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Department of Rhetoric and Writing

The Department of Rhetoric and Writing offers the required core course, Rhetoric and Writing 306, as well as lower-division and upper-division courses in rhetoric and writing, and a number of courses with a writing flag. The department also administers the Undergraduate Writing Center, which supports writing instruction in all undergraduate courses and the Digital Writing and Research Lab, which offers innovative approaches to writing in digital environments.

If a student has received either a passing or a failing grade or the symbol Q in Rhetoric and Writing 306, he or she may not earn credit by examination for the course.

The information in parentheses after a course number is the Texas Common Course Numbering (TCCN) designation. Only TCCN designations that are exact semester-hour equivalents of University courses are listed here. Additional TCCN information is given in Appendix A.

Rhetoric and Writing: RHE

Lower-Division Courses

RHE 306 (TCCN: ENGL 1301). Rhetoric and Writing.

An introductory writing course that includes instruction in practical reasoning and the principles of rhetoric. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: English 603A, 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, Tutorial Course 603A, 303C. Prerequisite: A passing score on the writing section of the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test (or an appropriate assessment test).

RHE 306Q. Rhetoric and Writing for Nonnative Speakers of English.

Enrollment limited to nonnative speakers of English. An introductory writing course that includes instruction in practical reasoning and the principles of rhetoric, as well as grammar and mechanics of standard American English. Five lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: English 603A, 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, Tutorial Course 603A, 303C. Prerequisite: Students must present their scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to the Rhetoric and Writing Office prior to registering.

RHE 309K, 409K. Topics in Writing.

A writing course focused on studying and practicing methods of rhetorical analysis within the contexts of disputed issues of academic, political, or cultural significance. Three or four lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated once for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Rhetoric and Writing 306 or 306Q.

RHE 309S. Critical Reading and Persuasive Writing.

A writing course designed to teach advanced rhetorical analysis and advocacy on public issues. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Rhetoric and Writing 306 or 306Q.

RHE 310. Intermediate Expository Writing.

An intensive writing workshop, focusing on style and readability. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: English 603A, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 603A.

RHE 312. Writing in Digital Environments.

A writing course focused on using, interpreting, and analyzing traditional and emerging technologies. Taught using networked computers. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Rhetoric and Writing 306.

RHE 315. Introduction to Visual Rhetoric.

A writing course designed to teach students to analyze and produce visual and nonverbal forms of rhetoric. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Rhetoric and Writing 306.

RHE 317 (TCCN: ENGL 2311). Technical Writing.

Reading and writing in professional and technological environments. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: English 603A, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 603A.

RHE 119S, 219S, 319S, 419S, 519S, 619S, 719S, 819S, 919S. Topics in Rhetoric and Writing.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

Upper-Division Courses

RHE 321. Principles of Rhetoric.

Examines major terms, issues, and approaches in the theory and practice of rhetoric and writing. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and one of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C.

RHE 325M. Advanced Writing.

An advanced course designed to improve and refine writing. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and one of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C.

RHE 328. Topics in Professional and Technical Writing for Liberal Arts Majors.

A professional and technical writing course exploring topics such as writing for nonprofit organizations, writing for government, and writing for industry. Designed for students in nontechnical fields. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and one of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C.

Topic 1: Magazine Writing and Publishing. Introduction to magazine writing, editing, and publishing, with an emphasis on the nonfiction article.
Topic 2: Writing for Nonprofits. Studies the writing genres and rhetorical strategies that are routinely used in nonprofit organizations. Covers business reports, grant writing, and feature writing.
Topic 3: Principles of Technical Writing. Writing practical documents that help readers follow procedures, make informed choices, and understand complex information.
Topic 4: Writing for Entrepreneurs. Studies the genres and rhetorical strategies that entrepreneurs use to persuade stakeholders, including heuristics for developing business models, market reports, and pitches. Rhetoric and Writing 328 (Topic: Writing for Entrepreneurs) and 328 (Topic 4) may not both be counted.

RHE 129S, 229S, 329S, 429S, 529S, 629S, 729S, 829S, 929S. Topics in Rhetoric and Writing.

RHE 330C. Advanced Studies in Digital Rhetoric.

An advanced course that examines the role of information technologies in communication. Taught using networked computers. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and one of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C.

