What Is 'Rhetorical Studies'?

[Symphony Steve]

Was going through the NBA rosters to see where the SU guys were playing, and I noticed that three SU alums, recent alums, had majored in Rhetorical Studies.

So, can someone tell me what that major is all about, and if it's essentially a 'gut' major for athletes? Kinda like what 'Recreational Science' used to be at ACC/SEC institutions?

 

[Cusefan0307]

Graduate Program | Communication and Rhetorical Studies | Academics | Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts

Communication and Rhetorical Studies | Academics | Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts

 

[721Comstock]

Was going through the NBA rosters to see where the SU guys were playing, and I noticed that three SU alums, recent alums, had majored in Rhetorical Studies.

So, can someone tell me what that major is all about, and if it's essentially a 'gut' major for athletes? Kinda like what 'Recreational Science' used to be at ACC/SEC institutions?

Is this a Rhetorical question?

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Since that's a "rhetorical" question, I'm not going to answer.

[Darn. Missed it by that much.]

 

[721Comstock]

Since that's a "rhetorical" question, I'm not going to answer.

[Darn. Missed it by that much.]

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Ironically, it seems like a poorly-worded program title. Kinda sounds, on the face of it, like something to be ignored or something only theoretical and non-concrete. Just changing the form of the word to "Rhetoric" sorta takes the 'flimsiness' away, no?

 

[Symphony Steve]

Actually, the undergraduate program appears much less daunting than the graduate program:

Undergraduate Program | Communication and Rhetorical Studies | Academics | Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts
Until someone disabuses me of my notion, I'll suspect that this is a 'gut' major that attracts a lot of athletes. Which doesn't make it worthless. The ability to communicate effectively can make a big difference in an athlete's earning power.

 

[reedny]

Ottomets can help out with this one. I think RS is interdisciplinary ... mostly communications but some traditional liberal arts courses (grammar, logic, linguistic analysis - part of philosophy). Communications itself is a subset of business (applied science), not liberal arts. So I have no experience with that. I do have an undergraduate degree in philosophy, so I can tell you that if philo courses are taught at SU --- they're most likely pretty tough.

Am I close, Otto?

 

[Fat tire 13]

Question 1 of Rhetorical studies - If a tree falls into the forests of NC, and no one turns it into a mediocre one page paper, will it still get an "A"?