Our Mission, Values, and Vision

Mission Statement

RWS is dedicated to the research and teaching of rhetoric, which refers to the study, uses, and effects of written, spoken, and visual language. We view rhetorical study and written literacy (verbal and visual) as vital to academic, professional, civic, and personal life. We emphasize rhetoric’s dynamic relationship to culture, politics, critical thought, and individual and collective identities.

Values Statement

The Department of Rhetoric and Writing Studies promotes student learning and success through its commitment to the following core values:

Teaching/Research — We are a dedicated, flexible faculty who are continually learning and open to implementing new ideas. Faculty bring their research expertise into the classroom to enhance student success.

Rhetoric/Writing — We teach rhetoric and writing as a lifelong practice for thinking critically, analyzing, and engaging in the world.

Students —We engage our diverse students in high-impact learning practices that promote their academic and personal development.

Diversity/Community Engagement — We encourage our students to explore issues from multiple perspectives, which promotes respect and understanding. Our classes bring together students, communities, and ideas by fostering outreach.

Collegiality — We cultivate collegiality through the cooperative, responsive character of the department and the engaged and inclusive nature of our classes.

Vision Statement

RWS seeks to be a leader in rhetorical research and education in the CSU and in the state, as well as to become a nationally recognized center of excellence in the scholarship and teaching in rhetoric and writing studies. RWS also aims to align itself more closely with both emerging national trends in rhetorical/writing education and research, as well as with the needs of the state, the region, the mission of SDSU, and our students.

Taylor and the reports of human rights abuses against women at a Georgia ICE detention center, the faculty and staff of the Department of Rhetoric and Writing Studies reaffirm our support of the Black Lives Matter movement and its efforts to end the systemic racism that has characterized our nation since its origins. 

As a Department:

  • We condemn racism and police brutality.
  • We denounce the systemic racism that shapes our educational, political, and legal institutions.
  • We stand in solidarity with Black people, and all people of color in our communities, and resolve to support positive change.
  • We affirm our desire to create a university that acknowledges the historic and systemic nature of racism and that works for racial healing and justice. 

We also mourn the countless victims of racialized violence. While we say their names: 

  • Breonna Taylor
  • George Floyd
  • Ahmaud Arbery
  • Tamir Rice
  • Michael Brown
  • Eric Garner

we acknowledge that there are many more people whose names we do not know.  

Furthermore, we stand against the mistreatment of migrants and asylum seekers, of which many remain nameless. 

As a predominately white department in a field shaped by whiteness, we acknowledge our own oversights, silences, and privileges. As such we, the faculty and staff of the Department of Rhetoric and Writing Studies, commit to actively examining our own practices in these systems and working to create an equitable, inclusive pedagogy.

Our first step to achieve this commitment is the creation of the Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion group. We—the faculty, staff and students, involved with this group—are working to:

  1. Develop and employ anti-racist practices in curriculum and pedagogy
  2. Examine existing departmental policies and practices and larger structural issues to understand and address issues of inequity and anti-blackness
  3. Create equitable and inclusionary programs and classrooms as well as their associated policies and practices.

We have also initiated a pedagogy seminar series dedicated to diversifying our teaching and putting a spotlight on marginalized rhetorical practices.    

We know these steps are modest in comparison to the larger struggle against oppression. We echo the words of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who said, “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” We are committed to taking these first steps, but acknowledge that there is still a long journey ahead.
We, the faculty and staff of the Department of Rhetoric and Writing Studies, commit to the ongoing work of identifying and correcting implicit racist processes. As educators, we restate our commitment to foster social justice, equity, and anti-racist efforts. Now, more than ever, the study of rhetoric is essential to fostering our ability to understand and participate in conversations that promote compassion, justice, and ultimately, progress.

The Rhetoric Society of America (RSA) Student Chapter at SDSU acknowledges that members of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) communities are hurting due to the increasing anti-Asian hate-motivated attacks across the nation. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, members of these communities have been blamed for the virus, largely in part due to the racist and erroneous references to COVID-19 as the “China Virus” and “Kung Flu.” This anti-Asian, racist rhetoric has resulted in murders and bodily harm to members of these communities in our city, state, and nation.

We condemn anti-Asian violence and stand in solidarity with the survivors, victims, and their families during this challenging time. While we understand that there are many more people whose names and experiences we do not know, we acknowledge these victims:

  • 84-year-old Thai-American Vicha Ratanpakdee, who died from injuries sustained after being pushed to the sidewalk while taking his morning walk in San Francisco, California.
  • 61-year-old Filipinx-American Noel Quintana, who was slashed in the face during an unprovoked subway confrontation in New York City.
  • A 91-year-old man who was shoved to the ground in Oakland’s Chinatown.
  • 74-year-old Filipinx-American Juanito Falcon, who died after being punched in the face while out on his morning walk in Phoenix, Arizona.
  • A 61-year old Chinese-American man who was attacked and spat on while jogging in Chicago, Illinois.
  • 30-year-old Filipinx-American Navy veteran, Angelo Quinto, who died after an officer knelt on his neck for several minutes while Quinto was handcuffed in Antioch, California.
  • 19-year-old Chinese-American Christian Hall, who was shot and killed by Pennsylvania police after a call for help had been made for him. His hands were in the air when he was shot in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
  • 75-year-old Asian-American Pak Ho, who died from injuries sustained after being robbed and shoved to the ground during his daily morning walk in Oakland, California.
  • Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Kim, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng who were most recently murdered in Atlanta, Georgia.

We acknowledge that these are not new or isolated incidents, and that they are reflections of white supremacy and the ongoing racial prejudices towards APIDA communities. These residents deserve to live, work, and study in communities where they feel safe, free of racism, discrimination, intolerance and violence.

In remembrance of the victims and in honor of their families, we urge the SDSU community to take action and stop Asian hate:
Get Involved on Campus:

Get Involved Locally:

Support AAPI Organizations:

Participate in Intervention Trainings:

On behalf of RSA at SDSU and the RWS Department, we would like all of our community members—especially those who identify as APIDA—to know that we see you, hear you, and support you.


To learn more, please visit anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co.