This course examines theories of writing in relation to ethos, technology, institutional settings, and the social construction of knowledge in public discourse.  We will begin with a critique of Enlightenment rationalism, referential theories of language, and how those theories alter or reinforce our understanding of rhetoric, ethical appeal, and the pragmatic applications of institutional writing practices within discourse communities.  The course will draw on the works of Aristotle, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Lyotard, Habermas, Baudrillard, Rorty, Faigley, and Feenberg, among others, to examine the assumptions of discourse communities, their belief systems, and their writing conventions. Examples will be drawn from the composition classroom, professional writing, and public discourse. Rather than considering writing as merely a form of representation or a means of communication, we will also consider the consequences of writing as a form of techne rhetorike, or rhetorical art, that unifies theory and application in the act of knowledge production and integrates belief with social action.  We will analyze rhetorical
situations which reveal the consequences of writing as a techne and focus on the rhetorical perspectives of the authors mentioned above.  Additonal course topics include, but are not limited to, a critique of post-structuralist and post-modern theories of language, American pragmaticism, and the consequences of viewing writing from diverse perspectives, such as writing as a collection of techniques, writing as a habit of arranging arbitrary signifiers, writing as a definable process,
writing as social action, and writing as a way of knowing.