Topic 1: Rhetorics of Cyberculture. Examines the ways cyberspace is represented, critiqued, and employed in writing and film. Explores the social, ethical, and political implications of networked culture.
Topic 2: Designing Text Ecologies. Explores the function and interaction of texts in the workplace. Emphasis on research, analysis, and design of the strategic, tactical, and operational aspects of texts.
Topic 3: Knowledge Ecologies. Explores systems of people, technologies, social structures, and their environments where energy, information, and resources are transformed into knowledge that can be used to further shape our lives and our worlds. Rhetoric and Writing 330C (Topic: Knowledge Ecologies) and 330C (Topic 3) may not both be counted.
Topic 4: Writing and Photography. Examination of issues in the history of photography and how images and words work in combination. Emphasis on improving skills in analysis, writing, and photography. Rhetoric and Writing 330C (Topic: Writing and Photography) and 330C (Topic 4) may not both be counted.
Topic 5: Ethics and New Media. Exploration of contemporary ethical dilemmas and principles arising with emergent technologies, and their impact on rhetoric and writing. Rhetoric and Writing 330C (Topic: Ethics and New Media) and 330C (Topic 5) may not both be counted.
Topic 6: Networked Writing. Examines how writers present themselves and their arguments across a range of media and genres. Practices rhetorical skills within digital networks. Rhetoric 330C (Topic: Networked Writing) and 330C (Topic 6) may not both be counted.
Topic 7: Digital Storytelling. Examines and practices the development of narrative through multiple media (audio, visual, video, et al). Rhetoric and Writing 330C (Topic: Digital Storytelling) and 330C (Topic 7) may not both be counted.
Topic 8: Writing with Sound. Introduces sound studies and practices techniques for recording, editing, and publishing writing for and with sound. Rhetoric and Writing 330C (Topic: Writing with Sound) and 330C (Topic 8) may not both be counted.
Topic 9: Digital Self and Rhetoric. Examines the pervasiveness of digital culture and cultivates strategies for presenting one's digital self through academic, professional, and civic venues. Rhetoric and Writing 330C (Topic: Digital Self and Rhetoric) and 330C (Topic 9) may not both be counted.

RHE 330D. History of Rhetoric.

An advanced survey of figures and movements in the history of rhetoric, from classical to contemporary. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and one of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C.

Topic 1: Sophistry and the Invention of Rhetoric. Examines the role of sophists and sophistry in the development and practice of rhetoric as an art, from antiquity to modern times.
Topic 2: Kairos and the Rhetorical Situation. Introduction to kairos, a key concept in rhetorical theory from ancient to modern times, that focuses attention on making a text appropriate for its historical situation. Explores why some writing succeeds at attracting attention and inspiring action, while some writing fails.
Topic 3: Deliberating War. Studies the recurrent means of making arguments for and against war, and the role of rhetoric in public deliberation. Rhetoric and Writing 330D (Topic: Pro- and Anti-War Rhetoric) and 330D (Topic 3) may not both be counted.
Topic 4: Rhetoric and Racism. Explores theories of rhetoric by examining arguments about group identity, from Athenian discussions of "barbarism" in the fourth century BC to nineteenth-century arguments about citizenship.
Topic 5: History of Public Argument. A survey of the practice and theory of argumentation, with particular attention to its civic and political uses and implications.
Topic 6: Classical to Modern Rhetoric. Surveys the works of major rhetorical theorists and practitioners in the Western tradition from the ancient Greeks to the present.
Topic 7: Rhetoric Invented, Revised, Retold. Survey of figures, movements, and debates in the history of rhetoric and exploration of the rise of revisionist historiography and comparative rhetoric in the twenty-first century. Rhetoric and Writing 330D (Topic: Rhetoric Invented/Revised/Retold) and 330D (Topic 7) may not both be counted.
Topic 8: Philosophy Versus Rhetoric. Study of the co-emergence and subsequent split between rhetoric and philosophy in the classical period and their potential reunification in a contemporary context. Rhetoric and Writing 330D (Topic: Philosophy vs Rhetoric) and 330D (Topic 8) may not both be counted.
Topic 9: Rhetoric in the English Renaissance. Examination of how the art of rhetoric, developed in ancient times by the Greeks and Romans, was understood and debated during the European Renaissance, particularly in England. Rhetoric and Writing 330D (Topic: Rhetoric in the English Renaissance) and 330D (Topic 9) may not both be counted.
Topic 10: Arguing with Liberals. A survey of liberal political theory from the late seventeenth through the twentieth centuries with special attention to theories and practices of public argumentation. Rhetoric and Writing 330D (Topic: Arguing with Liberals) and 330D (Topic 10) may not both be counted.

