A rethinking of the Burkean parlor in the post-truth classroom, 2019

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Rad

Identifier: b7930092

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection consists of theses written by students enrolled in the Monmouth University graduate English program. The holdings are primarily bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Arts or Master of Fine Arts degrees.

From the Collection:

Students become eligible to pursue the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree if they have obtained a Master of Arts (M.A.) in English from Monmouth University and demonstrate a proficiency for creative writing through a thesis or equivalent work.

From the Collection:

After completing their 30-credit M.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration, Monmouth’s M.F.A. students take an additional 18 credits of intensive creative writing study that includes the completion of a book-length Creative Thesis.

From the Collection:

During the fall 2022 semester (in instances where the requisite waivers were received from consenting student authors), the Monmouth University Library, together with the University's Graduate School and Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences, began providing open access to select full-text digital versions of current theses and dissertations through links to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global website in the Library's Online Public Access Catalog. Links to these open access digital publications can also be found in the "External Documents" section under any conforming titles that are listed among the holdings itemized in the collection inventory for this finding aid.

Dates

Creation: 2019

Creator

Rademacher, Mary P. (Mary Patricia) (1995- ) (Author, Person)
Werner, Courtney (Thesis advisor, Person)
Azcuy, Mary Kate (Thesis advisor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Access is by appointment only.

Access to the collection is confined to the Monmouth University Library and is subject to patron policies approved by the Monmouth University Library.

Collection holdings may not be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Archives Collections Manager (723-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the collection.

Patrons must complete a Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification to gain access to the collection holdings. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Extent

1 Items (print book) : 68 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Introduction [excerpt]

The current study contributes to some of the earliest empirical work done on post-truth rhetoric by investigating the connection between post-truth rhetoric, the Burkean Parlor metaphor, and student source integration. How do first-year composition students understand source integration? Do first-year composition students' integration of sources provide evidence that they have been impacted by post-truth rhetoric? Are first-year composition students "entering the conversation?" In other words, do students' papers contain evidence that they are attempting to enter scholarly conversations in a respectful and open-minded manner, or do they use sources for other purposes? The current study begins answering these questions in order to contribute empirically to the contemporary investigation into post-truth rhetoric and its effects on first-year composition students.

For the purposes of this project, I understand post-truth rhetoric as langauge that is not only disconnected from the truth, but that shades, manipulates, or ignores facts in ways that benefit one's own beliefs or values and that circulates widely on social media and in the political sphere. Ultimately, I argue that post-truth rhetoric compounds students' tendency to perform in academic environments as well as their inclination towards confirmation bias, which pushes individuals toward disregarding information or ideas that contradict their own viewpoints. Instruction in the Burkean Parlor is, therefore, more crucial than ever: without this instruction, we risk allowing post-truth rhetoric to stagnate our students' maturity as scholars, which means that not only will they be unprepared to ethically participate in public discourse, but they may actually contribute to the problem by unethically participating in public discourse.