Encyclopedia of Rhetoric and Composition: Communication from Ancient Times to the Information Age [Hardcover]

Modern rhetoric is a vital tool
Rhetoric, the strategic presentation of ideas and choice of language, informs all writing, speaking, thinking, and learning. It provides the guiding principles and practical framework for effective written and spoken communication. Modern rhetoric can help fight the current literacy crisis in our schools--it is a vital tool for teaching students to write logically and persuasively.

Alphabetically arranged
This alphabetically-arranged reference guide surveys the field, covering rhetoric's principles, concepts, applications, practical tools, and major thinkers. Rhetoric is increasingly studied in the context of other disciplines, such as anthropology, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, and pedagogy, because its well-established rules and time-honored methods are useful for developing modern communications and writing skills.
Draws on expertise of 288 contributors
Drawing on the scholarship and expertise of 288 contributors, the Encyclopediapresents a long-needed overview of rhetoric and its role in contemporary education and communications, discusses rhetoric's contributions to various fields, surveys the applications of this versatile discipline to the teaching of English and language arts, and illustrates its usefulness in all kinds of discourse, argument, and exchange of ideas. The coverage has been tailored to meet the needs of American teachers and students.

Each entry followed by a bibliographyFollowing each entry is a bibliography of key texts and recommended reading. Cross-references, a comprehensive index, and a list of entries and contributors make this unique reference work easy to use.
The Encyclopedia's 467 entries take four forms:
brief identification of figure, term, or concept (Hugh Blair, commonplaces, kairos) * elaborate notes (exposition, hermeneutics, Nietzsche) * essays that explore a subject in depth (Aristotle, ethos, feminist rhetoric) * extended articles that illuminate rhetoric's art and methodology (argument, composition studies, invention)
Distinguished Advisory Board:
Carroll C. Arnold, Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University * Patricia Bizzell, Department of English, College of the Holy Cross * Ernest G. Bormann, Department of Speech-Communication, University of Minnesota * Stuart C. Brown, Department of English, New Mexico State University * Edward P.J. Corbett, Emeritus, Department of English, Ohio State University * Frank J. D'Angelo, Department of English, Arizona State University * Richard Leo Enos, Department of English, Texas Christian University * Bruce E. Gronbeck, Department of Communication Studies, University of Iowa * Bruce Herzberg, Department of English, Bentley College * Winifred Bryan Horner, Emerita, Department of English, Texas Christian University * Richard L. Johannesen, Department of Communication Studies, Northern Illinois University * Henry W. Johnstone, Jr., Department of Philosophy, Pennsylvania State University * James Kinneavy, Department of English, University of Texas at Austin * Janice M. Lauer, Department of English, Purdue University * Andrea A. Lunsford, Department of English, Ohio State University * James J. Murphy, Department of Rhetoric, University of California, Davis * Muriel Saville-Troike, Department of English, University of Arizona * Robert L. Scott, Department of Speech-Communication, University of Minnesota * Kathleen E. Welch, Department of English, University of Oklahoma * W. Ross Winterowd, Department of Rhetoric, Linguistics, and Literature, University of Southern California * Richard Young, Department of English, Carnegie Mellon University