Program Highlighted | Writing and Rhetoric
Introduction by | Cynthia Messenger
Interview with | Daniella Stern and Steve Lebo
Date | November 2003

Introduction | Cynthia Messenger

Innis College has played a leading role in providing writing instruction at the University of Toronto for forty years. Innis College's Writing and Rhetoric program is built on a foundation of long-standing Innis courses in academic and creative writing and on more recently mounted courses in professional writing, rhetoric, and media. The writing program draws on U of T courses in a range of disciplines. The program's design reflects the three interrelated themes of its title.

Writing: This discipline involves more than instruction in composition skills; it is inextricably tied to rhetoric, logic, reasoning, and critical thinking. One of the main goals of the writing program is to ensure that students graduate with exposure to various modes of writing and with transferable skills.

Rhetoric: One of the oldest disciplines in the liberal arts, rhetoric as a contemporary discipline focuses on the influence of discourse on social forces. For the purposes of the writing program, rhetoric will, broadly speaking, signify the patterns of communication identifiable in a variety of disciplines and environments.

Critical Analysis: One of the tenets of the new writing program is shared by many of the University's Arts and Science disciplines: that problem-solving and creative, persuasive, and effective writing depend on the ability to analyze discourse critically.

Interview | Daniella Stern and Steve Lebo

For the complete interview click here.

For furher information about the program in University of Toronto and beyond, click here.