ABSTRACT
In most undergraduate curricula in the United States, rhetorical education has been centered on the Greek-Roman tradition and civic training within the nation. In the age of globalization, as human connections and interdependence increasingly transcend sovereign state and geographic borders, rhetorical education, I argue, should focus on cultivating transnational thinking, or the ability to negotiate with and accommodate different ways of thinking and being. Drawing on my experience teaching world rhetorics for more than a decade, in this chapter, I illustrate the possibilities and challenges in cultivating transnational thinking among undergraduate students. Situated in both English and Asian Studies departments, I found ways to make world rhetorics a mainstay in their undergraduate curricula. When teaching such a course, I introduce students to two or three rhetorical traditions, including Greek, Chinese, and Indian. Starting with Greek concepts, students gradually infuse concepts from other traditions into their rhetorical repertoire. To internalize these concepts, they complete a series of exercise, from reading canonical texts, to taking notes on assigned rhetorical concepts and issues, to writing a research paper analyzing a text or event, and to participating in an exchange program with college students in China. Analysis of these exercises reveals not only possibilities and challenges for fostering transnational thinking but also offers an opportunity to reflect upon implications for teaching world rhetorics in US colleges.
