KU to welcome top rhetorical scholars for conference


Thu, 05/30/2013

author

Kristi Henderson

LAWRENCE — The fifth biennial Rhetoric Society of America’s Summer Institute will take place on the Lawrence campus of the University of Kansas from Monday, June 3, through Sunday, June 9. The conference will host 420 scholars of rhetoric.

This is the most highly attended RSA Summer Institute to date, reflecting KU’s recognition as a leader in the field of rhetoric.

Scholars from across the country will engage in seminars and workshops conducted by leaders in the field of rhetoric. Sessions include “Rhetorical Approaches to the 2012 Presidential Campaign,” “Apogee of the Civil Rights Movement,” “Placemaking: Rhetorical Studies and Critical Geography” and “Reframing Documentary in the Age of Social Media,” among many others.

Frank Farmer, associate professor of English, will give the keynote address, “Making Stuff and Doing Things: Bricolage and the Making of Local Publics.” This spring, Farmer published a book focused on the theme of resistant and oppositional discourses in public spheres, called “After the Public Turn: Composition, Counterpublics and the Citizen Bricoleur.”

Dave Tell, associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies, is the director of the 2013 institute. The Department of Communication Studies and the Department of English at KU are co-hosting the institute. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a sponsor.

RSA is an organization of multidisciplinary scholars, teachers and students of rhetoric and its historical and contemporary permutations. The 1,700 RSA members are scholars in many fields including English, communication, philosophy, linguistics, political science, history, sociology, visual arts and more.

The Departments of Communication Studies and English are part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which encourages learning without boundaries in its more than 50 departments, programs and centers. Through innovative research and teaching, the College emphasizes interdisciplinary education, global awareness and experiential learning. The College is KU's broadest, most diverse academic unit.

Thu, 05/30/2013

author

Kristi Henderson

Media Contacts

Kristi Henderson

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

785-864-3663