Courses

Classical and cultural rhetoric can be integrated with undergraduate learning in diverse ways. Following are some ways our websites can apply to different types of college courses.
Firstly, our websites fit well with introductory first-year English or Composition courses. They can help students consider means of composition that go beyond the typical five-paragraph essay from high school, including podcasts, websites, and research interviews. By learning about rhetorical tools such as ethos and pathos, they can begin to frame their own arguments in a more strategic and articulate way. They can realize the essentiality of considering one’s audience, by recognizing that different cultures construct arguments in different ways. Students can also see the feasibility of using Weebly and SoundCloud to create websites and podcasts for their own projects.
Our sites are a great fit for Rhetoric, Writing and Composition courses within a Professional Writing or English program. Whereas ancient rhetoric can sometimes seem like dry theory, our websites link past and present to demonstrate how contemporary communities utilize classical rhetorical concepts, and how the ancient ideas translate into today’s world while maintaining their relevance. Overall, our sites connect theory with practice to help students learn how classical rhetoric is still relevant in their day-to-day lives. They give concrete and specific illustrations of rhetorical concepts learned in class. As well, our sites address the multiculturalism and diversity that is crucial to considerations of cultural rhetoric, exploring how different communities use rhetoric in varying ways. Each site contains a “Connections” section that explores how the paired cultures use rhetoric in similar and different ways. They consider how different groups use ethos and pathos to build powerful messages. Finally, our sites can be used in teaching persuasive writing techniques, because they examine how classical rhetorical tools aid persuasion.
Firstly, our websites fit well with introductory first-year English or Composition courses. They can help students consider means of composition that go beyond the typical five-paragraph essay from high school, including podcasts, websites, and research interviews. By learning about rhetorical tools such as ethos and pathos, they can begin to frame their own arguments in a more strategic and articulate way. They can realize the essentiality of considering one’s audience, by recognizing that different cultures construct arguments in different ways. Students can also see the feasibility of using Weebly and SoundCloud to create websites and podcasts for their own projects.
Our sites are a great fit for Rhetoric, Writing and Composition courses within a Professional Writing or English program. Whereas ancient rhetoric can sometimes seem like dry theory, our websites link past and present to demonstrate how contemporary communities utilize classical rhetorical concepts, and how the ancient ideas translate into today’s world while maintaining their relevance. Overall, our sites connect theory with practice to help students learn how classical rhetoric is still relevant in their day-to-day lives. They give concrete and specific illustrations of rhetorical concepts learned in class. As well, our sites address the multiculturalism and diversity that is crucial to considerations of cultural rhetoric, exploring how different communities use rhetoric in varying ways. Each site contains a “Connections” section that explores how the paired cultures use rhetoric in similar and different ways. They consider how different groups use ethos and pathos to build powerful messages. Finally, our sites can be used in teaching persuasive writing techniques, because they examine how classical rhetorical tools aid persuasion.

As well, our websites can be used to enhance multimedia writing courses. They can be used in discussions of how to present information in different formats like podcasts, websites, and written pages, and how to consider design elements (for example, the integration of appropriate images) in order to engage a specific audience. Through examining the cultural artifacts we provide, which include videos and genre writing, students can discuss how communities express and represent themselves in different forms of media, for particular rhetorical purposes. By learning about the creative ways these cultures employ rhetoric, students can gain insight into the creativity and innovation that is essential to multimedia composition.
Finally, our sites can fit well with specific subject courses beyond the realm of writing, to give students a richer understanding of a certain topic or community they are studying. For example, Communication courses could use our sites to help students learn to analyze different contexts in which communication occurs, and study the use of different rhetorical tools in effective communications. Humanities classes would be interested in exploring the myriad of cross-cultural interactions represented by our sites. Psychology courses could use our sites to study how different cultural communities think about rhetoric, and how character and emotional appeals, such as the use of pathos in the classroom, work within their arguments. Sociology courses could study our examples of community activism in student organizations (Greenpeace and ONE LIFE), as well as in the LGBTQ and Ally communities. English literature courses could use our sites to examine the use of pathos in popular works: Harry Potter, comics, and erotica.
We hope our websites can make an innovative and useful addition to college curricula.
Finally, our sites can fit well with specific subject courses beyond the realm of writing, to give students a richer understanding of a certain topic or community they are studying. For example, Communication courses could use our sites to help students learn to analyze different contexts in which communication occurs, and study the use of different rhetorical tools in effective communications. Humanities classes would be interested in exploring the myriad of cross-cultural interactions represented by our sites. Psychology courses could use our sites to study how different cultural communities think about rhetoric, and how character and emotional appeals, such as the use of pathos in the classroom, work within their arguments. Sociology courses could study our examples of community activism in student organizations (Greenpeace and ONE LIFE), as well as in the LGBTQ and Ally communities. English literature courses could use our sites to examine the use of pathos in popular works: Harry Potter, comics, and erotica.
We hope our websites can make an innovative and useful addition to college curricula.