Rhetoric Society of America:

The Rhetoric Society of America comprises rhetoricians from a variety of disciplines who share a common interest in the ongoing inquiry into the nature and functions of rhetoric. Topics of rhetorical interest examine the power of language in political deliberation, in legal argument, in spiritual development, in the construction of human consciousness and human communities, in the negotiation of specialized discourses, and in the interpretation and transmission of history, among other interests. Scholars of rhetoric study the histories of these rhetorical concerns and the most useful pedagogies for addressing them with students in the 21st century. Scholars of rhetoric also engage in rhetorical analysis of the communicative power of visual and electronic media, architecture, and mass culture, as well as continuing to investigate a theoretical heritage that goes back at least to ancient Greece and includes non-Western antecedents as well.

RSA was founded in 1968 by scholars from composition studies, English, linguistics, philosophy, and speech communication, and the Society now counts among its almost 1,000 members scholars from the fields of history, political science, sociology, visual arts, and the history of science as well, including a number from outside the United States. Members of the RSA define rhetoric quite broadly and enjoy the intellectual stimulation that comes from scholarly exchange among many academic disciplines.

Members receive Rhetoric Society Quarterly as a benefit of membership. This includes four annual print issues and free online access to recent and archived issues.

The Rhetoric Society of America's next biennial international conference will be held May 26 - 29, 2006 at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.

For more information on the Rhetoric Society of America, visit: http://www.rhetoricsociety.org/