Comments on: Top Rhet/Comp Schools?

By: Ms.D

Ms.D — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 03:25:53 +0000

Mike, seeing as how most of the universities mentioned are either in the east or midwest, I would love to know your thoughts on shools like GA State University or WSU’s Rhet/Comp PhD programs.

By: desi

desi — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:32:48 +0000

someone mentioned a list that used to exist and couldn’t remember where. not sure if this is it–nor whether it’s comprehensive–but it’s a useful resource.

http://www.cws.illinois.edu/rc_consortium/members.html

By: PoneTony

PoneTony — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 02:33:46 +0000

Any thoughts on Arizona State’s rhet/comp program? They have a huge program, but how does it stack up against the big dogs (i.e., Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin, etc.)?

By: Astounded

Astounded — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 05:23:16 +0000

I’m very surprised Washington State University hasn’t been mentioned yet. It’s one of the most collegial environments around, it has a rigorous r/c program, and it has some great instructors, like Victor Villanueva. Also, their writing center keeps winning awards, so the WPA connection is hard to ignore.

I didn’t see, but has anyone bothered to mention Canadian/UK schools? I’d like to know how they stack up.

By: Faith In Writing

Faith In Writing — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:12:13 +0000

Thanks for the great thread! I am currently in an MA program (literature) and I am doing an independant study with our one rhetoric and comp. instructor. One of my primary interests is faith/religion in the writing center and composition classes, but I don’t know if such a topic is even part of the rhetoric and comp. conversation. Any thoughts? And more related to the thread, does anyone know of a good PhD program in rhetoric and comp. that would be interested in working with someone with my interests and Christian perspective?

By: unemployed crosspatch

unemployed crosspatch — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 01:51:09 +0000

The alacrity with which Mike has cast judgment on a commenter with a master’s degree in rhetoric/composition, several years of doctoral work (without an assistantship or one dime of financial aid), and more than a decade of experience in teaching composition (part-time, naturally) at community colleges and universities reflects precisely the mentality that makes a “search committee” such a tough nut to crack.

By: mike

mike — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:09:04 +0000

As a white male and as someone who’s just been a member of a search committee, I have scant patience for bemoaning the imagined challenges faced by “the white male candidate.” As someone who works in rhetoric and composition, I have scant patience for those who describe community colleges as “fly-by-night institutions.” Making those characterizations in conjunction with one another indicates an unfamiliarity with the work and history of rhetoric and composition sufficiently thorough for one to deduce possible reasons for the adjective in the commenter’s alias.

By: unemployed crosspatch

unemployed crosspatch — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:33:19 +0000

Murray is correct that one should not even consider entering a doctoral program without full TA/financial support from the institution. Still the market for doctorates in English, regardless of specialty, is so constipated that pursuing the doctorate in rhetoric/composition remains a highly speculative venture, particularly for the white male candidate. Moreover, the quality of the degree granting program matters not a whit as lesser , fly-by-night institutions like community colleges actually prefer candidates with degrees from the less prestigious universities.

By: ben

ben — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:17:57 +0000

There used to be a comprehensive list of rhet/comp programs, but I haven’t been able to find it recently. If anyone knows of a flat listing of programs (outside the discussion of which is best) I would appreciate it.

One thing that i have been doing as I narrow down my list is looking at where faculty graduated from and where the department places their graduates (if it is listed) to help get a sense of the tiers that were being discussed above.

By: rachel c.

rachel c. — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:37:39 +0000

This is a great thread, and many of you are asking the sorts of questions to which I have been trying to find answers for quite some time! As far as Lynn’s question goes, I’ve heard different things from different people regarding U.S News and World Report rankings. While my rhet/comp professors have been quick to tell me that it depends on fit and satisfaction, echoing Mike’s advice, English professors have said quite the opposite.

They’ve told me that because English people are generally on hiring committees and know little about what constitutes a “good” rhet/ comp program, that it’s important to try to marry the two: toward that end, U of Wisconsin-Madison, Penn State, UT, and U of Michigan come to mind, as they are strong English programs with an equally strong rhet/comp component.

Have you all heard this advice before ? I’ve applied to PhD programs in rhet comp, and I’m having difficulty making a decision, primarily because there don’t seem to be clear cut rankings!

So, I appreciate any input at all!