Degree Requirements for MS and PhD | Humanities

Effective Fall 2022

The Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture (RTC) curriculum consists of courses providing general instruction in scholarly work and pedagogy as well as two types of content courses:

Groundwork courses providing an intensive study of a topic in one of the five interdisciplinary areas
Focus courses providing advanced and specialized topics of study.

Introduction to Graduate Studies and Practica

Introduction to Graduate Studies

Taken in the student’s first year, meeting once every two weeks

Introduces students to the structure, processes, and timelines of the RTC program and to expectations and skills for graduate-level inquiry
Introduces graduate faculty and their scholarly specializations
Surveys methodologies/methods for interdisciplinary humanistic inquiry
Assists students to identify a focus of interest, generate research ideas, and articulate a defensible research question

Composition Practicum (HU 5931)

3 credits in a student's first semester

This course is designed for GTIs teaching UN 1015 - Composition for the first time. Weekly readings and assignments, as well as ongoing mentorship and consultation are designed to support continuous improvement as a writing teacher/scholar.

Other Practica

Available in Technical Communication, Modern Language Pedagogy, Communication (by consent of instructor)

These pedagogy courses are offered as needed in order to prepare graduate students for teaching a variety of courses other than the Composition course. Practica may be dedicated to teaching courses in Technical Communication, Modern Languages, Communication, or other subjects.

Sample Practica Contents:

Read current research on best pedagogical practices within a specific academic field
Observe undergraduate teaching by faculty and advanced graduate students
Design syllabi and assignments
Attend courses taught by graduate peers and reflect on practices
Participate in group grade norming

Coursework

Groundwork:

The RTC program is centered on coursework organized within five clusters, with two courses per cluster. PhD students are required to take four groundwork courses, and MS students are required to take three.

Writing, Literacy, and Technical Communication

HU 5002 - Rhetoric and Composition

This course considers key theoretical, pedagogical, and historical issues and events that have linked the fields of rhetoric, composition, and literacy studies.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: On Demand
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate; Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s): Rhetoric, Theory and Culture, Rhetoric & Tech Communication

HU 5003 - Technical and Scientific Communication

This course considers key historical, pedagogical, and theoretical issues in technical and scientific communication, and technology studies. Considerable attention is paid to the practice and critique of technical communication and technology in academic and non-academic settings.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: On Demand
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate; Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s): Rhetoric, Theory and Culture, Rhetoric & Tech Communication

Philosophy and Rhetoric

HU 5006 - Continental Philosophy

Study of major figures and themes in continental philosophy. Topics might include: human being, temporality, historicity, tradition, language, perception, embodiment, intersubjectivity, politics, and technology. Approaches to these issues may include phenomenology, hermeneutics, deconstruction, feminist theory, and critical theory.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: On Demand
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate

HU 5070 - History and Theory of Rhetoric

History and theory of rhetoric, focusing on ancient rhetoric, alternative rhetorics, and/or modern rhetorical theory.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: On Demand
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate

Technology, Media, and Visual Studies

HU 5112 - Theoretical Perspectives on Technology

Philosophical, rhetorical, literary, and/or cultural studies perspectives on technology.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: On Demand
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate

HU 5114 - Visual Theory and Analysis

A critical survey of selected theoretical, analytic and methodological issues that inform various disciplinary perspectives on visuality, visual culture, images, and image-based media, and visual representation.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: On Demand
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate

Language, Literature, and Globalization

HU 5007 - Critical Perspectives on Globalization

Examines different facets, stages, and manifestations of globalization, with an emphasis on critical discourses that seek to understand this phenomenon from humanistic and cultural perspectives.

Credits: 3.0; Repeatable to a Max of 6
Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)
Semesters Offered: On Demand
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate

HU 5008 - Critical Approaches to Literature and Culture

Advanced study of genres, periods and movements in literature and culture. May include transnational movements, comparative studies, oral literature, electronic literature, literary and critical theory and other disciplines and/or arts.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)
Semesters Offered: On Demand
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate

Communication and Culture

HU 5004 - Cultural Theory

Study of major cultural theories such as structuralism, poststructuralism, Marxism, feminist theory, postmodernism, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, and discourse theory.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: On Demand
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate; Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s): Rhetoric, Theory and Culture, Rhetoric & Tech Communication

HU 5012 - Communication Theory

Traces the development of communication theories. Emphasizes interactions among theoretical, political, historical, and socio-cultural factors.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: On Demand
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate

Focus:

Focus courses provide an opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of a specific topic, issue, or area of scholarly inquiry. Focus course topics include:

Feminist Philosophy
Cyberactivism and Social Change
The Body in Visual Representation
Community Literacy
Feminist Critiques of Technology and Science
Critical Aesthetics from Analog to Digital Color
Media Power
Cultural Industries, Popular Culture, and Celebrity

Additional Coursework and Requirements

Supplementary Coursework Options

4000-level courses: MS and PhD students are limited to taking one 4000-level course, with the stipulation that they consult with the course’s professor on appropriate additional readings/papers, etc. This must be approved by the RTC Director, in consultation with the student’s advisor.
Coursework outside RTC: All coursework outside the RTC program must be approved by the RTC Director, in consultation with the student’s advisor.

Students may apply a maximum of three (3) supplementary coursework credits (4000-level courses, coursework outside RTC, independent study) toward the coursework requirements for their degree. Students with compelling reasons to add further supplementary coursework credits (i.e., these would provide necessary important background preparation for the student’s research) may petition the RTC director for a waiver.

Responsible Conduct of Research

The Graduate School requires all graduate students to complete two Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) courses. The Basic course is offered during the new graduate student orientation prior to the start of classes each semester. The course is also offered online. The Advanced RCR requirement can be fulfilled by taking one of the courses offered by various departments. (All are 1 or 2 credits. There are also 3-credit courses that have been authorized as Advanced RCR courses. The department offers a Research Integrity Workshop each summer that fulfills this requirement.

Annual Student Progress Evaluation Form

The annual Student Progress Evaluation Form verifies that students are making timely progress toward degree completion and provides students with feedback concerning degree progress from their advisor and from the program. This form does not record an evaluation of a student’s academic performance. Continued funding and/or enrollment in the RTC program is based on satisfactory progress. This form ensures that students are informed of any concerns that might affect the department’s assessment of their progress and that they are given ample opportunity to remedy those concerns.

Requirements by Degree

Master's students take 2 years of coursework. Options for the fourth semester include more coursework, a project, or a thesis.

PhD students also take 2 years of coursework. Third and fourth year requirements involve qualifying exams, dissertation research, dissertation writing, and job search.