UC Riverside

Neoliberalism, as both an economic and a cultural system, diminishes the notion of education as a public good and weakens educational standards in First Year Composition programs. Rhetorical Literacy is delineated as a set of pedagogical practices that can combat the adverse effects of neoliberalism upon Higher Education and the Liberal Arts. Rhetorical Literacy emphasizes immersion in print culture, contextualizing skills, metacognition, and critical thinking. A table of Rhetorical Methods is included as a pedagogical tool. The Community College program “Guided Pathways” is critiqued as a neoliberal effort to lower standards and exclude Rhetorical Literacy from college level general education curriculum.