Rhetoric and Language

Return to: College of Arts and Sciences

Effective writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills are central to the University of San Francisco’s mission and the hallmark of an educated person. Together the divisions of the Department stress all aspects of communication, literacy, and rhetoric.

Department Areas:

Composition is designed to increase each undergraduate student’s ability in writing, which includes not only how to write but also how to read analytically and to think critically.

Public Speaking introduces students to the fundamentals of oral communication and increases their ability to make effective presentations in classroom and public settings.

English as a Second Language provides a variety of classes for multilingual students to assist them in refining their skills in written and oral English.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• explain and apply rhetorical concepts, theories, and principles in the process of analyzing various texts and rhetorical situations
• produce research-driven written, oral, and digital communication that demonstrates awareness, knowledge, and application of rhetorical concepts
• evaluate the ethics and effectiveness of their own and others’ communication in academic, civic, and professional situations
• articulate and interpret their own rhetorical choices and composing processes

Return to: College of Arts and Sciences