What is Rhetoric?

Rhetoric is not just empty words or fine political speeches. Rhetoric is the study and art of writing and speaking well, being persuasive, and knowing how to compose successful writing and presentations. Rhetoric teaches us the essential skills of advanced learning and higher education. In Rhetoric classes, students learn to think logically, to discover wrong or weak arguments, to build a good case on a controversial topic, and to overcome the all-too-common fear of speaking in public so that they can deliver crisp and well-prepared speeches.

Rhetoric is a fundamental building block of good education, whether it is followed by studies of Engineering, English or Entomology. Clear thinking, good argument, and logical discussion are essential to academic student success in any discipline and field. The better the essays you write, the better your grade. The stronger the presentations you make, the greater your academic success. The more you understand how to criticize and analyze what you read and study in Music, Mathematics or the Modern Languages, the stronger your education.