Academic discourse, which takes its definitive characteristics from the papers written by professors to those in a particular discipline for the purpose of solving problems or furthering knowledge, is sustained by disciplinary rhetorical exigencies that prompt, shape, and convene an audience for such writing. The phrase "rhetorical exigency" was first used by Lloyd Bitzer in his essay "The Rhetorical Situation," but he defined it too narrowly to account for academic discourse. Bitzer's effort to limit rhetorical discourse and distinguish it from other types requires an "exigency" of such objective and intrinsic power that its practical, classroom use as a theoretical concept is severely compromised: his examples are all crisis situations, such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor or the fall of Nikita Khrushchev. He also addresses a second exigency experienced by rhetoricians in speech communication: the need to establish a perspective for rhetorical criticism as distinct from other types, notably literary criticism. Rhetorical exigency as applied to freshman composition is problematic, but perhaps the need for doubt (about conventional wisdom, for example) is one instance of master exigency that could introduce writing students to membership in the academic community. (NKA)