Diverse Community, Diverse Studies
Situated in El Paso, a city on the U.S.-Mexico border, our program draws much of its energy from our unique location. We not only study and theorize cross-cultural rhetorics, we live them. We also focus on digital studies, multimodal literacies, the teaching of writing and rhetoric, writing program administration, and second language writing. For more on the uniqueness of our location and how it affects our lives and scholarship, check out the “ ” page.
Our program offers students a solid grounding in the field while at the same time allowing them toexplore their own interests. Core courses in Rhetorical History and Theory, Composition Studies, Critical Theory, and Rhetoric and Technology expose students to important scholarship in these areas. Students can select from a range of other courses to round out their program. Coursework is supplemented with workshops on publishing, seeking a job, and other relevant topics.
In 2007, The Chronicle of Higher Education listed as third in scholarly productivity out of all Rhetoric and Composition programs in the country. This recognition shows the innovative work being done at UTEP, ranging from multimedia border literacies to the unique technology-driven and disciplinary-oriented redesign of our award-winning first year composition courses. Students also select from a variety of both within our program and in other departments that allow them to focus on their particular concerns. You will find our and current students presenting at national and regional conferences. At a more local level, students also engage in a chapter of the Rhetoric Society of America. Frontera Retorica exposes students to prominent scholars in the field through "SKYPE A Scholar" sessions while also placing students in contact with burgeoning scholars through the annual spring symposium.
If you haven’t done so, consider checking out the “ ” and “ ” pages for more on the diverse interests of our community members. Since the people are the heart of our program, the information on these pages will give you a stronger feel of what we are about.