The rhetoric segment of the program begins with the study of the sentence, paragraph, and short essay in the subfreshman year, advances to basic rhetorical strategies in sophomore and junior years, and moves in the senior year to the difficult and sophisticated debate form of argument. Composition is taught with a strong emphasis on process and revision. Students are taught to pay particular attention to organization, thesis, and use of evidence for both persuasive and expository modes. Research techniques are taught and research papers or projects are required in all five years. Formal Standard English usage and proofreading skills are developed.
Composition is based on logical classification.
Additionally, students participate in speech-giving, creative dramatics, and oral reading of poetry. They write poetry, narratives, characterizations, and even short plays. Literature is studied by genre. The short story, the novel, the memoir, drama, and poetry are all covered with the terms necessary for discussing and writing about them. The rhetoric unit reinforces the skills introduced in the subfreshman year by emphasizing classification, outlining, thesis development and paragraph organization.