
1 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Writing sample
2 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
3 Graduate GPA
4 Undergraduate GPA
5 Personal knowledge of applicant
6 GRE Scores
Total number of PhD students in Department: 71
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 5
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
4 2005-2006
3 2004-2005
3 2003-2004
3 2002-2003
3 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
3 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
2 2003-2004
2 2002-2003
2 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
2 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
2 2003-2004
2 2002-2003
2 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 03/01; Department Application, 03/01; Financial Aid, 02/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 45
Core courses: Classical Rhetoric; Special Topics in Rhetoric and Composition; Teaching College English
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching College English; College English Practicum; Writing Practicum; Writing Process Theories and Pedagogies; Seminar in Linguistics: Orality and Literacy; I. A. Richards, Kenneth Burke, Richard Weaver
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Students take a total of 4 5-hour-long comprehensive exams, one in rhetoric, one in linguistics, and two in literary periods. Students are also required to take one oral examination in rhetoric.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: $12,000 plus tuition waiver; Benefits: Information not provided
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Industry Internships, Committee Work, Assessment
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 7
Need to increase writing center funding
Program Strengths
Issues in Technology and Rhetoric; Composition Pedagogy; History of Rhetoric; Linguistics and Rhetoric
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Department of English, Bartlett Hall, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003
http://www.umass.edu/english/CompRhet/index.htm
PhD in English (1972)
English Department; University of Massachusetts Amherst
Anne Herrington, anneh@english.umass.edu , 413-545-2971
Program Description/Mission Statement:
At UMass, students interested in rhetoric and composition will find a well-established program focused on the study of writing in academic and public spaces, emphasizing the intersections of theory, pedagogy, and literate practice. Our mission is to develop students’ abilities to work these intersections and to conduct their own research. We also aim to support their growth as teachers.
Core Faculty:
David Fleming, Assoc. Prof., History of Rhetoric, Public Discourse, WPA
Haivan Hoang, Assist. Prof., Literacy, Ethnography, Historiography
Anne Herrington, Prof., Research Methods, WAC, Assessment
Donna LeCourt, Assoc. Prof., Cultural Studies, Technology, Composition Pedagogy
Janine Solberg, Assist. Prof., Visual Rhetoric, Professional Writing, Feminist Theory
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Mike Edwards, “Writing Class and Value in the Information Economy: Toward a New Understanding of Students’ Economic Activity in the Composition Classroom,” 2006
Mya Poe, “Representation, and Writing Assessment: Racial Stereotypes and the Construction of Identity in Writing Assessments,” 2005
Lauren Rosenberg, “Rewriting Ideologies of Literacy: A Study of Writing by Newly Literate Adults,” 2006
Heidi McKee, “Deliberative Dialogue and Online Communication across Differences,” 2005
Margaret Price, “Critical Resistance: Disability Studies in the Writing Classroom,” 2004
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 Theory of rhetoric or composition
6 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
3 Literary studies
1 Program evaluation or assessment
5 Technology and communication
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
3 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
2 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Writing sample
3 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
4 Letters of recommendation
5 Teaching experience
6 Work experience
Total number of PhD students in Department: 100
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 22
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
20 2005-2006
15 2004-2005
15 2003-2004
14 2002-2003
16 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
5 2005-2006
5 2004-2005
5 2003-2004
6 2002-2003
5 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
3 2005-2006
3 2004-2005
2 2003-2004
4 2002-2003
3 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 02/01; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 24
Core courses: Composition Theory; Rhetorical Theory; Research on Writing
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Introduction to Writing and Teaching Writing; Writing and Emerging Technologies; Literacy Studies; Gender and Writing
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
A two-hour oral examination, to be taken in the fourth semester of the PhD program and to be administered by a committee of four faculty: one the student’s chosen adviser for a First or Major Research Area, one the student’s chosen adviser for a Second Area, and two appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies. In advance of the examination, the student will present work in writing for each area. The scope and substance of this work will vary somewhat, depending on the degree to which the student has already defined a major area for the dissertation, one that will therefore be more prominent than the second area, which might be (for example) a secondary field of research and/or teaching. As a rough guide, the student should submit a combined maximum of 30 written pages defining the two areas, and a pair of bibliographies for the areas consisting of a minimum of 60 works.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: $13,800; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Prescription drug, Maternity Leave, unpaid benefit for student
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work, Assessment; also Assistant, Western Massachusetts Writing Project
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 9
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 4
While some funding for graduate research is available, we are working to expand that support. We are also working to strengthen connections between programs.
Writing pedagogy as studied from various perspectives; Writing, identity, and difference; Writing and technology
Department of English, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/english/grad/jpee/default.asp
PhD in English and Education (1970)
English and Education; Rackham Graduate School
Anne Ruggles Gere, argere@umich.edu , 734-647-2529
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The Joint PhD in English and Education prepares students with prior teaching experience to assume positions in rhetoric and composition. The Program takes an interdisciplinary approach, emphasizing research traditions and methods appropriate to the discipline of English as well as those customarily followed in the study of educational issues. Students can also take courses outside these two areas. One of the Program’s chief strengths is the consistent and supportive colleagueship that has developed among students and faculty. The Program provides highly qualified and mature graduate students the flexibility they need to achieve their own aims in a demanding intellectual environment.
