Special Topics in the History of Rhetorical Theory

Miscellaneous courses for doctoral students in the historical origins of contemporary new media practices.

English 611: The Rhetoric of Marshall McLuhan

The roots of hypertext can be traced to many sources but none more unusual than the trio of Vannevar Bush whose Memex concept derived directly from the military-scientific sector, Ted Nelson with his Xanadu dream of an informational docuverse, and Marshall McLuhan, the Canadian literary intellectual with a prescient understanding of an emerging electronic environment. (Don Payne, 2001)

English 611: Publishing and Its Implications, 1688-2005

Discusses recent (and continuing) changes in the material circumstances of publishing--particularly how it affects the relationships between writers and audiences. Students will come to apply these methods to contemporary issues that face professional readers and writers, including modern content-management writing and online publishing systems. (Geoffrey Sauer, 2005)