Summer Creek High School – Rhetoric Dual (OnRamps)

Mar 2026 · 2nd Semester

Credit for RHE 306 (ENGL 1301) and RHE 309K (ENGL 1302) may be awarded by UT Austin for students who meet grading criteria. Additional fees apply with all OnRamps courses and district scholarships are available. This two-semester, six-college credit writing-intensive sequence features a fall RHE 306 “Research & Writing” course in argumentation that situates rhetoric as an art of civic discourse, followed by the spring semester RHE 309K “Rhetoric of American Identity” featuring a series of case studies in race, gender, and ethnicity. Over the two courses, students research and analyze the various positions held in any public debate and learn to advocate their own position effectively through a process of drafts and revisions. In the fall, students explore the ethics of argumentation and what it means to fairly represent someone with whom they disagree. By the spring, students are ready to analyze and compose arguments about American identity and identity formation, both personal and cultural. The goal is to foster students’ abilities to analyze arguments presented by others and to write sound and effective arguments of their own. With these abilities, students are more equipped to contribute meaningfully to their academic, professional, personal, and civic lives. Students enrolled in OnRamps courses have an opportunity to earn a UT transcripted course grade and credit as long as they meet certain grade criteria.