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SCoR: Description and purpose

The southern United States, while always a strong region for rhetorical studies, has, in recent years, seen a tremendous influx of rhetorical talent. The Southern Colloquium on Rhetoric was created as an informal forum for rhetorical scholars in the South to gather together periodically for intensive seminars on topics of interest, to have opportunities to get to know some of our many distinguished colleagues from institutions in the region, to provide opportunities for networking and collaborative projects, and to provide opportunities to interact socially with colleagues outside of the usual convention venues. Our half-day gatherings are hosted at schools around the South and are designed so that they can be day trips for many, providing a high-level intellectual experience for a very modest expenditure.

SCoR's first priority is to create an opportunity for faculty to explore literatures and issues in a collaborative setting, but advanced graduate students may be included.

SCoR's informal steering committee includes Barbara Biesecker (U Georgia), Jason Edward Black (U Alabama), David Cheshier (Georgia State), Celeste Condit (U Georgia), James Darsey (Georgia State), Antonio de Velasco (U Memphis), Pat Gehrke (U South Carolina), Brian McGee (College of Charleston), Mary Stuckey (Georgia State), and Marilyn Young (Florida State U, emerita).

In our first two years, we have sponsored seminars on rhetoric and affect (University of Georgia, Feb, 2009), a panel on the rhetoric of economic calamity (Southern States Communication Association, April, 2009), a seminar on rhetoric and psychoanalysis (Georgia State University, July, 2009), a seminar on rhetoric and narcissism (College of Charleston, Sept, 2009), a panel on Ranciere and dissensus (SSCA, April, 2010). More details on some of those events can be found on this site under “Past Seminars.”

SCoR Recent & Upcoming Events

”The Real Tea Party”: SCoR Summer Seminar - July 16, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

Need to brush up your Badiou? Tomasz Tabako (Georgia State University) has put together a seminar on Badiou and the rhetoric of rupture to be held at Georgia State in Atlanta on July 16 from 1-5pm. The reading list for this seminar is:
Badiou’s Preface to his Logic of Worlds (2009)
Barbara Biesecker, "Prospects of Rhetoric for the Twenty-First Century:  Speculations on Evental Rhetoric Ending With a Note on Barack Obama and a Benediction by Jacques Lacan," in Reengaging the Prospects of Rhetoric: Current Conversations and Contemporary Challenges, ed. Mark J. Porrovecchio (New York: Routledge, 2010), pgs. 16-36.
Catherine Chaput, “Rhetorical Circulation in Late Capitalism,” Philosophy & Rhetoric, 43 (2010), 1-25.
Thomas Goodnight, “The Metapolitics of the 2002 Iraq Debate,” Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 13 (2010), 65-94.
After much dithering, consultation, and debate, the text chosen as the exemplar of rupture following the original Tea Party is the obvious: The Declaration of Independence. As Stephen Lucas wrote to me as part of our exchange over this question: “There is no better exemplar of rupture than the Declaration of Independence. Indeed, it is the first official text to proclaim the colonies' separation from Great Britain. Everything before that, including the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms, still hoped for reconciliation. In April 1775 the colonies took up arms, but they did so in order to compel the mother country to provide just terms of reconciliation within the structure of the British empire. When that failed, they finally moved to independence a year later, and declared it in July 1776. Of course, there were lots of documents that can be seen as forerunners of the Declaration of Independence, but all of them, at least the official ones, continued to proclaim the colonies' loyalty to Great Britain and their desire to continue in connection with it.”

We understand that some may have had difficulty getting access to Reengaging the Prospects of Rhetoric. Given that I am a named party in a copyright suit against GSU, I wasn’t willing to put SCoR on the line to finesse this. For this reason, because of the complexity of some of the readings and this seminar’s theme, and to take advantage of the presence at the seminar of the authors of two of the essays on our reading list, we’ll begin the seminar with presentations brief précis of the arguments from the key readings. The presentations of the précis should be restricted to 7-10 minutes each, allowing plenty of time for full discussion.

Mary Stuckey will host a cook-out after the seminar for those who can stay, and your local hosts will work to seek out hotel deals for those who would like to make a weekend, or at least an overnight, in Atlanta.

For logistical details for the July 16 meeting visit the July Meeting Details page.

SCoR at the Rhetoric Society of America Conference in Minneapolis

At the invitation of conference organizer Michael Leff, SCoR was on the program in Minneapolis at the biennial conference of the Rhetoric Society of America. Pat Gehrke (University of South Carolina) and David Cheshier (Georgia State University) put together a program titled “The Constitution of Public Argument: A Clinic on Rhetoric, Engagement, and Health Care Policy.” As with all SCoR discussions/seminars, the emphasis was on participation, so as with all good seminars, there was ‘homework.’ David Cheshier (Georgia State U), Kelly Happe (U of Georgia), Tony de Velasco (U Memphis), and Pat Gehrke (U South Carolina) led the discussion off, chaired by Sean O’Rourke (Furman U, not pictured) by sharing their analyses of a shared body of texts on health care policy and public rhetoric. Copies of the texts for discussion were provided on site for those who had not had an opportunity to review them in advance. After a brief statement on some part of the collection of texts from each discussant, each drawing upon her or his own methods and research, the floor was open for discussion. Attendance was smaller than we might have hoped, but the discussion was stimulating nonetheless.

Fall, 2010 SCoR Seminar to be hosted by Furman University
Sean O’Rourke and Brandon Inabinet are putting together the readings for SCoR’s fall seminar to be held at Furman University from 1-5pm on Friday, Sept 10. The theme for the Furman meeting is dissent and incivility, especially focusing on campus speech by political leaders (e.g., John McCain's New School commencement speech) that have involved rowdy or otherwise "inappropriate" (but perhaps crucially appropriate) protest. Furman is a fitting location for this discussion given the Bush speech controversy that Sean O'Rourke was involved in organizing. Readings and other details will be posted here as soon as they are available. But mark your calendars now and plan to join us in beautiful Greenville, SC on the afternoon of September 10.

SCoR Mourns the Death of Michael Leff

Along with all of our colleagues in rhetorical studies, we at SCoR mourn the death of Michael Leff. In addition to his stature as a scholar of rhetoric, a man whose capacity to traverse the areas of rhetorical theory, rhetorical criticism, and public address with equal facility was unparalleled, Mike was also a good friend and great supporter of SCoR. Mike cheered us on and encouraged us in the organizing phases, and always managed to find the resources, even in tough economic times, to send his faculty to our meetings. The loss of his great erudition and his sly humor leaves our community poorer.

To be added to the e-mail list for SCoR, contact Teresa Morales. If you would like to host a SCoR seminar, contact James Darsey.