Rhetoric and Composition

The Master of Humanities in Rhetoric and Composition is designed to prepare you for either teaching at the community college level or applying for further graduate study at the doctoral level. As a graduate of the program, you’ll be prepared to inspire your own students with a love of reading and writing, or simply enjoy texts on a deeper level. The degree will also allow you to pursue your own interests in the capstone project.

Throughout the program, you’ll complete creative assignments that you can use with your own students. Courses will also give you the opportunity to participate in peer review, adding the necessary skills of group work and evaluation to your portfolio. Overall, faculty will guide you through courses using metacognition – analyzing activities in the courses while completing the activities themselves.

Each instructor within the Master of Humanities program brings experience in their field of study. They bring this real-world knowledge to their teaching, to the building of our curriculum as subject matter experts and to their interactions with students on a daily basis.

As part of our professional program, you’ll learn career-ready skills that will prepare you for a job within the field of English. Courses are relevant, and all content is focused on practical skills. You’ll apply your knowledge as you engage in creative assignments, working both individually and in group discussions and projects.

The program will prepare you to be an effective communicator in the field who can share their knowledge effectively with others. If you enjoy analyzing texts and/or encouraging others to enjoy texts, then the MH in Rhetoric and Composition is for you.

Within the Rhetoric and Composition program, you’ll actively engage through discussions with your peers and instructors. Each week, you’ll engage with classmates and complete an outside assignment related to your required readings and interactive activities throughout the week. You’ll apply your learning as you analyze texts and discuss ideas with others.

Within the program, you’ll continuously work on your communication and problem-solving skills as you take part in weekly discussions and assignments. These assignments, focused on textual analysis and synthesis, will require you to critically think about how texts are created and how ideas are communicated.

You’ll participate in a capstone project that allows you to pursue your own more specific interests that you may have discovered in your courses. By the end of the capstone project, you will have a polished writing sample that you can use for future graduate applications and/or seek to publish.

FORMAT

Online – Offered in 7-week courses, starting in January, May and August

SAMPLE COURSES

Ethics in Business and Technical Writing (ENG615) – This course examines ethics and ethical issues in the field of business and technical writing. Beyond communicating information accurately, ethics involves addressing stakeholders’ concerns, knowledge of legal issues in writing, appreciation of writing’s effect on different cultures, accessibility issues and other issues of this nature. Students will analyze case studies to determine ethical issues and resolutions.

Graduate Rhetoric/Composition (ENG505) – This course strengthens students’ writing ability so that they can write appropriately at the graduate level. It also provides a foundation of knowledge in rhetoric and composition for students wishing to teach college level writing. The course will be organized around the five canons of rhetoric: Invention, Arrangement, Style, Memory, and Delivery.

Research Methods (ENG525) – This course is a practical introduction to doing research in graduate school. It will introduce students to “joining the scholarly conversation” in their chosen concentration, including finding, evaluating, and using appropriate graduate-level sources. The course will begin with a discussion on the differences between an undergraduate and a graduate education, including expectations in the classroom, and then move to practical skills in working with primary and secondary sources, including the importance of peer review. Students will ultimately write a critical history on a topic or text of their choice, chosen with help from the instructor.

History of the English Language (ENG608) – This course studies the history of English and how the language has evolved from the Old English period through to modern English. Students will analyze the purpose of language and how language changes over time and place, including dialects, pidgins, and creoles. The course will begin with a brief review of modern prescriptive English grammar and introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The course will also require some translation from Old and Middle English.

All MH concentrations offered:

• Art and Visual Media
• Creative Writing
• Film Studies
• Rhetoric and Composition

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of postsecondary teachers is projected to grow 12 percent from 2020 to 2030. The median annual wage for postsecondary teachers was $80,560 in May 2020.

careers

The online Masters in Humanities in Rhetoric and Composition program prepares you for positions related to:

• Author
• Grant Writer
• Content Writer
• Editor
• Public Relations Manager
• Technical Writer
• Copywriter
• Customer Service Representative

what is Rhetoric and Composition?

Rhetoric and Composition is one sub-field of English that focuses on the theory and practice of teaching writing. Writing teachers use rhetoric – focusing on elements such as logos, pathos, and ethos – to teach students how to write arguments and master their writing skills to fit into the world of academic writing.

what is a master’s in Rhetoric and Composition?

A master’s in rhetoric and composition prepares students to be effective communicators in the field of English, as well as accomplished teachers who can share their knowledge effectively with others. Students will work on communication and problem-solving skills as they take part in weekly discussions and assignments that focus on textual analysis and synthesis. Students will think critically about how texts are created and how ideas are communicated.

what can i do with a degree in Rhetoric and Composition?

With a degree in rhetoric and composition, you will be qualified for a variety of career opportunities, including author, grant writer, content writer, editor, public relations manager, technical writer, copywriter, customer service representative and sales representative.