Expanding Graduate Student Rhetorical Knowledge

Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments Jan 2026

Expanding Graduate Student Rhetorical Knowledge

Jamila M. Kareem

Abstract

This graduate level assignment requires students analyze rhetorical artifacts through an African American epistemology of rhetorical knowledge. The expectations of the assignment built on the concepts of Kemetic-rooted (Ancient Egyptian) rhetorical traditions that are common to the U.S.’s Black communities. The objective of the assignment was for learners demonstrate foundational declarative and procedural knowledge of the practices and frameworks within an African-American rhetorical tradition that would help them expand their understanding of rhetorical aims throughout the course and beyond. This assignment expanded the perception of the relationship between rhetoric, society, culture, and community both historically and contemporarily. For some students, working with a different rhetorical mindset allowed them to theorize about rhetorical communication in ways they feel they had not been able to articulate in previous courses or contexts.

Journal: Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments
Published: 2026-01-30
DOI: 10.31719/pjaw.v10i1.238
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Topics: affect and writing