Writing and Rhetoric Courses
WR/EN 3217. Creative Writing.
Cat. I
The purpose of this course is to help students develop or improve the skills of written expression. Small groups are formed in which participants present and discuss their original work in either fiction or poetry.
WR/EN 3214. Writing about Disease and Public Health.
Cat. I
This writing workshop focuses on the purposed and genres of writing about disease and public health. We will consider how biomedical writers communicate technical information about disease and public health to general audiences; how writers capture the human experience of disease and health care; how writers treat the public policy implications of disease; and how writers design publicity to promote public health. We will examine such genres as the experimental article, news reports, medical advice, profiles, commentary, and public health messages.
Recommended background: EN 2211 or equivalent writing courses.
Students who have taken EN 3215 may not receive credit also for WR/EN 3214.
WR/EN 3011. Peer Tutoring in Writing.
Cat. I
Peer Tutoring in Writing introduced students to the theory and practice of composition. In this course, students research, read, and write about their own and others' literacy practices. Through reading and writing assignments, peer reviews, interviews, presentations, and a tutoring internship in the CCAC, students hone their communication skills while increasing their ability to examine critically the role of communication in the production of knowledge.
WR/EN 2211. Elements of Writing.
Cat. I
This course is designed for students who wish to work intensively on their writing. The course will emphasize the processes of composing and revising, the rhetorical strategies of expository prose, and the interaction between writer and audience. In a workshop setting, students will write a sequence of short papers and complete one longer writing project, learn to read critically and respond helpfully to each other's writing, and make oral presentations from written texts.
RH 3211. Rhetoric of Visual Design.
Cat. I
This course explores how visual design is used for purposes of identification, information, and persuasion. It looks at many modes of visual communication, such as icons, logos, trademarks, signs, product packaging, infographics, posters, billboards, ads, exhibits, graffiti, page layout, films, television, videogames, and web sites. The course provides an overview of the history of graphic design movements, as well as analytical tools to understand how visual design encodes messages and the role visual communication plays in contemporary culture.
RH 3112. Rhetorical Theory.
Cat. I
Rhetoric concerns both the art of mastering the available means of persuasion and the study of how oral, written, and visual communication projects the intentions of individuals and groups, makes meanings, and affects audiences. the purpose of this course therefore is two-fold. It is intended to help students become more effective communicators by learning about the rhetorical situation and various rhetorical techniques. And it is designed to help them understand how various forms of communication work by learning some of the strategies of rhetorical analysis.
RH 3111. The Study of Writing.
Cat. I
This course introduces students to issues in the study of writing such as the history and uses of literacy, the relationship of thought to language, the role of writing in producing knowledge, and research on composing. The focus of the course will be on professional and academic writing. The course will be organized around a series of interrelated research questions: How do writers in professional and academic settings know when they have something to write about? How do they define a problem to investigate? How do they define or construct an audience to address? How do they locate their work in relation to others' work? How do they know which forms of writing to use? Why do they write in the first place? What functions does writing perform?
WR/EN 3216. WRITING IN THE PROFESSIONS.
Cat. I
Studies show that engineers spend 80-90% of their professional time engaged in various kinds of communication. This course emphasizes the management contexts of writing in the professions. Focus is on making informed decisions about approaches, styles, problems, issues, sources, strategies, and humanrelations aspects of writing in business, industry, and other institutional settings. Special attention is given to business editing and proposal and grant writing.
Recommended background: EN 2211 or equivalent writing course.
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