Synopsis A frivolous argument or inflated claim is often dismissed with the reply, "That's just rhetoric!" But as Scott Crider explains in The Office of Assertion, the classical tradition of rhetoric is both a productive and a liberal art. The ability to employ rhetoric successfully can enable the student, as an effective communicator, to reflect qualities of soul through argument. In that sense, rhetoric is much more than a technical skill. Crider addresses the intelligent university student with respect and humor. This short but serious book is informed by both the ancient rhetorical tradition and recent discoveries concerning the writing process. Though practical, it is not simply a "how-to" manual; though philosophical, it never loses sight of writing itself. Crider combines practical guidance about how to improve an academic essay with reflection on the final purposes --educational, political, and philosophical--of such improvement. About the Author Author Bio: Scott F. Crider is Associate Professor of English at the University of Dallas, where he teaches courses in advanced composition and classical rhetoric. He has written extensively on Shakespeare and the English renaissance and is at work on a volume titled With What Persuasion: An Essay on Shakespeare and the Ethics of Rhetoric. "About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.