Core Faculty:
Anne Ruggles Gere, Prof., Composition, 19th Century, Literacy
Alysse Portnoy, Assoc. Prof., Political Rhetoric, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Rhetorical Traditions
Anne Curzan, Assoc. Prof., Feminist Theory, Linguistics, Pedagogy
Lesley Rex, Assoc. Prof., Discourse Analysis, Ethnography, Research Methods
Mary Schleppegrell, Prof., Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, Ethnography
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
L. Jill Lamberton, “Claiming an Education: The Transatlantic Performance and Circulation of Intellectual Identities in Women’s Writing 1870-1900,” 2007
Paul Feigenbaum, “Reconceptualizing Service Learning in Composition Classes,” 2007
Suzanne Spring, “Forming Letters: Mount Holyoke, Emily Dickinson and Nineteenth-Century Epistolary Composition,” 2005
Rebecca Ingalls, “Taking a Page from Their Books: Negotiating Containment and Resuscitating Rhetoric in Writing and Spoken-word Genres,” 2005
Shawn Christian, “We Do Not Teach Literature, We Are Taught by Literature: Building African American Literature during the Negro Renaissance,” 2003
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
3 History of rhetoric or composition
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
3 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
3 Literary studies
2 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
2 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Writing sample
3 Goals/Statement of purpose
4 Teaching experience
5 Work experience
6 Undergraduate GPA
Total number of PhD students in Department: 34
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
38 2005-2006
37 2004-2005
39 2003-2004
38 2002-2003
39 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
6 2005-2006
6 2004-2005
5 2003-2004
5 2002-2003
4 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
6 2005-2006
6 2004-2005
6 2003-2004
5 2002-2003
4 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/15; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 36
Core courses: Information not provided
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Introduction to Composition Studies; Topics in Literacy, Language and Gender; Topics in Rhetoric; Introduction to Rhetoric
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
(1) Special topic exam—article-length paper on student-selected topic; (2) Synthesis of Learning exam=—article-length reflection on intellectual journey; (3) dissertation prospectus.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Information not provided; Number of FYC students taught/year: 15-25
Salary: $14,800; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Short-term disability, Maternity leave for student
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Summer funding is not as generous as we would like.
Program Strengths
Our excellent students; The strong sense of community shared by all associated with the Program; Our excellent (100%) placement record
University of Nebraska—Lincoln
202 Andrews Hall, University of Nebraska Lincoln, NE 68588-0333
http://english.unl.edu/comprhet/index.html
PhD in English
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Chris Gallagher, cgallagher2@unl.edu , 402-472-1835
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Grounded in rhetorical and literacy studies and composition pedagogy, our doctoral program offers students a flexible curriculum (no core courses) and a wealth of professional development opportunities. In consultation with faculty, students design their own programs. They teach a variety of courses and have ample opportunities to engage in administrative work in a supportive, collegial context. Our seven tenured, professional active faculty members bring a wide array of expertise, including feminist rhetoric and pedagogy, the scholarship of teaching, writing assessment, writing center theory and practice, representations of illness in public discourse, and place-conscious education. Through regular collaboration, we help develop well-rounded teachers and scholars who go on to successful academic careers.
Core Faculty:
Robert Brooke, Prof., Pedagogy, Assessment, Composition
Amy Goodburn, Prof., Religious Rhetoric, Critical Pedagogy, Literacy, Reading Theory and Practice
Joy Ritchie, Prof., Community Literacy, Feminist Theory, Composition Pedagogy, Women’s/Feminist Rhetorical Theory
Frankie Condon, Assoc. Prof., Pedagogy, Literacy, Women’s Studies
Chris Gallagher, Assoc. Prof., Pedagogy, Composition, Assessment
Deborah Minter, Assoc. Prof., Pedagogy, Race, Composition
Shari Stenberg, Assoc. Prof., Pedagogy, Composition, Feminist Rhetoric
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Katie Stahlnecker, “Democratic Relationships: An Institutional Way of Life with/in the Writing Center,” 2007
James P. Sundeen, “An Uncertain Pedagogy: Authority, the Body, and the Negotiation of Teacherly Identity,” 2006
Virginia Crisco, “Activist Literacy: Engaging Democracy in the Classroom and Community,” 2005
Maria Montaperto, “Subverting Institutionalized Racism and the Culture of White Dominance: Interruption as Praxis,” 2005
Rochelle Harris, “Rhetorical Exigencies: Essays at the Intersections of Rhetoric and Composition, Creative Nonfiction, and Critical Pedagogy,” 2005
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
3 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
3 Literary studies
1 Writing center studies
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
7 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
5 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Writing sample
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
4 Letters of recommendation
5 Graduate GPA
6 Type of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 119
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 20
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
18 2005-2006
9 2004-2005
8 2003-2004
12 2002-2003
5 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
6 2005-2006
5 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
9 2002-2003
5 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
1 2005-2006
3 2004-2005
2 2003-2004
4 2002-2003
1 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, rolling; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 60
Core courses: Information not provided
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Composition Theory and Practice; Approaches to English Studies; Approaches to Composition and Rhetorical Theory; Rhetoric and Education; Rhetoric and Poetics; Pedagogies and Difference
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
In consultation with faculty advisors, students compile field and focus readings lists (30-40 items each) around topics and research questions of their choosing. They then develop portfolios featuring a scholarly essay (either one for each list or a combined one) as well as teaching materials, other professional writing, and an annotated bibliography. A one-hour oral caps the exam process.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: $14,000; Benefits: Health insurance, Dental and vision, Prescription drug benefit
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work, Assessment
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Recruiting diverse graduate students to university, despite commitment to diversity and difference; Securing stable funding for staffing of first-year courses
Program Strengths
A flexible, student-directed program; Support and collaboration of professionally active faculty members; Ample teaching and administrative opportunities
English Department, University of New Hampshire, Hamilton Smith Hall, 95 Main St., Durham, NH 03824
http://www.unh.edu/composition/
PhD in Rhetoric and Composition (1984)
English Department; Liberal Arts
Tom Newkirk, trn@cisunix.unh.edu , 603-868-6243
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Created in 1985, our program is designed to prepare experts in composition theory, research and pedagogy who can contribute to the evolving knowledge in the field through rigorous research and scholarship. In addition to a specialization in composition studies, students will develop a secondary area of specialization such as applied linguistics, critical theory, English as a second language, English teaching, linguistics, or literature. One of the major strengths of the program is the opportunity to work closely with nationally known faculty in composition studies in developing research and teaching expertise. We hold high expectations for students but work to create a supportive atmosphere where exams and coursework are matched to individual needs and interests.
