A Brief History of the Rhetoric and Composition Graduate Program at Florida State University

The graduate programs in rhetoric and composition at Florida State University have a long history, which has developed in three iterations.

In the first iteration, scholars like Kellogg H. Hunt and James McCrimmon began to make a place at Florida State for the scholarly work of composition. Their work, and that of their students, focused on the role of language in the growth of student writing and in the rhetoric of the essay.

Later, two well-known scholars—Wendy Bishop and Rick Straub—carried the work of the earlier program forward. Wendy—whose work ranged from attention to alternative writing to ethnographic research, and whose leadership included the CCCC Chairship—worked with undergraduates on writing projects and with graduate students on ways we understand and can improve the teaching of writing. Rick Straub's work in the ways that response shapes the development both of writing and of writers continues to influence the field; his Twelve Readers Reading, co-authored with FSU alum Ron Lunsford, is the only study of its kind.

The graduate program in rhetoric and composition is today in its third iteration. The program includes five core faculty—Deborah Coxwell-Teague, Kristie Fleckenstein, Rhea Lathan, Michael Neal, and Kathleen Blake Yancey—whose scholarly interests range from pedagogical practices and visual rhetoric to the ways that digital technologies are changing compositional and assessment practices. Student scholarship ranges widely, from studies of rhetorical practices in the medieval area to remediations of Superman; from the influence of technology on the field at large to the role of transfer in college composition; and from writing center theory-as-put-into-practice to the role of WAC and assessment in enhancing learning.

In 2005, Kathleen Blake Yancey joined the faculty at Florida State University and began directing the graduate program in Rhetoric and Composition. In 2006, Krisite Fleckenstein and Michael Neal joined the program, and in 2009, Rhea Lathan joined our program. In addition, we have several faculty in related areas who work with our students, including Leigh Edwards in media studies and pop culture; Amit Rai in media studies and assemblage theory; Elaine Treharne in medieval and manuscript studies; and Susan Hellstrom in publishing and editing.

We've had more students join us as well; currently, we have 20 students studying rhetoric and composition as a major area, and several others taking a minor in rhetoric and composition. For a glimpse of their work, see our project page and visit with us at several conferences around the country.