to Gaonkar's question of the "content" of rhetoric. This problem comes up all the time in composition studies as well. What is the stuff we're talking about here? Critical thinking? Argumentation? And what kind of thing is a knowledge base like that anyway? This is why so many comp classes end up about something (eg The Simpsons), and use writing to get at that something.
I spent this evening at Mizzou's Newman Center, playing on a trivia team for a fundraiser. Various categories of trivia included: History, Sports, Science, Current Events, Religion, etc. All these are clearly defined categories with obvious substance. Then there was the inevitable Literature category, where my team turned to me for my "expertise" in the field. "She's an English major!" they said, relieved. Now, granted my MA is technically in literature, but my emphasis area is in creative writing-fiction, and my critical thesis (and, I hope, PhD work) will be in rhet/comp. There was not time or occasion to explain this to my team, who was disappointed in my lack of knowledge about Macbeth. "I know stuff about stuff!" I protested. "Just not this stuff!"
The point of this story is that I will believe that rhetoric is a substantive field, more than just a "parasitic" or "nomadic discipline," (Gaonkar 195) if someone can tell me what would have been in the hypothetical trivia category under "Rhetoric." Or better, Composition? And while you're at it, what would have been in Creative Writing (as separate from literature)? In short, in what Jeopardy category will I kick ass once I've completed this degree?
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Faith,
I've been in that situation before (maybe we'll meet up on the charity Trivial Pursuit circuit someday) and would add that the "other departments" also want us to prove our broad learning in the humanities and sciences. I.E. even if you nail the MacBeth quotes, they'll say, well, sure, but I thought you guys were also colonizing sociology, psychology, gender studies, digital media, global economics, biology, philosophy, and postmodern architecture. We thought you'd at least nail the history questions. I guess I'm saying the corollary is that English / Rhet / Comp can be perceived as having no core content and everyone else's core content.
I hope you at least acted like a rock star and tossed your little wedges across the table. Snarled "Trivia's bollocks, mate," or something along those lines.
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