Over the last couple of years, White nationalist groups have been at the forefront of American political life, especially with the events in Charlottesville, Virginia. The historical roots of White nationalist movements run deep in the United States and are most closely associated with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). In this article the authors explore…

The ability to understand a speaker's or author's worldview better, whether an openly espoused ideology or one veiled and deeply hidden, should help students hone their critical thinking skills. This article describes an activity which attempts to do just that by applying new data visualization methods to a rhetorical artifact and examining the…

Because in his Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln said, "we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain," and "...that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth," it is accurate to report that he spoke the words "perish from the earth" and "died in vain." But if his 1864…

This study investigated the effect of direct instruction in rhetorical analysis on students' critical thinking abilities, including knowledge, skills, and dispositions. The researcher investigated student perceptions of the effectiveness of argument mapping; Thinker's Guides, based on Paul's model of critical thinking; and Socratic questioning.…

While a critic measures a speech against a number of standards to determine its worth, a historian attempts to explain it in the context of social-institutional activity. After discussing the differences between rhetorical criticism and rhetorical history, this paper distinguishes among various types of historical explanations, illustrates each…

Rhetorical theorists since Socrates have advocated a rhetoric that reveals truth and avoids concealment. This tradition rests, however on the questionable epistemological assumptions that data exist prior to the linguistic formualtion of them and that such data can be articulated in objectively verifiable discourse. In opposition to this point of…

Aristotelian rhetorical theory and communication theory applied to analysis of film theory. (CH)

To help students develop a broadly generative approach to reading and writing about literature, teachers of literature should employ not only systematic procedures, but also the eclectic and utilitarian spirit of rhetorical invention. A semiotic perspective offers the most solid theoretical foundation for establishing a genuinely heuristic…

Responds to Stephen North's critique of the author's review of North's book, "The Making of Knowledge in Composition." Defends his review and criticizes North. Discusses the differences between professional and personal writing, and puts forth his thoughts on common sense. (PRA)

In view of Aristotle's remarks about requiring different kinds of proof in different subjects, the critical reader must make judgments about the quality of proof offered for a position. The four realms of knowledge, in decreasing order of certitude, include mathematics, empirical science, rhetoric (values, ethics, politics), and myth, or…

Explores the multiple and heterogeneous deployment of the Other within discourses that intersect and contest each other. Shows how the 19th century discourse of "le femme orientale," which informed the Romantic critique of capitalism, was recuperated in a hegemonic manner to promote an expanding consumer culture. Discusses the colonial…

Describes the author's personal difficulties in trying to write this essay. Discusses David Bartholomae's review of the author's book, "The Making of Knowledge in Composition," and the author's correspondence with Bartholomae regarding professional ethos and the definition of common sense. (PRA)

Suggests using debate in a composition class to teach decision-making skills, values clarification, and careful articulation of personal thoughts and opinions. (MKM)

Describes an undergraduate course designed to teach students how to think rhetorically. Notes that the course is organized around three questions students/critics are likely to ask, and presents a four-step approach to teach both the questions and the critical methods used to answer them. (MM)

This article takes as its focus the "and" in discourses of teaching and learning. Drawing upon the work of Deleuze and Guattari, I argue that the "and" signifies a complex, sticky relationship between teaching and learning, and that we can radicalise our conception of "and" to bring forward a range of different discourses. The argument suggests…