Rhetoric Society of America
Encyclopedia
The Rhetoric Society of America (RSA) is an academic organization for the study of rhetoric
.
The Society's constitution calls for it to research rhetoric
in all relevant fields of study, identify new areas of study, encourage experimentation in teaching rhetoric, facilitate professional cooperation and to sponsor the publication of such materials dealing with rhetoric." The Society is composed of scholars from various disciplines who study rhetoric's history, theory, public practice, and pedagogical methods.
The RSA was established in 1968, by directors that included Edward P. J. Corbett
, Wayne C. Booth
and Richard Hughes
, introducing innovative programs and courses in rhetoric.
In 2008, the American Council of Learned Societies
(ACLS) accepted the Rhetoric Society of America as its 70th member learned society
. The learned societies of ACLS are national or international organizations in the humanities and related social sciences, accepted on the basis of their “substantial, distinctive, and distinguished contribution” to humanistic scholarship.
In her book Authoring a Discipline: Scholarly Journals and the Post-World War II Emergence of Rhetoric and Composition, Maureen Daly Goggin writes that:
, Kneupper organized the society's national conferences until his death in 1989.
The Society also operates the Blogora, a blog
for "connecting rhetoric, rhetorical methods and theories, and rhetoricians with public life," hosted by the University of Texas at Austin
.
, Patricia Bizzell
(2004–2005), Professor of English and Chairperson of the English Department at the College of the Holy Cross
, and David Zarefsky
(2006–2007), Owen L. Coon Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University
.
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
.
The Society's constitution calls for it to research rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
in all relevant fields of study, identify new areas of study, encourage experimentation in teaching rhetoric, facilitate professional cooperation and to sponsor the publication of such materials dealing with rhetoric." The Society is composed of scholars from various disciplines who study rhetoric's history, theory, public practice, and pedagogical methods.
The RSA was established in 1968, by directors that included Edward P. J. Corbett
Edward P. J. Corbett
Edward P.J. Corbett was an American author. Corbett wrote several books, including Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, The Writing Teacher's Sourcebook, The Elements of Reasoning, Style and Statement, and The Little English Handbook: Choices and Conventions.Corbett worked in the English...
, Wayne C. Booth
Wayne C. Booth
Wayne Clayson Booth was an American literary critic. He was the George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in English Language & Literature and the College at the University of Chicago...
and Richard Hughes
Richard Hughes (writer)
Richard Arthur Warren Hughes OBE was a British writer of poems, short stories, novels and plays.He was born in Weybridge, Surrey. His father was a civil servant Arthur Hughes, and his mother Louisa Grace Warren who had been brought up in Jamaica...
, introducing innovative programs and courses in rhetoric.
In 2008, the American Council of Learned Societies
American Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies , founded in 1919, is a private nonprofit federation of seventy scholarly organizations.ACLS is best known as a funder of humanities research through fellowships and grants awards. ACLS Fellowships are designed to permit scholars holding the Ph.D...
(ACLS) accepted the Rhetoric Society of America as its 70th member learned society
Learned society
A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...
. The learned societies of ACLS are national or international organizations in the humanities and related social sciences, accepted on the basis of their “substantial, distinctive, and distinguished contribution” to humanistic scholarship.
In her book Authoring a Discipline: Scholarly Journals and the Post-World War II Emergence of Rhetoric and Composition, Maureen Daly Goggin writes that:
Publications
The Rhetoric Society Quarterly is the organization's official journal. Published four times a year, it features original articles on all areas of rhetorical studies, intended for an interdisciplinary audience of scholars and students who work in communication studies, English studies, philosophy, politics and other fields. It awards its Charles Kneupper Award for the best article of the year. An associate professor at the University of Texas at ArlingtonUniversity of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
, Kneupper organized the society's national conferences until his death in 1989.
The Society also operates the Blogora, a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
for "connecting rhetoric, rhetorical methods and theories, and rhetoricians with public life," hosted by the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
.
Current and past presidents
Its current president is Jack Selzer, professor of English and Associate Dean for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies at Penn State University. Past presidents include Gerald A. Hauser (2002–2003), Professor of Communication at the University of Colorado at BoulderUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, Patricia Bizzell
Patricia Bizzell
Patricia Bizzell, Ph.D. is Professor of English and Chairperson of the English Department at College of the Holy Cross, where she has taught since 1978. She founded and directed the Writer's Workshop, a peer tutoring facility, and a writing-across-the-curriculum program. She has also directed the...
(2004–2005), Professor of English and Chairperson of the English Department at the College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
, and David Zarefsky
David Zarefsky
David Zarefsky is an American communication scholar with research specialties in rhetorical history and criticism. He is professor emeritus at Northwestern University. He is a past president of the National Communication Association and the Rhetoric Society of America...
(2006–2007), Owen L. Coon Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
.