Core Faculty:
Thomas Newkirk, Prof., Literacy, Composition, Composition Pedagogy
Faculty to be hired 2007-08, Professional Writing
Faculty to be hired 2007-08, Information not provided
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Christina Ortmeier, “A Qualitative Study That Investigates the Literacy Experiences of Immigrant English Language Learners in U.S. High Schools,” 2007
Micheal Michaud, “IT Managers, Construction Marketers, and Emergency Medical Technicians: Adult Learners in Higher Education,” 2007
Katherine Tirabassi, “Study of the University New Hampshire Writing Culture in the 1940s,” 2007
Michelle Cox, “The Genre of the Patient Report in the Communications Disorders Clinic,” 2006
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 History of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
2 Literary studies
1 Nonacademic or workplace studies
1 Technology and communication
1 Visual Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
1 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Writing sample
2 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
3 Letters of recommendation
4 Goals/Statement of purpose
5 Teaching experience
6 Personal knowledge of applicant
Total number of PhD students in Department: 22
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 11
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
30 2005-2006
30 2004-2005
30 2003-2004
30 2002-2003
30 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
2 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
4 2003-2004
2 2002-2003
2 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
2 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
4 2003-2004
2 2002-2003
2 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/15; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 40
Core courses: Practicum in Teaching College Composition; Historical and Theoretical Studies in Rhetoric; History of Composition
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Practicum in Teaching College Composition; Special Topics in Composition Studies; The History, Theory, and Pedagogy of the Essay; Teaching Transactional Writing
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
The candidate takes a three-part exam, with one day for each part (exam taken off campus). The first area is a general exam in Composition Studies where the candidate responds to about 10 passages. There is then an essay exam in Composition Studies and one in the area of specialization that the candidate chooses.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Information not provided
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 15-25
Salary: $13,500; Benefits: Health insurance, check with graduate school.
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Assessment; also Work administering University Writing Program; Assistant Directorship of first-year writing program
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 8
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 8
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5+
Development of technical writing at UNH; Hiring of new faculty in 2007-08
Program Strengths
Strong history of significant work in composition; Close relations with faculty, supportive atmosphere; Good connection to K-12 issues in education; Strong support for teaching
English Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1286
http://www.uoregon.edu/~engl/graduate/phd/emphases/ - RhetGradStudy
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1994)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
John T. Gage, jgage@uoregon.edu , 541-346-3922
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The field of rhetoric and composition thrives at the University of Oregon. Rhetoric provides historically rich and theoretically diverse resources for the study of discourse over a wide range of issues, from the question of how to teach writing to controversies about philosophical and scientific reasoning. The Structured Emphasis in Rhetoric and Composition offers training in the history of rhetoric, in rhetorical theory, and in rhetorical criticism. At the dissertation level, students choose from a wide range of options, including composition theory and practice, community literacy, the philosophy of rhetoric, historical periods, ecological rhetoric, and the rhetorical criticism of literature. A comprehensive training program in the teaching of composition focuses strongly on written reasoning and on argument as inquiry. Graduate students in the field have opportunities to teach a broad spectrum of classes.
Core Faculty:
John Gage, Prof., History of Rhetoric, Composition Pedagogy, 19th Century, Ethics
James Crosswhite, Assoc. Prof., General Theory and Criticism, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Composition Pedagogy, Argumentation Theory
Suzanne Clark, Prof., Community Literacy, Feminist Theory, Social Theory
Anne Laskaya, Assoc. Prof., Feminist Theory, History of Rhetoric, Medieval
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Julia Major, “Purity, Translation and Dialectical Rhetoric in Spenser’s ‘Well of English Undefyled,’” 2002
Kenneth Wright, “Rhetoric, Writing, and Civic Participation: A Community-Literacy Approach to College Writing Instruction,” 2000
David Sumner, “‘Speaking a word for Nature’: The Ethical Rhetoric of American Nature Writing,” 2000
Suzanne Bordelon, “Gertrude Buck’s Democratic Theory of Discourse and Pedagogy: A Cultural History,” 1998
David Gilcrest, “David Gilcrest, Greening the Lyre: Environmental Poetics and Ethics,” 1996
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
1 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
2 Rhetorical criticism
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Writing sample
3 Letters of recommendation
4 Goals/Statement of purpose
5 Type of MA degree
6 Source of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 35
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 3
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
3 2005-2006
3 2004-2005
3 2003-2004
3 2002-2003
3 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
1 2005-2006
1 2004-2005
1 2003-2004
1 2002-2003
1 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, Information not provided; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 20
Core courses: Topics in Rhetoric (repeatable with different topic); History of Rhetoric; Modern Rhetorical Criticism
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Composition Seminar; Composition Apprenticeship; Rhetoric and Ethics; Theories of Argument; Kenneth Burke; Rhetoric of Wilderness
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Orals
Foreign languages required: 2
Brief description of exam process:
Information not provided
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Literature; Teaching system: Quarter; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: approximately $10,500 (without MA), and $11,600 (with MA); Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also assistant directorship of composition
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 15
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Information not provided
Program Strengths
Modern Rhetorical Theory and Criticism; Argumentation and Informal Reasoning; Pedagogy of Written Reasoning
Department of English 526 CL, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
http://www.english.pitt.edu/graduate/phd/index.html
PhD in PhD in Critical and Cultural Studies
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Don Bialostosky, dhb2@pitt.edu , 412-624-6536
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Graduate students in composition at Pitt work in a unique institutional and intellectual context—the program in Critical and Cultural Studies. One of the earliest graduate programs to reconceptualize doctoral study in English, it has included composition from its inception. Pitt’s graduate program has long considered its students to be intellectuals who can define their own projects across established academic boundaries, teach their own courses in an articulate and critical community of teachers, and participate and vote in open departmental deliberations.
