Rhetoric and Composition as Intellectual Work / Edition 2

by Gary A. Olson

Overview

In response to those who insist that rhetoric and composition should remain only a service discipline, editor Gary A. Olson’s Rhetoric and Composition as Intellectual Work demonstrates that it already is an intellectual discipline, that for at least a quarter of a century the field has developed an impressive tradition of intellectual work in a remarkable assortment of subject areas. Rhetoric and Composition as Intellectual Work suggests the diversity of intellectual projects that have and will continue to make rhetoric and composition more than a service to the university, more than a field devoted solely to improving writing pedagogy, and more than a preliminary to literary studies.

This collection of nineteen essays by some of the most distinguished scholars in the discipline illustrates that rhetoric and composition has much to contribute to the intellectual milieu of the contemporary university, as the field continues to push its disciplinary borders and discover new sites of investigation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780809324330
Publisher:	Southern Illinois University Press
Publication date:	03/25/2002
Edition description:	1st Edition
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Gary A. Olson is a professor of English and the coordinator of the graduate program in rhetoric and composition at the University of South Florida. A past editor of JAC, his fifteen books include the edited volumes of Philosophy, Rhetoric, Literary Criticism and Interviews: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Rhetoric and Literacy with Irene Gale.

Table of Contents

	Preface	xi
	Acknowledgments	xvii
Part 1.	Disciplinary Concerns
1.	Reclaiming Our Theoretical Heritage: A Big Fish Tale	3
2.	Rhetoric and Composition as a Coherent Intellectual Discipline: A Meditation	12
3.	The Death of Composition as an Intellectual Discipline	23
4.	The Case for Writing Studies as a Major Discipline	32
Part 2.	Historical Inquiry
5.	Writing Studies as a Mode of Inquiry	41
6.	Claiming the Archive for Rhetoric and Composition	55
7.	New Dispositions for Historical Studies in Rhetoric	65
Part 3.	Ideological Inquiry
8.	Ideological Critique in Rhetoric and Composition	81
9.	Working Against the State: Composition's Intellectual Work for Change	91
10.	Coming to Terms: Theory, Writing, Politics	101
11.	Holdin It Down: Students' Right and the Struggle over Language Diversity	115
Part 4.	Philosophical Inquiry
12.	From Segregated Schools to Dimpled Chads: Rhetorical Hermeneutics and the Suasive Work of Theory	131
13.	Paralogic Rhetoric: An Overview	143
14.	Writing and Truth: Philosophy's Role in Rhetorical Practice	153
15.	Seeing in Third Sophistic Ways	164
Part 5.	New Directions
16.	Body Studies in Rhetoric and Composition	177
17.	Delivering the Message: Typography and the Materiality of Writing	188
18.	The Intelletual Work of Computers and Composition Studies	203
19.	The Eternal Return of Magic-Rhetoric: Carnak Counts Ballots	221
	List of Contributors	231
	Index	235

Editorial Reviews

Full of insights, courage, and hope, Rhetoric and Composition as Intellectual Work is an invaluable book for educators, students, and others who believe that analyzing and writing the word represents a form of public intervention that is central to understanding and engaging the world.”—Henry A. Giroux, Penn State University

From the Publisher

Nineteen essays from scholars describe and critique some of the recent intellectual work in the field of rhetoric and composition. Topics include, for example, the case for writing studies as a major discipline, the role of philosophy in rhetorical practice, ideological critique, and the materiality of writing. Olson is coordinator of the graduate program in rhetoric and composition at the University of South Florida. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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