This seminar serves as both an introduction to the field of rhetoric and composition as well as a continuation of the orientation for new Teaching Assistants. The course begins with an overview of the field and turns initially to readings and discussions about practices in the writing classroom. From there we will move into more theoretical (but still pedagogically oriented) discussion of rhetorical theory, rhetorical history, genre theory, and multicultural approaches. We will also spend some time reading and discussing materials on Standard English and non-prescriptive approaches to teaching grammar from a rhetorical perspective. Assignments will include at least six brief response papers, a mid-term analysis of a personal teaching artifact, and a final seminar paper in which an empirical analysis of writing is the central focus.