A Rhetorical Approach to Writing at Stanford

PWR's Rhetorical Approach

Rhetorical studies spring from ancient traditions and remain an integral component of liberal arts education.  Proceeding from principles growing out of dynamic rhetorical theories and practices, PWR courses prepare students to become skilled, versatile communicators in all of their work in the university and beyond through scaffolded assignments in research-based writing and oral and multimodal presentation of research. Students develop these abilities through close, careful attention to how language works in academic and real-world contexts; students also consistently explore their own attitudes toward and relationships with writing, speaking, reading, and listening. As critical thinkers and researchers, students learn how to ask questions motivated by rhetorical concerns, exploring the most effective means of connecting to readers and listeners while illuminating the central role language plays in shaping human thoughts and actions. 

A rhetorical approach to writing examines language in all of its forms primarily as acts of communication, as performances rather than as static objects; students and instructors together study both how humans generate language and and how they experience and respond to language. With this emphasis, PWR differentiates itself from other writing-intensive courses that might focus on writing as focused on conveying information or content.  Through developing rhetorical awareness, PWR students gain knowledge and skill in assessing and making strategic choices in communication situations, in understanding and evaluating the language of others, and in making an impact through their participation in academic and public conversations, including research conversations.

Problem-solving pedagogy

Students grounded in rhetoric become more effective problem-solvers in communication—they can more readily recognize and act on an opportunity, establish credibility, state a case cogently, argue ethically, and use writing and speaking to understand and contribute to a community.

PWR instructors strive to help students develop their abilities in rhetorical problem-solving rather than learning to conform to a particular writing behavior, genre, or set of rules. PWR courses succeed when students can identify and pursue their own writing, research, and presentation goals within the framework of the class, developing a versatile range of writing strategies they can use in various writing situations they will encounter.

Though PWR instructors familiarize their students with rhetoric in a variety of ways, all introduce rhetorical concepts and give students consistent practice via classroom activities and assignments.

Rhetoric vs. rules

The rhetorical approach emphasizes that writers and speakers make choices in response to the needs of specific situations, attentive to the contexts in which they communicate and the audiences they address in their writing and speaking. PWR instructors don’t teach students to follow a set formula but instead to analyze their specific audiences and the contexts in which they communicate to make informed choices about language and structure based on engagement with and analysis of the rhetorical situation.