Rhetoric and Writing
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?
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 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.
WR 1010. ELEMENTS OF WRITING
WR 1011. WRITING ABOUT SCI & TECHNOLOGY
WR 101X. INTRODUCTION TO RHETORIC
WR 201X. ELEMENTS OF STYLE
WR 2210. INTRODUCTION TO PROFESSIONAL WRITING
Cat.I This course will serve as a gateway into the Professional Writing major but will also be open?and useful?to any student interested in learning about the standard written genres of professional, workplace communication. Students will analyze the history, purposes, conventions, and social consequences of a variety of professional communication, focusing on digital and print correspondence, reports, and proposals directed to internal and external audiences. Students will learn about the culture of a professional environment and the role of writing in structuring identity and relationships within that context. Classes will be conducted as interactive writing workshops in which students assess and respond to rhetorical scenarios and sample texts from a variety of professional worksites. Students will create portfolios, producing professional writing samples they may use on the job market.
WR 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 written exposition and argumentation, and the reading and citation practices central to academic inquiry. In a workshop setting, students will write a sequence of short papers and complete one longer writing project based on multiple source texts; learn to read critically and respond helpfully to each other?s writing; and make oral presentations from written texts. Where applicable, the topical theme of the class will be provided via the Registrar?s office.
WR 2213. INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISM
Cat. I The course is for students who may wish to make careers in journalism or communications and for those who wish to understand the history, function, production and contemporary challenges of print journalism. Students will analyze articles from newspapers, magazines and Web sites. They will learn and practice the skills of the journalist: finding the story, researching, interviewing, writing on deadline, copy-editing and proof-reading. Classes will also cover matters such as objectivity, fairness, ethics and libel, as well as wider issues of mass communication such as agenda setting, citizen journalism and the implications of converging media.?To give students a more keen sense of audience, work will be read and discussed in class. Students will be urged to write for the college newspaper. Publication beyond the campus will be strongly encouraged.
WR 2310. VISUAL RHETORIC
WR 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 3112. RHETORICAL THEORY
WR 3210. TECHNICAL WRITING
Cat. I Technical writing combines technical knowledge with writing skills to communicate technology to the world. This course introduces the fundamental principles of technical communication, and the tools commonly used in the technical writing profession. Topics include user and task analysis, information design, instructional writing, and usability testing. Students learn to use the technical writing process to create user-centered documents that combine text, graphics, and visual formatting to meet specific information needs. Students create a portfolio of both hardcopy and online documentation, using professional tools such as FrameMaker, Acrobat, and RoboHelp. Recommended background: EN/WR 2210, or equivalent writing course.
WR 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 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 330X. CROSS-CULTURAL COMMITMENT
This course will examine how people from differing cultural backgrounds communicate, in similar and different ways among themselves, and how they endeavor to communicate across cultures. Students will develop a personal and theoretical understanding of the cultural origin of people?s values, ideologies, habits, idiosyncrasies and how they affect communication across cultural, racial, ethnic and gender lines. Through observing, studying and experiencing incidents of cross-cultural communication, they will begin to examine and develop skills that are necessary for effective understanding and for successful intercultural communication among majority and minority groups. Recommended Background: WR 1010 Elements of Writing
WR 3310. DIGITAL RHETORIC
WR 410X. ANALYTICS: NUMBERS TO ARGUMENTS
This course will introduce students to methods and processes for writing documents based on large complex data sets. Students will learn methods for analytics-based presentations including invention, organization, interpretation, and form. The course will briefly examine database development but through a rhetorical lens, as a way to understand how database structures influence information production. The majority of the course will cover case statements, metrics, data literacy, verification and utility, and operational applications for analytics. Readings and assignments will include some theory, problem-based learning, and case studies. Suggested Background: Two courses in Rhetoric and/or Writing. Helpful courses could also include one of: WR 3210 Technical Writing, WR 3310 Digital Rhetoric; WR 2211Rhetoric of Visual Design, CS3431 Database Systems I; MA 2611 Applied Statistics I; MIS 3720 Business Data Management; BUS 2080 Data Analysis for Decision Making; or equivalent
