This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 13 titles deal with the following topics: (1) a paradigm for the study of communicative style; (2) the rhetoric of conversion in Ohio's abolitionist campaign; (3) a generic approach to the rhetoric of the United States Supreme Court; (4) communication patterns in boundary spanning roles; (5) the neighborhood as a communication environment and the rhetoric of lament; (6) heckling as rhetoric; (7) the rhetoric of controversy within the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LCMS), with particular emphasis on the years 1969 through 1976; (8) rhetorical criticism and humanistic counseling; (9) a rhetorical anaylsis of the United States Senate race between Dale Bumpers and J. William Fulbright; (10) C. S. Lewis's theory of communication; (11) evaluation in rhetorical criticism; (12) the lecture system of the Southern Farmers' Alliance movement in the late nineteenth century; and (13) a review, synthesis, and empirical test of a predictive model of relational competence. (RL)