Clemson Awards First PhD in a Humanities Field
Tuesday, May 20, 2008The rhetorics, communication and information design (RCID) PhD program at Clemson University awarded its first doctoral degree on May 9 to John 'Mac' McArthur. This degree is the first PhD awarded by the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities in the history of Clemson University, as well as the first for the innovative and transdisciplinary RCID program. This marks a significant step in Clemson's evolution as it joins the ranks of other top-20 universities across the nation with similar doctoral programs. McArthur states, 'The RCID collaborations encompassing art, digital media, communication and writing are on the cutting edge of academic exploration. This type of study is advancing Clemson University as a center for innovative approaches to the study of the humanities.' McArthur successfully defended his dissertation entitled, 'Instructional Proxemics: Creating a place for space in instructional communication discourse' on Friday April 11, 2008 and was recommended for graduation by his committee. 'Instructional Proxemics' blends the study of theories in instructional communication; space and proxemics; and information/user-experience design to investigate the influence of space on the interactions of students and teachers as mutual learners. In a message to the Clemson administration, Dr. Andy Billings, chair of this dissertation committee, wrote that this dissertation is 'an excellent example of the type of work that can be produced at the doctoral level in this field.' Alongside Dr. Billings, Dr. Bryan Denham (Communication Studies), Dr. Bill Havice (College of Health, Education and Human Development) and Dr. Sean Williams (English, Professional Communication) served as members of the dissertation committee. The defense, held in the Class of 1941 Studio, was attended by more than 25 members of the RCID family who rallied to support their colleague on this momentous day for the program. This success is just the beginning of a bright future for the RCID community at Clemson. For more information about Clemson's RCID graduate program, please visit: www.grad.clemson.edu/programs/RCID/index.php.
