Teaching the post‐modern rhetor continuing the conversation on rhetorical agency

Rhetoric Society Quarterly Sep 2005

Teaching the post‐modern rhetor continuing the conversation on rhetorical agency

Cheryl Geisler Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Abstract

In responding to Gunn and Lundberg's critique of her report on rhetorical agency, Geisler uses their Ouija Board metaphor to undertake an analysis of what it might mean to teach the post‐modern rhetor. In particular, once the autonomous agent has been denaturalized, members of the profession of rhetoric have plenty to do in helping students first to engage with and then to participate in a more appropriately theorized rhetoric. Like the Ouija Board player, we may not be able to know how the results of our classroom teaching are related to our intentions. But—like every other rhetor—we need to recognize the costs of walking away from the game.

Journal: Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Published: 2005-09-01
DOI: 10.1080/02773940509391324
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multimodality

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (9)

Johnson (2025)

Rhetoric Re-View: Five Approaches to Rhetorical Agency

Rhetoric Review
DeVasto (2024)

Toward Rhetorically Infused Methods for Relational Network Modeling: The Visual…

Technical Communication Quarterly
Bastian et al. (2023)

Toward Disruptive Agency

College Composition and Communication
Allen (2018)

Composition Is the Ethical Negotiation of Fantastical Selves

College Composition and Communication
VanderHaagen (2013)

The “Agential Spiral”:

Philosophy & Rhetoric

Show all 9 →

Grabill et al. (2012)

Messy Rhetoric: Identity Performance as Rhetorical Agency in Online Public Forums

Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Nicotra (2008)

The Seduction of Samuel Butler: Rhetorical Agency and the Art of Response

Rhetoric Review
Miller (2007)

What Can Automation Tell Us About Agency?

Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Phillips (2006)

Rhetorical Maneuvers: Subjectivity, Power, and Resistance

Philosophy & Rhetoric

Cites in this index (4)

Geisler (2004)

How ought we to understand the concept of rhetorical agency? Report from the ARS

Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Leff et al. (2004)

Afterwords: A dialogue

Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Crowley (2004)

Communications skills and a brief rapprochement of rhetoricians

Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Spilka (1990)

Orality and Literacy in the Workplace: Process- and Text-Based Strategies for M…

Journal of Business and Technical Communication

Also cites 1 work outside this index ↓

Gaonkar Dilip

10.1080/10417949309372909

Southern Communication Journal ↗

CrossRef global citation count: 15 View in citation network →