Core Faculty:
David Bartholomae, Prof., Composition, Literacy and Pedagogy, Rhetoric, and American Literature/American Studies
Don Bialostosky, Prof., History of Rhetoric and Rhetorical Theory, History of Criticism, Wordsworth, Bakhtin
Jean Ferguson Carr, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Women’s Studies, and Literary Studies, (focusing on 19th-century American constructions of literacy and letters)
Stephen Carr, Assoc. Prof., Literacy, Instruction, the History of the Book, (as well as various figures in literature, letters, and the arts across the 18th and 19th centuries)
Nicholas Coles, Assoc. Prof., Literacy and Pedagogy, Working-Class Literature, Contemporary Poetry, and Teacher-Research
Jessica Enoch, Assist. Prof., Women’s Rhetorics, Composition, Public and Professional Writing, Kenneth Burke
Kathryn Flannery, Prof., Women’s Studies, Literacy Studies, Early Modern British Cultural Studies, and Poetry
Paul Kameen, Assoc. Prof., Pedagogy and Composition Theory
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Brenda Glascott, “The Ends of Literacy Education: Evangelical Protestantism and the Nineteenth-Century Origins of Contemporary Writing Instruction,” 2007
Malkiel Choseed, “Representations of Teaching, Curriculum Reform, and the Formation of Collegiate English,” 2007
Ellen Gerber, “Modernist Pedagogies: Conrad, Wolf, Pound, and the Reading Public,” 2007
Holly Middleton, “Literacies of Membership: The Nineteenth-Century Politics of Access,” 2007
Christopher Warnick, “Student Writing, Politics, and Style, 1962-1979,” 2006
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
Information not provided
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Information not provided
Total number of PhD students in Department: Information not provided
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 7-10
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, Information not provided; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: Information not provided
Core courses: Information not provided
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Information not provided
Examinations required for PhD students: Information not provided
Foreign languages required: Information not provided
Brief description of exam process:
Information not provided
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Information not provided; Nonteaching fellowships: Information not provided
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: Information not provided; Courses taught by GAs: Information not provided; Teaching system: Information not provided; Number of FYC students taught/year: Information not provided
Salary: Information not provided; Benefits: Information not provided
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Professional opportunities: Information not provided
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
Information not provided
Program Strengths
Information not provided
329 Roosevelt Hall, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881
http://www.uri.edu/artsci/eng/english_NEW/Graduate/index.html
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization
English/College Writing Program; Arts and Sciences, School of Communication
Robert A. Schwegler, RSchweg@mail.uri.edu , 401-874-2979
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Our program offers emphasizes rhetorical theory and composition instruction, with special attention to analyzing situated rhetorical practices and developing writing pedagogies. Students develop a strong base in theory and research, including social theory and empirical inquiry, and they have the opportunity to focus on specialized areas within the discipline, especially on the development of curriculum, innovative pedagogies, and field-specific rhetorics.
Core Faculty:
Nedra Reynolds, Prof., Theory, Assessment, Feminist Theory, Spatial Rhetoric
Robert Schwegler, Prof., Social Theory, Composition, Renaissance
Linda Shamoon, Prof., Civic Discourse, Public Discourse, Composition Pedagogy
Celest Martin, Assoc. Prof., Creative Nonfiction, Public Discourse, Disability Studies
Libby Miles, Assoc. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Community Literacy, Social Theory, Problem-based Learning
Jeremiah Dyehouse, Assist. Prof., Science, General Theory and Criticism, Computers and Design
Michael Pennell, Assist. Prof., Community Literacy, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Business Writing
Kim Hensley Owens, Assist. Prof., Medical, Feminist Theory, General Theory and Criticism, Physicality and Writing
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Susan Rashid Horn, Information not provided
Mary Gormley, Information not provided
William Burns, Information not provided
Carole Center, Information not provided
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 History of rhetoric or composition
2 Theory of rhetoric or composition
3 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
3 Writing center studies
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
4 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Writing sample
4 Goals/Statement of purpose
5 Teaching experience
6 Type of MA degree
Total number of PhD students in Department: 115
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 22
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
10 2005-2006
8 2004-2005
10 2003-2004
9 2002-2003
12 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
4 2005-2006
4 2004-2005
3 2003-2004
4 2002-2003
4 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
3 2005-2006
3 2004-2005
3 2003-2004
4 2002-2003
4 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, Information not provided; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 24
Core courses: Studies in Rhetorical Theory; Histories and Theories of Writing Instruction; Seminar in Rhetoric and Composition
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: The Teaching of Composition; Histories and Theories of Writing Instruction; Seminar in Rhetoric and Composition; Study of Error; Histories and Archives of Writing Instruction; Writing Beyond FYC
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 0
Brief description of exam process:
Students take two written comprehensives in their third year, developed from common lists augmented by individual choices. Students also prepare a paper “submittable” to a journal in the field. A final oral exam covering the written exams, the professional paper, and the student’s coursework completes the exam.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Not Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 15-25
Salary: Information not provided; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work, Assessment
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 8
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 6
Because we are an independent writing department with a fully developed curriculum in a medium-sized university, we find staffing problems a constant challenge.
Program Strengths
Strength of faculty scholarship and teaching; Opportunities to work within a fully articulated writing curriculum; Opportunities for a variety of teaching experiences including writing center work
Department of English, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization
English Department; College of Arts and Sciences
Chris Holcomb, holcombc@gwm.sc.edu , 803-777-2137
Program Description/Mission Statement:
Our faculty is committed to the serious study of written, oral, and electronic discourse in academic, workplace, and public settings. The curriculum synthesizes philosophical, historical, and cultural dimensions of rhetoric through a variety of courses in rhetorical theory and composition pedagogy. The program gives students the flexibility to design their own specialization within the broad field of Composition and Rhetoric and provides them a unique opportunity to draw on the strengths of its core faculty and also of rhetoricians within the Speech Communication faculty. Our program has strengths in history of rhetoric, rhetorical theory, composition pedagogies, philosophy of rhetoric, and cultural rhetoric.
