The World of Rhetoric

THE WORLD OF RHETORIC, a two-semester course sequence, addresses the traditional concerns of writing and speaking with the focus of the BIC. The aim of The World of Rhetoric is to help students develop skills in textual and contextual analysis as well as in forming well-developed ideas that may be communicated to a specific audience, clearly and cogently.

The World of Rhetoric I: Writing & Speaking-First Year, Fall Semester

Emphasizes those principles essential to the production of clear and effective, informative and persuasive/argumentative communication. Assignments will include a variety of communication exercises designed to engage students in activities that develop critical thinking, logical reasoning, and effective communication skills. Course work will include the writing of informative, persuasive, and critical essays and the presentation of informative and persuasive speeches. Thematically linked with the other first semester courses in the BIC, the course units are designed to provide students with the written and oral communication skills necessary to function effectively in university courses both within and outside the Interdisciplinary Core.

The World of Rhetoric II: Rhetoric in Context-First Year, Spring Semester

Focuses on the continued development of critical reading, thinking, and writing skills by building on the instruction and content of BIC 1313, The World of Rhetoric: Writing and Speaking. Throughout the course students will engage in the reciprocal process of reading, responding to, and analyzing the rhetorical strategies and arguments presented by a variety of significant authors from different time periods. Major assignments will require increasingly complex writing tasks, from presenting a factual summary of a single essay through preparing a multiple source research project.