For those of you that know me well, you know that I am a nerd. So, you will forgive me for the forthcoming diatribe on my academic pursuits at the University of Minnesota. In an effort to clarify (for some) the exact reason I am here, I will attempt to answer the next two questions. First, why did you move half way across the U.S. to relocate to the miserable weather of the North? Second, who would want to devote the next five years of their life to getting a Ph.D. in rhetoric and feminist studies?

Question One: Among the choices of place I had to get a Ph.D., the University of Minnesota was the best fit for not only my interests as a nerd, but Minnesota in general was a logical fit for the whole family. By default, this place comes with horrible weather extremes. The caveat: Minneapolis is a very hip city; and at least now, I am living in a state where my vote actually matters (as a more liberal-leaning person, that is). Contrary to my previous stint (as a lost political voice) in the crazy conservative politics manufactued in the lovely state of Utah.

Qustion Two: The easiest way for me to define rhetoric (according to my Classical Rhetoric teacher, there is no “easy” way, but here goes): in my mind, it is a critical awareness of discourse, public and political space, and argument (terribly reductive, I know). Rhetoric dates back to antiquity and has survived in many varied and interesting neo-classical derivatives. For me, it means I can some day get a job as a professor talking about why we talk, how we talk, and how/why we write it down. The feminist component of my studies is an effort to grapple with the mechanisms of oppression inherent in our discourse, public and political spaces, and the hierarchies of argumentation–all of which ultimately produce terrible systematic inequalities within our societies. Inequalities, about which, I spend a lot of time being pissed off.
At the end of the day, rhetorical and feminist studies give me the vocabulary I need to sound more interesting to myself. But, I do take this all far too seriously, and that will become very apparent as I continue to write about it here.