Core Faculty:
Erik Doxtader, Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Rhetorical Criticism, Public Discourse
Mindy Fenske, Assist. Prof., Cultural Studies, Visual Rhetoric, Performance Studies
Christy Friend, Assoc. Prof., Composition Pedagogy, WPA, Composition Theory
Pat Gehrke, Assist. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, History of Rhetoric, Science, Communication Ethics
Chris Holcomb, Assoc. Prof., History of Rhetoric, Rhetorical Criticism, Discourse Analysis
Steve Lynn, Prof., 18th Century, Composition, History of Rhetoric, Science Fiction
John Muckelbauer, Assist. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, History of Rhetoric, Science
Kristan Poirot, Assist. Prof., Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Rhetorical Criticism, Rhetoric of Gender and Sexuality
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Brooke Rollins, “Ghostwriting Ethos: The Character Beyond and Beyond Character,” 2007
Monika Shehi, “When East Meets West: Examining Classroom Discourse at the Albanian Socio-Political Intersection,” 2007
Kimberly Angle, “Telling Developments: Narrative Interviews with Writers as ‘Acts of Meaning,’” 2007
Sandra Young, “The Segregated Classroom: Five Biographical Narratives of Writing Instruction in South Carolina’s Pre-Civil-Rights-Era HBCUs,” 2006
Sarah Allen, “Subjectivity in the Essay: The Capacity to be a Subject and the (Im)Possible Relationship between Writer and Text,” 2006
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
1 History of technical/professional communication
3 Theory of rhetoric or composition
6 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Program evaluation or assessment
4 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
1 Nonacademic or workplace studies
1 Rhetorical criticism
1 Visual Rhetoric
50 Political Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Graduate GPA
2 Source of MA degree
2 Letters of recommendation
2 GRE Scores
2 Writing sample
Total number of PhD students in Department: 76
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 14
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, Information not provided; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 33
Core courses: Survey of Composition Studies; Introduction to Research on Written Composition; Classical Rhetoric
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching Business and Technical Writing; Special Topics in Teaching English; Literature and Rhetoric: Boundaries, Intersections, and Possibilities, Deleuze; Style, Rhetoric, and Performance
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 2
Brief description of exam process:
Doctoral candidates are required to take written comprehensive exams in both composition and rhetoric and the field of specialization by the fall semester of their third year in the program. Questions for the exams are prepared by members of the doctoral committee (and, in the case of some specialization exams, by appropriate faculty in the specialization area). Questions are based on the composition and rhetoric reading list and the specialization reading list compiled by the candidate and approved by the doctoral committee.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Rhetoric; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $12,000; Benefits: Information not provided
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work, Assessment also Assistant Director of First-Year English and Assistant Director of the Writing Center
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: Information not provided
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
Information not provided
Program Strengths
We have a very active, collegial, and professionally oriented community of graduate students who regularly present papers at national conferences and publish in some of the leading journals in our field (the job placement rate of our graduates since 2001 is 100 percent); We also have a faculty deeply committed to graduate education and professional development, including faculty from Speech Communication (a program that is housed in the English Department) who work closely with faculty and graduate students in Composition and Rhetoric.
Department of English, CPR 107, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620
http://english.usf.edu/graduate/rc/degrees/
PhD in Rhetoric and Composition (1985)
English Department; College of Arts and Sciences
Alma G. Bryant, abryant@cas.usf.edu , 813-974-2424
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The Department of English at the University of South Florida is a community of teacher-scholars and writers whose mission is to promote learning in language, composition, literature, critical theory, pedagogy, and professional, technical, and creative writing. The Department at both the undergraduate and graduate levels promotes the development of life-long skills in language, critical thinking, reading, writing, and research; embraces intellectual and human diversity; and fosters comparative and interdisciplinary approaches.
Core Faculty:
Joseph Moxley, Prof., Composition, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Media
Debra Jacobs, Assoc. Prof., Composition Pedagogy, Classical Rhetoric
Elizabeth Metzger, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Assessment
Phillip Sipiora, Prof., Rhetorical Criticism, Cultural Studies, Theory
Alma Bryant, Assoc. Prof., Composition Pedagogy, Professional Writing, WPA
Meredith Zoetewey, Assist. Prof., Composition, Technology, WPA
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Tammy D. Evans, “Pretty Is As Pretty Does: Ruby McCollum and the Rhetorical Politics of Silence in the South,” 2004
Colleen Marie Connolly, “Composing an Economy of Meaning: Rhetoric of Experience in Composition Studies,” 2003
Deborah Bacon Noonan, “The Enchanted Glass Reflected: The Essay and the Ideas of Science,” 2002
Thomas B. Peele, “Queer Commentaries: Subjectivity, Sexuality, and Writing,” 2002
Merry G. Perry, “Composing, Cultures: Gender, Cultural Studies, and the Teaching of Writing,” 2002
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 History of rhetoric or composition
4 Theory of rhetoric or composition
5 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Technical/professional communications pedagogy
1 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
3 Technology and communication
1 Rhetorical criticism
1 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
4 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
Admissions:
Information not provided
Total number of PhD students in Department: 170
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 17
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
5 2005-2006
3 2004-2005
2 2003-2004
1 2002-2003
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
3 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
1 2003-2004
1 2002-2003
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
1 2005-2006
2 2004-2005
1 2003-2004
0 2002-2003
Application deadlines: Graduate School, Information not provided; Department Application, 02/08; Financial Aid, Information not provided
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 30
Core courses: Scholarly Writing for Publication; Bibliography for English Studies; Studies in Criticism and Theory
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Information not provided
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying
Foreign languages required: 2
Brief description of exam process:
Information not provided
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 4; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: Information not provided; Benefits: Health insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Required course in technical/professional communication theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 18
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
Replacing retiring faculty at a rate sufficient to keep up with the demand
Program Strengths
Information not provided
University Writing Program, 255 Central Campus DR, 3700 LNCO Salt Lake City, UT 84112
http://www.hum.utah.edu/index.php?pageId=24
PhDs in Various Departments with emphasis in Rhetoric/Composition (1994)
English, Communication and Education, Culture and Society; College of Humanities
Maureen Mathison, maureen.mathison@hum.utah , 801-581-7090
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The University Writing Program offers interdisciplinary MA and PhD degrees with an emphasis in Rhetoric and Composition through three affiliated departments: English, Communication and Education, Culture and Society. The program is unique. Students take core rhetoric and composition courses taught by Writing Program faculty members, while they individualize their programs of study through their home department. The program prepares students in the history and theory of rhetoric, composition theory and pedagogies, and research about writing and texts. Our approach is both historical and cultural.
