In today’s media, we often hear terms like “divisive rhetoric” or “bad rhetoric,” which often gives a negative perception of rhetoric even if someone may not understand what it exactly is. At its core, it’s a term that has its roots dating back to ancient Greece. Back then, they focused on persuasion techniques and speech rather than written text. Now, rhetoric encompasses not only speeches and written works, but also visual rhetorics such as images and film.
A piece of writing is shaped and influenced by its surrounding circumstances and contexts. The rhetorical situation can be described in five parts: purpose, audience, topic, writer, and context. These parts work together to better describe the circumstances and contexts of a piece of writing, which if understood properly, can help you make smart writing choices in your work.
Prewriting is an important step in the writing process. Fully exploring your ideas and planning out how they will take shape in your paper will ensure you are able to achieve your purpose. Depending on your learning style, some prewriting strategies may work better for you than others.
One common prewriting method is outlining, which complements reading/writing and visual learning styles.
Prewriting is an important step in the writing process. Fully exploring your ideas and planning out how they will take shape in your paper will ensure you are able to achieve your purpose. Depending on your learning style, some prewriting strategies may work better for you than others.
One common prewriting method is thought mapping/webbing, which can complement kinesthetic and visual learning styles.
Prewriting is an important step in the writing process. Fully exploring your ideas and planning out how they will take shape in your paper will ensure you are able to achieve your purpose. Depending on your learning style, some prewriting strategies may work better for you than others.
One common prewriting method is freewriting, which complements kinesthetic and reading/writing learning styles.
A strong component of academic writing that all writers must understand is the difference between subject, topic, and thesis. Knowing the difference between these three terms will help you create a strong argument for your paper. This handout is designed to help inform you about these three distinct introductory elements, and it will also help you transition from deciding on a subject you are writing about, to the essay’s topic, and finally to your overall thesis.
When reviewing an assignment sheet or a prompt for a class, many students can feel overwhelmed by the amount of information or misinterpret the instructor’s expectations. This handout is designed to help you navigate some of the finer points of reviewing a prompt to ensure you are understanding all the expectations for that assignment. Below is an example of an annotated prompt by a student who identified important points of the prompt. On the next page, we have also included a sample checklist developed from the prompt, which can help you keep track of the assignment expectations.
New students with fewer than 30 credit hours will be advised by freshmen advisors, located in the Center for Academic Success and Advising. Transfer students with 30 or more credit hours but are still deciding on a major are also advised by freshmen advisors. If you have successfully completed 30 or more credit hours, you are assigned to a College or Faculty Advisor within your major.
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