Re-Orienting Rhetorical Theory in an Asian American Rhetorics Seminar

Asian American Rhetoric and Representation was a graduate-level course taught at Virginia Tech in 2019. The course overviewed disciplinary conversations and concerns in and around Asian American rhetorical studies over time, with a focus on the affordances of Asian American rhetorical theory for the study of rhetoric and writing more broadly. Understanding that established disciplinary and formal/genre divisions within academia are often the result of Eurowestern canonical and institutional histories, the course included readings from varied fields. Jennifer Sano-Franchini and her students e discussed academic scholarship in ancient and contemporary rhetoric and writing studies, Asian American studies, Asian American literature, and Asian philosophy alongside literary and artistic works. In addition, students dialogued with virtual guest speakers in the field. This article describes the course and reflects of what Asian American rhetoric can contribute to the study of rhetoric and writing.