A national study of the relation of rhetoric-composition to other English studies' disciplines and the English department in higher education

This dissertation presents a detailed look at English Departments and English Studies at various institutions of Higher Education across the U.S. and situates Rhetoric-Composition in these contexts. The project centered on three research questions: 1. What are the various structures of English Departments in U.S. Higher Education, and what English Studies’ disciplines are housed inside and outside these structures? 2. Do these current structures suggest trends and/or areas of reform in U.S. English Departments of Higher Education? 3. What can Rhetoric-Composition as a discipline and Writing Programs often housed in English Departments learn from these current trends? To answer these questions a sequential multi-modal project was designed that began with a website analysis of a national sampling of 283 English departments in U.S. institutions of Higher Education. Subsequently, a survey was sent to the department chairs of the same sampling. The results showed a continued complexity and uncertainty as to what should exist and who decides what exists within the walls of an English department. The data shows a need to address the complexity and variation of English departments in relation to university types; the need for awareness that the role Rhetoric-Composition scholars can vary greatly which requires a knowledge of the complexity of English Studies and English department dynamics for Rhetoric-Composition scholars; and the continued specialization in English Studies as well as writing studies will further fracture the field of Rhetoric-Composition and requires future scholars in Rhetoric-Composition to appreciate a situated narrative within English Studies and not just departments/institutions.