Rhetoric Program

A student sitting with a professor working on a paper in the Rhetoric Studio at Hampden-Sydney College

The cornerstone of our academic experience is the belief that there is nothing more valuable than teaching young men how to express themselves clearly and confidently. 

A "Write" of Passage

The Rhetoric Program, established 40 years ago, is based on a 1978 faculty resolution that states: All Hampden-Sydney graduates will write and speak competently. Consisting of course work and examinations that focus on argumentative and analytical writing and presentational speaking, the program is designed to assure that all graduates can express themselves clearly and cogently. Instructors of Rhetoric 100, 101, and 102 — supported by the Writing Center — emphasize the process of writing as well as the finished product. Instructors of Rhetoric 210 and 310 prepare students for public speaking in the classroom, community, and workplace. Students in these elective courses are supported by the Speaking Center.

The Value of the Rhetoric Program

As persuasive communicators, Hampden-Sydney alumni regularly tell us that in competitive situations in the job market and in graduate schools, they have had a considerable advantage over other candidates because the Rhetoric Program gave them the ability to think clearly, write concisely, and speak cogently and persuasively. These are skills that employers and graduate schools consistently demand and reward.

Hampden-Sydney's Rhetoric Program has been featured in Inside Higher Ed, "Teaching for Better Writers" and The Atlantic, "What Aristotle and Stephen Colbert Have in Common."

Rhetoric Program

Dr. Nicholas Nace, Director 
Elliott Associate Professor of Rhetoric
Pannill Commons, 100A
Hampden-Sydney College | Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943
(434) 223-6255
nnace@hsc.edu

Rhetoric Professors

Claire Deal

Professor of Rhetoric

Pannill 100 D
(434) 223-6988
cdeal@hsc.edu

View Claire Deal

Jacob Euteneuer

Elliott Associate Professor of Rhetoric

Pannill 100 F
(434) 223-6839
jeuteneuer@hsc.edu

View Jacob Euteneuer

Steven Florczyk

Senior Lecturer of Rhetoric

Morton 101
(434) 223-7069
sflorczyk@hsc.edu

View Steven Florczyk

Sean Gleason

Elliott Associate Professor

Pannill 100 E
(434) 223-6435
sgleason@hsc.edu

View Sean Gleason

Sarah Hardy

Johns Professor of English

Atkinson 304 | Morton Hall, 111
(434) 223-6239
shardy@hsc.edu

View Sarah Hardy

Abigail Horne

Associate Professor of English

Morton Hall, 020
(434) 223-6247
ahorne@hsc.edu

View Abigail Horne

Chelsie Malyszek

Visiting Assistant Professor of Rhetoric

Morton 034
(434) 223-7020
cmalyszek@hsc.edu

View Chelsie Malyszek

Nicholas Nace

Elliott Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Director of the Rhetoric Program

Pannill 100 A
(434) 223-6255
nnace@hsc.edu

View Nicholas Nace

Nathaniel Perry

Elliott Professor of English and Editor of The Poetry Review

Morton Hall 015
(434) 223-6315
nperry@hsc.edu

View Nathaniel Perry

Miranda Rouse

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Director of the Rhetoric Studio

Pannill Commons, 100B
mrouse@hsc.edu

View Miranda Rouse

Shawn Schooling

Senior Lecturer in Rhetoric and Associate Director of the Rhetoric Program

Pannill 100 C
(434) 223-7150
sschooling@hsc.edu

View Shawn Schooling

Will Torrey

Visiting Assistant Professor of Rhetoric

Morton Hall, 021
(434) 223-6316
wtorrey@hsc.edu

View Will Torrey

Cristine Varholy

Associate Professor of English

Morton Hall 116
(434) 223-6401
cvarholy@hsc.edu

View Cristine Varholy

Katherine Weese

Venable Professor of English

Morton Hall, 025
(434) 223-6254
kweese@hsc.edu

View Katherine Weese

Allyson (Williams) Harris

Visiting Instructor in Rhetoric

Morton Hall, 034
(434) 223-7020
awilliams@hsc.edu

View Allyson (Williams) Harris

the Rhetoric Studio through the view of a glass wall

The Rhetoric Studio

The Rhetoric Studio combines Hampden-Sydney’s Writing and Speaking Centers and adds a third component: Digital Rhetoric, communication that is composed, created, and distributed through multimedia platforms. It features an interactive, collaborative, and high-energy environment where students and consultants can work together using state-of-the art technologies.