Core Faculty:
Daniel Emery, Assist. Prof., 18th Century, History of Rhetoric, Cultural Studies
Thomas Huckin, Prof., Discourse Analysis, Public Discourse, Linguistics
Jay Jordan, Assist. Prof., Composition, Cross-cultural Rhetoric, Technology, Second-Language Writing
Maureen Mathison, Assoc. Prof., WAC, Pedagogy, Research Methods
Susan Miller, Prof., Composition, History of Rhetoric, Literacy
Natalie Stillman-Webb, Assist. Prof., Professional Writing, Technology, Cultural Studies
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Sheldon Walcher, “What We Talk about When We Talk about Error: Competing Tropes of ‘Deviance’ in the History of Composition,” 2007
Gae Lyn Henderson, “Intersubjectivity: An Ethics for Critical Rhetoric and Writing,” 2007
Laura Card, “TREK Magazine (1942-1943): A Critical Rhetorical Analysis [of a Literary Magazine at a Japanese Internment Camp],” 2005
Octavio Pimentel, “Unheard Stories: The Interpretation and Production of Historias de Exito Within a Mexican Community,” 2005
Doug Downs, “Teaching Our Own Prison: First-year Composition Curricula and Public Conceptions of Writing,” 2004
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
2 Literary studies
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
1 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Writing sample
4 Goals/Statement of purpose
5 Personal knowledge of applicant
6 Graduate GPA
Total number of PhD students in Department: 150
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 10
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
15 2005-2006
10 2004-2005
10 2003-2004
9 2002-2003
9 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
3 2005-2006
1 2004-2005
2 2003-2004
2 2002-2003
1 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
3 2005-2006
1 2004-2005
1 2003-2004
2 2002-2003
2 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/10; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 42
Core courses: Composition History and Theory; History and Theory of Rhetoric; Pedagogy Studies
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Pedagogy Studies; Colloquium for FYC; The Writing Wars; Social Movements; Argument Theory
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Students complete either a qualifying or a comprehensive exam, depending on the department. The written can be an 18-hour exam or a two-week take home examination, depending on the department. All students complete a 2-hour oral examination.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $12,000; Benefits: Health insurance, Tuition waivers (100%)
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work, Assessment; also Intensive WID work around campus, especially with the College of Engineering
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 8
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
None
Program Strengths
We are a small program. so students receive intense individual attention and mentoring; Students have multiple opportunities to develop their areas of interest—teaching various types of writing courses, working with faculty on research projects, assisting in the administration of the writing center, WAC/WID outreach across campus, and helping plan and oversee a regional conference, the Western States Rhetoric and Literacy Conference; The program of study is interdisciplinary, which allows students to pursue their unique interests.
English, Box 354330, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-4330
http://depts.washington.edu/engl/grad/Programs.php
PhD Track in Language and Rhetoric (1992)
English Department; Arts and Sciences
Gail Stygall, stygall@u.washington.edu , 206-852-4120
Program Description/Mission Statement:
This program combines studies in rhetoric and composition with an emphasis on language studies. Students prepare for positions in rhetoric and composition, writing program administration, English language studies, and second language studies.
Core Faculty:
Gail Stygall, Prof., Discourse Analysis, Composition, Law
George Dillon, Prof., Visual Rhetoric, Composition, Linguistics
Juan Guerra, Assoc. Prof., Ethnography, Race, Community Literacy
Anis Bawarshi, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Composition Pedagogy, Theory
Candice Rai, Assist. Prof., Community Literacy, Civic Discourse, Ethnography
Sandra Silberstein, Prof., Discourse Analysis, Political Rhetoric, Contrastive Rhetoric
Colette Moore, Assist. Prof., Linguistics, Medieval
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Teagan Decker, “From Social Justice to Diversity: Tracing the Discourses of Affirmative Action,” 2007
Amy Vidali, “‘Disabling Discourses’: Disability Identity in Institutional Texts,” 2006
Jason Ens, “Making Engagement: Education Reform Discourse and Organizational Change,” 2006
Spencer Schaffner, “Texturation in Everyday Life: American Field Guides to Birds and Their Use,” 2005
Teresa Thonney, “Teaching Students about Writing in the Disciplines and Beyond,” 2005
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
1 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
4 Linguistics
2 Literary studies (rhetorical emphasis)
2 Writing across the curriculum
1 Rhetorical criticism
1 Medical Rhetoric
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
5 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Writing sample
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Undergraduate GPA
4 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
5 Letters of recommendation
6 GRE Scores
Total number of PhD students in Department: 150
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 33
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
15 2005-2006
15 2004-2005
15 2003-2004
10 2002-2003
10 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
7 2005-2006
6 2004-2005
6 2003-2004
5 2002-2003
5 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
5 2005-2006
4 2004-2005
3 2003-2004
4 2002-2003
4 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/15; Department Application, 01/15; Financial Aid, 01/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 45
Core courses: Contemporary Rhetorical Theory; Theory and Practice of Teaching Composition; The Nature of Language
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Topical seminars on Ethnography; Basic Writing; Theory and Practice of Teaching Composition; Ethnography of Literacy; Electronic Rhetoric; Basic Writing
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Students develop reading lists in conjunction with three faculty advisers. Faculty develop questions from those lists and conversations with the students. Some attention is now being given to developing core lists with students able to adapt the core lists. Exam is typically 72 hours over three areas.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to most PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Not Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 1; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Literature; Teaching system: Quarter; Number of FYC students taught/year: 51-75
Salary: $13,059; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Teaching Internships, Committee Work; also Assistant Directorships
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 10
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 15
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 7
The program faces the same financial issues as any program or department housed in the humanities.
