The Ratio Studiorum, a curricular document produced by the Jesuits in 1599, included eloquentia perfecta, which promotes eloquence in speech and writing by inviting students to use rhetoric thoughtfully to contribute to the common good.
The goal of SLU-Madrid's Center for Eloquentia Perfecta (CEP) is to further the work of the University's written and oral communication courses, providing students with tools to meet challenges when called on to contribute to ethical public discourse throughout their university careers and beyond. The CEP can help you improve your writing and public speaking skills to make the most out of your assignments, exams and presentations.
The CEP offers consultations in person or asynchronously via email. In either case, you should make an appointment with a consultant. Visit the center's booking page to see the operating hours.
Making an Appointment
- Click here to schedule a consultation on your written or oral communication assignments. Appointments must be made 24 hours in advance.
- After you have made your appointment, send an email to eloquentia-madrid@slu.edu with the following information:
- What you would like to work on during the meeting (e.g., paragraph structure, clarity, organization, citations, design of visuals, etc.)
- The assignment instructions, an assessment rubric (if you have one), or other specifications.
- A consultant will email you before your appointment date. If you do not receive an email, please check your spam or junk folder to see if it was routed there.
- If you have questions about your appointment or wish to cancel it, email eloquentia-madrid@slu.edu.
Online Resources for Research, Writing and Public Speaking
- Harvard University Writing Center
- William Strunk Jr. The Elements of Style (1918)
- Writing Essays in Art History
- Business Writing: An Introduction (Colorado State University)
- A Brief Guide to Writing a History Paper
- Writing Historical Essays: A Guide for Undergraduates
- A Brief Guide to Writing an English Paper
- Norton Online Guide to Writing about Literature
- Writing in Literature
- A Brief Guide to Writing a Philosophy Paper
- Writing for Psychology: A Guide for Psychology Concentrators
- Writing the Literature Review (The University of Vermont)
- Writing in Science and Engineering (Penn State)
- How to Write a Lab Report (Indiana University Bloomington)
There are websites to help create bibliographical entries, such as Citation Machine. Note that you must check the entries to ensure they include all the needed information in the correct format.