ENG 5028 Fall 2023 Al-Khateeb

This course engages with historical and contemporary developments in rhetorical studies with an emphasis on rhetorical ecologies. We will begin by reviewing early theorizations of the rhetorical situation to establish a foundation for our discussions. We will then study different theoretical perspectives on rhetorical ecologies—public and digital rhetorics, transnationalism, affect studies, posthumanism, and new materialism—examining how an ecological model can challenge and/or extend existing definitions and approaches to rhetorical inquiry in the 21st century. In addition to exploring and practicing what rhetorical ecologies make possible, we will read, analyze, and write about case studies that explore the limitations of this model. This course equips students with theoretical and analytical tools to engage critically with rhetorics of humanitarian, ecological, and technological crises.