Program Strengths
The dual preparation students receive in rhetoric and composition and English language studies; Placement
University of Wisconsin—Madison
Department of English, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 600 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53706
http://www.wisc.edu/english/comprhet
PhD in Rhetoric and Composition (1991)
English Department; College of Letters and Science
Deborah Brandt, dlbrandt@wisc.edu , 608-263-2886
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The program in Composition and Rhetoric provides intersecting coursework in contemporary composition and literacy studies and theory and practice of rhetoric (classical and modern). Coursework is available in rhetoric, discourse analysis, language theory, literacy, and research methods. A four-course minor complements interdisciplinary perspectives within the program. The PhD equips students to be original researchers, innovative teachers, and leaders in the field. Students have ample opportunities to teach, as well as to serve in the nationally renowned Writing Center, and gain administrative experience in English Department and campuswide writing programs. Graduate students work closely with nationally recognized faculty.
Core Faculty:
Michael Bernard-Donals, Prof., Theory, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Rhetoric and Literature, Writing and Memory
Deborah Brandt, Prof., Composition, Literacy, Social Theory
Cecilia E. Ford, Prof., Discourse Analysis, Linguistics, Research Methods, Conversation Analysis
Martin Nystrand, Prof., Composition, Discourse Analysis, Research Methods, Historiography
Morris Young, Assoc. Prof., Composition, Literacy, Race
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Rhea Lathan, “Writing a Wrong: A Case of African American Adult Literacy Action on the South Carolina Sea Islands 1957-1962,” 2006
Stephanie Kerschbaum, “Beyond Simple Inclusion: Towards Engagement with Difference in a Postsecondary Writing Classroom,” 2005
Mary Juzwik, “Towards a Rhetoric of Teaching: An Investigation of Teaching as Performance in a Middle-Level Holocaust Unit,” 2004
Bryan Trabold, “Subversive Rhetors: The Negotiation of Audience in Apartheid South Africa,” 2003
Kevin Porter, “Meaning and Time: Toward a Consequential Philosophy of Discourse in Composition and Rhetoric Studies and Beyond,” 2002
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
2 Theory of rhetoric or composition
5 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
5 Literary studies
1 Technology and communication
1 Writing program administration
1 Rhetorical criticism
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
3 Number of graduates who have received tenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
0 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
0 Number of graduates who have not received job offers
0 Number of graduates who did not seek employment
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Goals/Statement of purpose
2 Letters of recommendation
3 Writing sample
4 Graduate GPA
5 GRE Scores
Total number of PhD students in Department: 177
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 28
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
28 2005-2006
26 2004-2005
21 2003-2004
19 2002-2003
16 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
7 2005-2006
7 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
7 2002-2003
7 2001-2002
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
4 2005-2006
5 2004-2005
7 2003-2004
3 2002-2003
5 2001-2002
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 01/06; Department Application, 01/06; Financial Aid, 12/15
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 36
Core courses: Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric; Writitng and Learning; Perspectives on Literacy
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Proseminar in the Teaching of Writing; Proseminar for the Future Professoriate; Bakhtin’s Circle; Rhetoric and Race; Testimony and Influence in Composition and Rhetoric
Examinations required for PhD students: Information not provided
Foreign languages required: Information not provided
Brief description of exam process:
Preliminary portfolio with oral: Students submit two long essays addressing questions based on reading lists (one question and reading list of the student’s choice; the other is faculty generated), a revised seminar paper, evidence of teaching strengths, and personal statement. Oral is held over the contents of the portfolio two weeks after submission.
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 2; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: $10,721; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family, Prescription drug benefit, Life insurance
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work, Assessment; also WPA , Writing Technology Fellow, WAC assistant, Writing Fellows assistant, Writing Center Lead TAs, Onl;ine Writing Center coordinator, other opportunities
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 10
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 5
We want to establish an undergraduate writing concentration. We need more fellowships.
Program Strengths
Attention to all-around professional development of graduate students through close interactions; Innovative research by faculty and students; Excellent teaching opportunities
Department of English, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0112
http://www.english.vt.edu/graduate/PhD/
PhD in Rhetoric and Writing (2007)
English Department; Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Paul Heilker, Paul.Heilker@vt.edu , 540-231-8444
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The aim of the PhD in Rhetoric and Writing at Virginia Tech is to educate scholars and practitioners of Rhetoric, Composition Studies, and Professional Writing who will serve the public interest by cultivating, generating, and contributing to the knowledge that constitutes these disciplines with rigor and creativity.
