John Schilb, the English department’s director of writing and rhetorical studies, said the former rhetoric faculty originally in the Department of Communication and Culture are currently working on new projects alongside the rhetoric faculty already in English, including the new minor in communication and public advocacy.
Following the establishment of the new Media School, the CMCL rhetoric faculty joined the department of English.
“The CMCL rhetoric faculty are experts in the teaching of public speaking; the group they have merged with in English have expertise in the teaching of writing,” Schilb said. “The new minor in communication and public advocacy is one of the first fruits of their collaboration.”
Schilb, who oversees undergraduate and graduate programs in rhetoric, is the main contact person for the new minor.
“Courses in the new minor teach students how to express their ideas and argue effectively in public settings, especially on issues of importance to democratic culture,” said Philip Perdue, an associate instructor who teaches courses related to the new minor. “The courses improve students’ ability to analyze ideas and respond persuasively to arguments of other citizens.”
The minor consists of 15 credit hours, nine of which must be completed on the Bloomington campus, according to the English department website.
Students will be able to count previously-completed courses toward their minor in communication and public advocacy. A list of approved courses can be found on the English department’s website.
Schilb said he recommends students begin with either R228: Argumentation and Public Advocacy or W270: Argumentative Writing before taking R396: Study of Public Advocacy.
Other courses students interested in pursuing the minor can choose to take in the English department include R211: Rhetoric and Sport, W231: Professional Writing Skills, R224: Persuasion and R212: Communicating Sustainability. Courses through the CMCL department include C348: Environmental Communication, C432: Visual Rhetoric, C340: Rhetoric of Social Movements and C222: Democratic Deliberation.
Schilb said he believes the minor will attract students who want to become producers and analysts of public communication.
“Perhaps they’re planning on a career where success depends on skills of writing and speaking, such as law, business, the arts, politics or social activism,” Schilb said. “These students might currently have majors in various schools on campus, including the college, SPEA, Kelley and the School of Public Health.”
Perdue said the minor offers focused instruction in skills that are desirable to potential employers, such as writing, speaking and digital communication.
Because of the wide breadth of subject matter this minor encompasses and covers, Perdue said students who successfully complete a program of study in rhetoric are well-equipped to adapt to a large variety of professional scenarios.
“They know how to tailor messages to specific contexts, and how to assess, and then advocate for, complex social and cultural issues that shape the professional world,” Perdue said. “At the same time, we are convinced that instruction in persuasion generally tries to nurture qualities of personal character that translate into professional leadership.”
Students may choose to complete both the minor in communication and public advocacy as well as an additional minor offered by the English department, so long as different courses are chosen to complete each minor, according to the English department’s website.
However, students who wish to pursue a major in English are not eligible for the minor in communication and public advocacy.
“IU’s rhetoric programs have long had a great national reputation,” Schilb said. “Now, with the merger of the university’s two rhetoric faculties, the English department will be able to make that reputation even stronger.
