The Department of Rhetoric offers an interdisciplinary PhD program focusing on the study of rhetorical theory and the interaction of the historical concerns of rhetoric with contemporary critical theory across a broad spectrum of disciplines. Crucial to the department's approach is an investigation into the rhetorical constitution of the arguments of such fields as law, politics, literature, philosophy, performative practices, global studies, critical race studies, and science, technology, and media studies. The interests of faculty and graduate students thus range throughout these fields and are informed by a critical interest in the rhetoric of disciplines. During their first two years, graduate students explore major areas in the history and theory of rhetoric and pursue a variety of special topics in seminars. Beginning in their fourth semester, they concentrate in greater depth on preparation for their doctoral qualifying examinations and dissertation research.
Thank you for considering UC Berkeley for graduate study! UC Berkeley offers more than 120 graduate programs representing the breadth and depth of interdisciplinary scholarship. The Graduate Division hosts a complete list of graduate academic programs, departments, degrees offered, and application deadlines can be found on the Graduate Division website.
Prospective students must submit an online application to be considered for admission, in addition to any supplemental materials specific to the program for which they are applying. The online application and steps to take to apply can be found on the Graduate Division website.
Admission Requirements
The minimum graduate admission requirements are:
A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution;
A satisfactory scholastic average, usually a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) on a 4.0 scale; and
Enough undergraduate training to do graduate work in your chosen field.
For a list of requirements to complete your graduate application, please see the Graduate Division’s Admissions Requirements page. It is also important to check with the program or department of interest, as they may have additional requirements specific to their program of study and degree. Department contact information can be found here.
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
An introduction to the questions around which classical rhetorical theory and practice are organized. Through analysis of materials drawn principally from the Ancient Greek and Roman periods, possibly including later revivals of classical rhetoric, the course will examine the formation of rhetoric in the West as an intellectual stance from which to practice a range of related fields, including but not limited to philosophy, history, literature, politics, religion, law, science, and the arts. Classical Rhetorical Theory and Practice: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Graduate status
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
An introduction to the questions around which contemporary rhetorical theory and practice are organized. Through an analysis of materials drawn principally from the 18th century to the present, the course will examine rhetorical inquiry in relation to critique as well as the disciplinary construction of knowledge-domains. The course will attend to rhetoric in relation to a range of fields, including but not limited to philosophy, history, literature, politics, religion, law, science, and the arts. Contemporary Rhetorical Theory and Practice: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Graduate status
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2019
What do we do when we do rhetoric? Seminar addresses methods, themes, and issues in the changing field of investigation known as rhetoric. Required for second year doctoral students in Rhetoric. Rhetoric Graduate Proseminar: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Rhetoric/Graduate
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
What are the possible forms of long-form (dissertation) research in the rhetoric department? Required for third-year doctoral students in Rhetoric. Rhetoric Graduate Research Seminar: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: To enable the formation of coherent dissertation projects.
Student Learning Outcomes: To have a draft of a prospectus at the end of the semester.
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for RHETOR 221 after completing RHETOR 221. A deficient grade in RHETOR 221 may be removed by taking RHETOR 221.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Rhetoric/Graduate
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2020, Fall 2018, Spring 2015, Spring 2013, Spring 2011
A close reading and discussion of the major texts of modern aesthetics, from the 18th century to the present, with emphasis on the Continental tradition of Kant, Adorno, and Derrida. Aesthetics as Critique: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Fall 2020, Fall 2018
This course investigates both the concept of history and the practice of historiography, using an engagement with the literal and metaphoric archives of the past to consider their empirical and philosophical claims on the present. While the methods, themes, and historical reach may vary, the course requires Rhetoric graduate students to investigate pre-1900 material in some form and to consider both the pragmatics of conducting historical inquiry and the interpretive frameworks that structure them. Rhetoric and History: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Graduate status
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Terms offered: Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2012
A theoretical examination of a film topic which falls outside the purview of traditional categories of film analysis, such as "genre," "history," or "theory." Examples: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, The Essay Film, Feminist Film Practice, Cinema and the Phantasmagoria of History. Special Topics in Film: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Graduate standing
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Spring 2021
A study of the visual image as a mode of discourse, together with an analysis of the terms in which images have been interpreted and criticized. Focus may be on the rhetoric of a particular image or set of images, or on more broadly theoretical writings about image. Rhetoric of the Image: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Terms offered: Fall 2021, Summer 2018 3 Week Session, Summer 2017 3 Week Session
Open to qualified graduate students wishing to pursue special topics under the direction of a member of the staff. Special Study: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Graduate adviser approval
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 6-34 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6-34 hours of independent study per week
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Spring 2016, Fall 2015
Open to graduate students who have passed their Ph.D. qualifying examinations. Directed Research: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Graduate adviser approval
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 1-12 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 1-12 hours of independent study per week
Terms offered: Spring 2020, Fall 2019
This is a required course for all undergraduates participating in the Art of Writing Departmental Tutoring program at UC Berkeley. This program supports students taking R&C in Comparative Literature, English, Film & Media, and Rhetoric. Upper-level majors with proven writing skills participate in discipline-specific composition and pedagogy workshops and in turn, provide one-on-one writing help to students taking R&C courses in participating departments. Tutoring is targeted and disciplinary-specific, responding to the parameters of R&C instruction and the challenges faced by R&C student writers in each department. The Art of Tutoring Writing: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0.5-1 hours of seminar and 2.5-5 hours of workshop per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Rhetoric/Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers
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