Rhetoric Society Quarterly Mar 2000

Local histories, rhetorical negotiations: The development of doctoral programs in rhetoric and composition

Margaret M. Strain University of Dayton

Abstract

Abstract In the last few years, scholars have turned their attention to configuring narratives of rhetoric and composition studies’ disciplinary history. This essay advocates reading the field as a social formation whose move toward professionalization can be understood as a series of rhetorical negotiations. Using the local histories of two institutions that established doctoral programs in English Departments, I consider how local and material factors provide a more nuanced understanding of that field's evolution. This methodology highlights how the current state of a discipline is inextricably bound to the daily work of its members and offers a way to explore the social shapes of rhetoric yet to come.

Journal
Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Published
2000-03-01
DOI
10.1080/02773940009391175
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Topics
rhetorical criticism graduate education
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