Date of Award
May 2021
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design
Committee Member
David Blakesley
Committee Member
Cynthia Haynes
Committee Member
Kelly Smith
Committee Member
Brygg Ullmer
Abstract
This dissertation concerns the prevalent disconnect between writing instruction and moral education in modern university settings. The project calls for integrating the progymnasmata as informed through Aristotelian virtue ethics to enable rhetorical flourishing. I examine the need for explicit ethical frameworks in writing instruction, evaluating multiple approaches and advocating virtue ethics. All fourteen exercises of the progymnasmata, according to the system popularized by Aphthonius of Antioch, will be detailed and updated for the contemporary classroom. Quintilian’s pedagogical scholarship and practice will serve as a model for application. The specific virtues of adaptability, experimentation, and mindfulness will be promoted as central values of the rhetorical tradition uniquely suited for bridging the gap between composition training and ethical development.
Recommended Citation
Hamilton, Eric Reid, "Revolutions of Virtues: Revisiting the Underpinnings of Rhetorical Education" (2021). All Dissertations. 2794.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2794