David Kearney, also a 1998 graduate, earned a minor in rhetoric, and for his honors thesis in his major, philosophy, wrote about the rhetoric employed by Socrates in Plato's Gorgias. While Whitman College experiences a rebirth of the study of rhetoric, first-year students continue to rise before their classmates with trembling notecards to present The Speech. Courses in public speaking and intensive preparation for intercollegiate forensics remain primary components of the department of rhetoric and public address. From how to prepare, present, and evaluate a good speech to what makes a good argument, students learn to gather information, organize their thoughts, and express themselves in an effective manner. They practice formulating and responding to argument, debating, and analyzing various kinds of oral communication.
Students become involved in intensive research.
They consider it good preparation for orals, for one thing. But there's also the tradition that you shouldn't graduate from Whitman unless you can stand up and give an argument. Inside the Frances Geiger Hunter Conservatory, students are speaking with Jack Blackstock, '81, a securities analyst with Donaldson Lufkin and Jennrette in New York. Giving advice about potential careers on Wall Street, Blackstock answers questions, directing his remarks to individuals in the room as well as to the whole group. Blackstock, however is in New York, and his visit, arranged by the Whitman Career Center, is by video conference.