The program in Rhetoric and Public Culture offers two tracks for graduate study: a program of study toward a Ph.D. in communication studies, and an affiliate program for students preparing for a degree in another discipline. All classes and other academic events in the program are open to students in both tracks.

Ph.D. Program: Students must be admitted through the Graduate School and observe all Graduate School requirements for maintaining normal progress and completing the degree.  Scholarly training and inquiry in the program is distributed across five areas:  (1) A core set of six seminars to be taken in the first two years of study.  (2) An individual plan of study comprised of courses offered by faculty within the program and additional courses as needed   (3) Preparation for written and oral exams.  (4) A dissertation seminar with other students in the program at that level of progress, facilitated by program faculty.  (5) Conferences, seminars, workshops, and public forums.

Affiliate Program: Affiliated students complete four program seminars while in graduate study at Northwestern, and are invited to all other program events.

Coursework for the affiliate program consists of four seminars:

       One from each of these two core categories:

                   Rhetoric as an Intellectual Tradition

                    History of Public Discourse

       One from one other of the core categories offered by program faculty

                   Textual Analysis

Cultural and Critical Theory (taken via the Critical Theory program)

                   Media and Democratic Practices

                   Publics in a Global Context

       One from another core category or from any other seminar offered in the program.

Students should consult the description of the core categories at the Rhetoric and Public Culture page at the Department of Communication website (http://www.communication.northwestern.edu/communicationstudies/programs/graduate/rhetoric/ ).  Note that courses are not designated by categories in the University registration process; that information can be obtained from the program contact, Kate Baldwin, k-baldwin@northwestern.edu 

Affiliated students also are encouraged to participate in program conferences and other events. Students may elect to participate at the appropriate time in the dissertation seminar.