Rhetorical Criticism

Theodore F. Sheckels is the Charles Potts Professor of Social Science as well as professor of English and communication studies at Randolph-Macon College. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Sheckels has contributed numerous articles and book chapters to publications within his field and has published six books. His research interests include the political dimensions of Margaret Atwood’s fiction, presidential debates, and lesser-known political communicators from the 20th Century.

[This book] will help move the field forward. The others are cookie cutter, dry, do not use examples, and certainly do not make them relevant for the 21st century. A book that does the survey of theory and expands it in the way that is proposed here while examining a wide variety of artifacts is definitely needed." —Leila Brammer, Professor of Communications, Gustavus Adolphus College"Sheckels empowers readers to see why their preliminary questions about rhetorical action matter, and why thinking about texts in pluralistic, creative, and critical ways is an engaging intellectual exercise. Said more plainly, Sheckels has found a means to make rhetorical criticism more accessible to beginning rhetorical critics. He writes in a style that takes them seriously and recognizes that they may not yet have developed an informed understanding of the history of rhetoric. … The book seems like the sort that undergrads will carry around and use because it is both manageable and takes them seriously as working rhetorical critics." —Jeffrey B. Kurtz, Associate Professor Communication, Denison University"The content was well organized, and I feel like undergrads will have an easy time working through this book. The foundations of rhetoric are well developed, and the text provides clear coverage of the field's current trends with up-to-date examples. Overall, this book is a good overview of the field." —Joshua D. Phillips, Assistant Teaching Professor, Penn State-Brandywine