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.
Welcome to the CEP
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.
We are located on the second floor of San Ignacio Hall, in the glass conference room inside the library. The CEP offers support in person or asynchronous via email. In either case, you should make an appointment with a consultant.
The CEP welcomes walk-ins; however, as students with appointments have priority, we encourage you to schedule a consultation following the instructions below.
Making an Appointment
- Schedule a consultation on your written or oral communication assignments. Appointments must be made 24 hours in advance. Appointlet will send you an email confirmation.
- 12-24 hours before your appointment, send an email to eloquentia-madrid@slu.edu with the following:
- Your paper, speech outline, or other draft materials for the project you are working on as a Word document or as a Google doc.
- 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.
- If you need to change or cancel your appointment, you may do so via Appointlet up to 24 hours before the appointment. If you have an urgent cancellation (less than 24 hours before the scheduled time) or any questions about your appointment, email eloquentia-madrid@slu.edu.
During your Appointment
- If your appointment is in person, please be punctual.
- For asynchronous appointments, we will send back your assignment with feedback at the end of our appointment time.
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)
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.