The study of discourse rhetorically is different from the study of compositional writing and from the study of grammar. The Advanced Placement course on Language and Composition investigates how rhetoric opens up lines of inquiry into the mind of the writer, into the writer's choices, and into the consequences both of the choices made and those not made. Until the l8th century, Invention meant the lines of inquiry that precede any kind of discourse. It entails investigating the case or situation, thinking, scribbling, determining ways to think about a subject as a precursor to and as a continual process in writing. It includes assessing what one does and does not know about a subject, exploring not only what is available to the writer but its effect on the writer's purpose.
Good writing is the result of conscious choices made by the writer.
In rhetoric, the emphasis is not on style as embellishment, but on style as an integral part of effective discourse. These are not studied as ends in themselves, but as a means of reinforcing the central aim of the writing. Today rhetoric is studied for any number of things, including self-reflective writing, poetry, argument and exposition. Yet, in all cases, the study of Invention, Disposition, and Style is the hallmark for effective discourse. Students will be expected to read and write a great deal in this class.