Academic Program

This information is part of the Colgate University catalog, 2021-22.

Faculty
Associate Professors Campbell, Worley (Chair) Assistant Professor LeMesurier Director of the Writing and Speaking Center Lutman Senior Lecturers Spires, Spring

Rhetoric is the art of effective language use in written, oral, and visual communication and is a central part of the liberal arts tradition. With roots in ancient Greece and branches in the most recent media technologies, rhetoric is simultaneously one of the oldest and newest academic disciplines, fundamentally engaging with language, power, and public culture.

As a discipline, rhetoric demonstrates how discourse generates knowledge, mediates power, and enacts social change; as an art, rhetoric enables the speaker/writer to invent arguments by making logical, ethical, and emotional appeals to an audience. The department offers courses in writing, public address, and the history and theory of rhetoric and language.

Courses in writing and rhetoric position students to become critical language users, preparing them to be effective communicators both in their future careers and in civic society, in the US and abroad.

The Writing Requirement

If notified at the time of admission, students may be required to complete one of the department's eligible 100-level writing courses with a grade of C or better before the end of their fourth semester. Other students may be assigned first priority in registering for introductory writing courses based on need and interest

Awards

The Joseph '63 and Carol Trimmer Awards for Excellence in Expository Writing — established as prizes to be awarded by the Department of Writing and Rhetoric.

The Trimmer Senior Scholar Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing and Rhetoric — established as a prize to be awarded by the Writing and Rhetoric department to a senior for being an exceptional scholar and citizen in the discipline of Writing and Rhetoric.

Courses

The courses listed below are offered by the WRIT program. Select courses from other departments/programs may also count toward the WRIT minor requirements. Use the minor link below to find other courses that count toward these requirements.

Majors and Minors

Minor

Writing and Rhetoric Minor