MA Rhetoric and Communication Design

Courses

Coursework students must complete the following 8 courses:

• ENGL 700 Rhetorical Studies
• ENGL 702 Rhetorical Research Methods
• 3 courses designated as Rhetoric and Communication Design
• 1 course designated as Literature
• 2 elective courses from either within or outside the department

Program Schedules

The following table shows the recommended program schedules for different ways of completing the MA-RCD coursework degree:

*Part-time students can take more than 1 course per term, but must remain in the program for a minimum of 6 terms 

Courses

Major Research Project (MRP)

The MRP can take two forms in the MA-RCD program:

• A direct critical or theoretical study in rhetoric, 40-50 pages in length, offering an in-depth inquiry into a rhetorical problem, and situating the proposed solution to that problem in relation to current theory.
• The design of communicative artefacts, documenting the design process; in relation to current theory and/or practice, 30-35 pages in length.

In either case, the Rhetoric and Communication Design Major Research Project might engage the methods of discourse analysis, semiotics, multimedia design and critique, composition pedagogy, or professional writing, in addition to rhetorical theory. It is roughly equivalent to two courses and should involve a similar amount of intellectual labour. The passing grade is 70%.

Proposal

Students planning to complete their MA-RCD through the MRP option should arrange for a supervisor and a reader, both of whom must be members of the faculty and under their guidance prepare a proposal to submit to the Departmental Graduate Committee. The MRP proposal must be approved by the student’s thesis supervisor and second reader before going forward to the Graduate Committee. The proposal must be forwarded in digital form with the signed proposal form (PDF) to the Graduate Coordinator by the first day of the third month of the second term of study: March 1 for Winter term, July 1 for Spring term and November 1 for Fall term.

An MRP proposal should consist of an overview of the entire project of no more than 500 words, exclusive of bibliography. It should include first-page headings with your name, your supervisor’s name, your second-reader’s name, and a title. Sections should be clearly signaled with subheads and blank space. Pages should be numbered.

The purpose of the document is to solicit feedback from the thesis supervisor, the second reader, and the English Graduate Committee in order to ensure the successful completion of the project. The Graduate Committee must approve the proposal before it can go forward.

The proposal should outline the project’s major research goals and the corpus of texts or objects to be considered. It should briefly consider some major extant work in the field.

For a sample proposal, see RCD MRP Proposal Example (PDF).

Submission

The MRP is due to the supervisor and reader in your last term of study: April 1 for Winter term, August 1 for Spring term and December 1 for Fall term. They will then assess it and submit your program completion form by that term’s grading deadline.

Hard copies of the completed and approved MRP should be supplied to the supervisor and reader(s) by the student, unless the supervisor specifies otherwise.

Courses

Thesis students must complete the following 4 courses:

• ENGL 700 Rhetorical Studies
• ENGL 702 Rhetorical Research Methods
• 1 course designated as Rhetoric and Communication Design
• 1 course designated as Literature

Program Schedules

The following table shows the recommended program schedules for different ways of completing the MA-RCD Thesis degree:

*Part-time students can take more than 1 course per term, but must remain in the program for a minimum of 6 terms

Thesis

The Rhetoric and Communication Design thesis thesis is a direct critical or theoretical study in rhetoric, 80-100 pages in length, offering an in-depth inquiry into a rhetorical problem, and situating the proposed solution to that problem in relation to current theory. An RCD thesis might engage the methods of discourse analysis, semiotics, multimedia design and critique, composition pedagogy, or professional writing , in addition to rhetorical theory. It is roughly equivalent to four courses and should involve a similar amount of intellectual labour. The passing grade is 70%.

Proposal

Students planning to complete their degrees through the thesis option should arrange for a supervisor and two readers, all of whom must be members of the faculty, and under their guidance prepare a proposal to submit to the Departmental Graduate Committee. The MA thesis proposal must be approved by the student’s thesis supervisor and thesis-committee members before going forward to the English Graduate Committee. The proposal must be forwarded in digital form with the signed proposal form (PDF) to the Graduate Coordinator by thefirst day of the fourth month of the first term of study: December 1 for Fall term starts, April 1 for Winter term starts, and August 1 for Spring term starts.

A thesis proposal should contain an overview of the entire project, including a chapter outline, of no more than 1000 words in total, exclusive of bibliography. It should include first-page headings with your name, your supervisor’s name, your committee members’ names, and a title. Sections should be clearly signaled with subheads and blank space. Pages should be numbered.

The purpose of the document is to solicit feedback from the thesis supervisor, the readers, and the English Graduate Committee in order to ensure the successful completion of the project. The Graduate Committee must approve the proposal before it can proceed.

A thesis proposal should outline the project's major research goals and the corpus of texts or objects to be considered. It should briefly situate the project in its field.

For a sample proposal, see LIT MA Thesis Proposal Example (PDF).

Thesis Submission

The Thesis is due to your supervisor and readers in your last term of study: April 1 for Winter term, August 1 for Spring term and December 1 for Fall term. They will then assess it and submit your program completion form by that term’s grading deadline.

Once completed and approved, the thesis must be submitted to UWSpace for publishing.

Submission Information

• Review the instructions for submitting your thesis to UWSpace.
• Theses submitted to UWSpace will be reviewed within 3 to 5 business days of the GSO receiving your 'Thesis Acceptance' form from your Faculty/department.

Submission Process

• Submit 1 copy of your thesis (.pdf format only) and any supplementary files to UWSpace for review by the GSO.
• You will be contacted by email after a review has taken place to advise you of any revisions that must be made prior to final approval.
• If revisions are required, your thesis must be resubmitted to UWSpace.
• You will be contacted by email once your thesis submission is approved.
• Retain a copy of the GSO/UWSpace approval email to submit to wPrint if paper copies of your thesis are required. An alternate printing service is pageforpage.com.

Students are encouraged to consult the GSO's Thesis Regulations and Formatting Requirements.