RHE 330E. Rhetorical Theory and Analysis.

An advanced examination of rhetorical theories and their applications. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and one of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C.

Topic 1: Rhetoric of Science in Popular Media. Rhetorical analysis of scientific discourse and how it is represented in popular media, including news reports, magazines, and popular nonfiction.
Topic 2: Demagoguery. Examines material produced by rhetors commonly considered demagogues and assesses the scholarly discussions of these individuals.
Topic 3: Democracy and the Media. Rhetorical analysis, with particular attention to the effects of technologies and journalistic institutions on public deliberation.
Topic 4: Modern Rhetorical Criticism. Use of contemporary critical methods to investigate, interpret, and explain rhetorical acts and artifacts. Rhetoric and Writing 330E (Topic: Modern Rhetorical Criticism) and 330E (Topic 4) may not both be counted.
Topic 5: Comparative Rhetoric. Examination of rhetorical concepts and practices in various rhetorical traditions, and how they underline the functions of rhetoric in their different historical and cultural contexts. Rhetoric and Writing 330E (Topic: Comparative Rhetoric) and 330E (Topic 5) may not both be counted.
Topic 6: Nonargumentative Rhetoric in Zen. Exploration of unconventional uses of language including contradiction, negation, story, surprise, gesture, and silence are used in Zen training as resources for transformational change. Rhetoric and Writing 330E (Topic: Nonargumentative Rhetoric in Zen) and 330E (Topic 6) may not both be counted.
Topic 7: Psychology of Writing and Persuasion.
Topic 8: Pathos. Examines the persuasive power of emotion in critical thinking and prudent judgment. Rhetoric and Writing 330E (Topic: Pathos) and 330E (Topic 8) may not both be counted.

RHE 360M. Rhetoric and Writing for Teachers of English.

Designed for students seeking a secondary school teaching certificate or those in the UTeach-Liberal Arts program. An advanced course that examines theories of writing and writing pedagogy. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and one of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C.

RHE 366. Internship in Rhetoric and Writing.

Research and staff experience working in an appropriate nonprofit, public-, or private-sector entity. Ten to twelve hours a week for one semester. May be repeated once for credit when the internships vary. Offered on the pass/fail basis only. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing, twelve semester hours of coursework in rhetoric and writing, and consent of instructor.

RHE 367R. Conference Course in Rhetoric and Writing.

Supervised work on specific projects in rhetoric and writing. Three conference hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing; one of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C; and approval of written application by the supervising instructor.

RHE 368C. Writing Center Internship.

Intensive reading, writing, and discussion in writing center theory and philosophy, tutoring methods, and writing pedagogy, as well as a review of standard American English usage and mechanics; followed by a supervised apprenticeship as a peer consultant in the Undergraduate Writing Center. Two lecture hours and two apprenticeship hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing; one of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C; and approval of written application by instructor.

RHE 368E. Editing for Publication.

Advanced instruction in revising and editing for publication. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and one of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C.

Topic 1: The Book: Prospectus to Proofs. Designed to make students better writers and more careful editors, the course includes creation of a simulated book from proposal stage to editing of final page proofs.
Topic 2: Grammar for Writers, Editors, and Teachers. Examines the grammar of written English by assessing grammatical issues, handbooks, and controversies.

RHE 375. Capstone Seminars in Rhetoric.

Allows the student to integrate the knowledge gained in rhetoric and writing through a major independent project. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing, and Rhetoric and Writing 321, 330C, 330D, and 330E.

RHE 379C. Advanced Topics in Rhetoric and Writing.

An advanced course focused on specific theories or practices of rhetoric and writing. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and one of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C.

RHE 679H. Honors Tutorial Course.

Research and development of a thesis/project topic and proposal followed by the writing and defense of an honors thesis or development and defense of an honors project. The equivalent of three lectures hours a week for two semesters. Prerequisite: For 679HA, upper-division standing, completion of at least six hours of upper-division rhetoric and writing courses, admission to the Rhetoric and Writing Honors Program, and consent of the honors adviser; for 679HB, credit for 679HA.