Core Faculty:
Kelly Belanger, Assoc. Prof., Pop Culture, Literacy Studies
Eva Brumberger, Assist. Prof., Visual Communication
Sheila Carter-Tod, Assist. Prof., Composition Pedagogy and Practice
Jim Collier, Assoc. Prof., Meta-inquiry
Clare Dannenberg, Assoc. Prof., Language Variation Studies
Jim Dubinsky, Assoc. Prof., Professional Writing Pedagogy
Carlos Evia, Assist. Prof., Workplace Communication
Shelli Fowler, Assoc. Prof., Critical Pedagogy
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Information not provided
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
Information not provided
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
Information not provided
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Writing sample
4 Letters of recommendation
5 Type of MA degree
6 Teaching experience
Total number of PhD students in Department: 8
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 8
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
27 2005-2006
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
8 2005-2006
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
7 2005-2006
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 02/01; Department Application, 02/01; Financial Aid, 02/01
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 60
Core courses: Disciplinary Issues in Rhetoric and Writing; Classical Rhetoric in Written Communication; Rhetoric in Digital Environments
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Composition Pedagogy; Professional Writing Pedagogy; Composition Studies
Examinations required for PhD students: Comprehensives, Orals
Foreign languages required: 0
Brief description of exam process:
Information not provided
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available to all PhD students; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Technical/Business Writing; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 76-100
Salary: $15,700 in 2007; Benefits: Health insurance, Health insurance for spouse/family, Dental and vision, Dental and vision for spouse/family
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Required course in technical/professional communication theory and practice; Writing center training; also Preparing the future professoriate, graduate certificate, citizen scholars program
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work, Assessment; also Research Assistantships in Center for the Study of Rhetoric in Society; Graduate Committee
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 9
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: Information not provided
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: Information not provided
Information not provided
Program Strengths
The program integrates the scholarship and teaching of our Rhetoric, Composition Studies, and Professional Writing faculty through a common focus on language in thinking, knowing, negotiating, decision-making, and acting; We seek students interested in examining rhetoric and writing in public, academic, and corporate settings.
Department of English, Wayne State University, 5057 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48202
http://www.clas.wayne.edu/English/
PhD in English with Concentration, Emphasis or Specialization (1980)
English Department; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Ellen Barton, ellen.barton@wayne.edu , 313-577-7696
Program Description/Mission Statement:
The Rhetoric and Composition Program provides students with theoretical and practical knowledge of written language. Faculty and students study the ways people learn to read and write; the social, cognitive, and affective influences on this learning process; and the various uses, including cultural and political, of written and spoken texts. They also study the teaching of writing, professional and technical writing, writing and technology, writing in the community, research methodologies, and the history of rhetoric and composition.
Core Faculty:
Ellen Barton, Prof., Discourse Analysis, Research Methods, Medical, Technical/Professional Communication
Ruth Ray, Prof., Community Literacy, Feminist Theory, Teacher Research
Richard Marback, Prof., History of Rhetoric, Civic Discourse, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
Frances Ranney, Assoc. Prof., Classical Rhetoric, Feminist Theory, Legal Rhetoric, Technical/Professional Communication
Gwen Gorzelsky, Assoc. Prof., Composition Pedagogy, Literacy, Research Methods
Jeff Pruchnic, Assist. Prof., Technology, Media, Theory, Ethics
Recent Graduates and Their Dissertations:
Corrine Calice, “(In)Vocation: Considering the Ethics of Desire and the Magic in/of Rhetoric,” 2006
Stephanie Hall-Sturgis, “Does Community-Based Pedagogy Foster Critical Consciousness?,” 2006
Linda Brender, “Writing at Riverside Health Services: An Ethnographic Study in Entrepreneurial Communication,” 2004
Karen Keaton, “ ‘Which Me Shall I Be Today?’ Double-Consciousness as Seen in the Literacy Practices on African-American Students,” 2004
Coretta Pittman, “Race, Rights, and Respects: The Rhetorical Possibilities of Composition Studies,” 2003
Number and Area of Dissertations Since 2000:
1 History of rhetoric or composition
7 Theory of rhetoric or composition
2 Rhetoric/Composition pedagogy
1 Literary studies
2 Nonacademic or workplace studies
1 Writing across the curriculum
Job Placement Information on 2005/2006 Graduates:
1 Number of graduates who have received nontenure-track positions
1 Number of graduates who have received nonacademic positions
Admissions:
Highest-ranked criteria for admittance:
1 GRE Scores
2 Goals/Statement of purpose
3 Undergraduate GPA
4 Graduate GPA
5 Letters of recommendation
6 Perceived fit of applicant with program goals
Total number of PhD students in Department: 60
Current number of PhD students in rhetoric or related area: 24
Approximate number of applicants to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants admitted to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Approximate number of applicants matriculated to rhetoric PhD per year since 2000:
Information not provided
Application deadlines: Graduate School, 07/01; Department Application, 03/01; Financial Aid, 03/01
Curriculum:
Credit hours required beyond the MA: 33
Core courses: Composition Theory; Teaching of Writing; Designing Research in Composition/Rhetoric
A selection of pedagogical and special-topic courses: Teaching Practicum; Tutoring Practicum; Teaching of Writing; Seminar: Rhetorical Agency; Feminist Theory and Rhetoric; Theories of the Digital
Examinations required for PhD students: Qualifying, Orals
Foreign languages required: 1
Brief description of exam process:
Information not provided
Financial Support and Professional Development
Types of support: Teaching Assistantships: Available; Nonteaching fellowships: Available
Teaching information: Annual teaching load: 3; Courses taught by GAs: Freshman Composition, Intermediate/Advanced Composition, Technical/Business Writing, Literature; Teaching system: Semester; Number of FYC students taught/year: 26-50
Salary: $13,000; Benefits: Health insurance, Optional family, dental, vision at cost
Training and support offered Graduate Assistants: Presemester orientation and training sessions; Ongoing orientation and training sessions; Professional development workshops; Faculty-GA mentoring program; GA-GA mentoring program; Required course in composition theory and practice; Writing center training
Professional opportunities: Writing Center, Committee Work
Required credit hours per semester/quarter for Graduate Assistants: 6
Maximum number of semesters a PhD student may hold a Graduate Assistantship: 12
Average length of time—in years—spent in program before graduating: 8
Work toward 1-1 teaching load for GTAs
Program Strengths
Multiple core faculty in rhetoric and composition; Innovative PhD curriculum; Collaborative work among faculty and students