News from DePaul University's Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse
On Monday, March 2nd, folks from the WRD department came together in
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On Monday, March 2nd, folks from the WRD department came together in
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Pictured Above: Students at the Museum at Parque Intercultural in Xela. Dr. Saravia’s great aunt is part of this mural created by the HIJ@S group in Guatemala. Have you been looking for a study abroad opportunity? DePaul’s Identities Abroad programs are “short-term study abroad programs on topics related to multiculturalism in a U.S. context, which then visit a destination abroad for 8-12 days at the end of the quarter to examine the topic from an international perspective.” WRD faculty member Dr. Lydia Saravia will be teaching LSP 200: Human Rights & Activism in the Americas in the Autumn Quarter. According to its
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This upcoming Autumn Quarter, Professor Alan Ackmann is teaching WRD 266: Leveling Up: The Social Rhetoric of Video Games. From the arcade to the internet, video games have been evolving since their inception. This course has been a student favorite in the past and Professor Ackmann’s approach remains tried and true. To learn more about what to expect in the Autumn, read his 2023 interview with WRD alumni Grace Von Lehman. What is the main focus of this course? AA: The course’s main objective is to think about video games as rhetorical artifacts—they are usually thought of as more trivial
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It’s time to check in with the members of WRD’s faculty! As always, they’re busy with research, presenting at conferences, and publishing writing in multiple genres. So what have they been up to during the last year, and what are they working on now? Professor Lisa Dush presented about DePaul’s HumanitiesX program, which she directs, at the Conference on Community Writing in Detroit, MI, this October, with WRD colleague Lydia Saravia and English/Media and Cinema Studies student Taylor Sellers-Varela. Their presentation was titled, “The Experiential Humanities in Practice: Activating Historical Memory and Community Archives.” Lisa also traveled to Sydney, AU, last summer with colleagues from DePaul, to present on HumanitiesX at the Australia Catholic University and DePaul Conference
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On Monday, March 2nd, folks from the WRD department came together in person and through Zoom for the Winter Student Research Showcase. At this event, WRD students Brittany Griffiths and Amber Corkey gave us the inside scoop on what they’ve been researching during their time at DePaul. They also discussed the process of funding, planning, and executing research projects as a student. From Proposal to Conference: A Case Study in Undergraduate Research Brittany Griffiths is the senior manager of operations at Brown Books Publishing Group. She graduated last autumn, after earning her BA in WRD as a fully online student living in Texas. Her research focuses on hybrid publishing: an alternative option to the more well-known options of
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Do you like food? Do you, at the very least, have some sort of relationship with food? If so, WRD 376 Field Work in Arts Writing: Food Writing may be a course you take next quarter. Professor Carolyn Vos will urge students to “explore how physical, emotional, and cultural dimensions of food can help shape compelling narratives.” Over the course of the quarter, students will have a chance to engage with fieldwork and come to understand the intersection between storytelling identity and culture. The first assignment of the quarter requires that students go to an art museum and engage with
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Are you interested in both modern digital technologies and writing? Here’s the good news: You don’t have to choose one or the other. You don’t even have to get two separate degrees to explore both fields. Today’s world is full of communication-centered technologies. With the rise of AI and social media, it’s becoming increasingly important that programmers have a solid understanding of communication and social science. It’s also essential for today’s writers to have good technical skills. That’s why DePaul offers a B.S. in Computer Science + Writing and Rhetoric (CS + W&R), an interdisciplinary degree that equips students to navigate this evolving digital landscape. But don’t just take our word for it. Allie Gesdorf is a CS + W&R student who’s currently finishing her second year in the program, and she has
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Are you interested in learning more about the history of writing, rhetoric, and composition studies? Do you want to teach writing and composition? Do you simply want to better understand things like process, genre, audience, and writing technologies? This spring, Dr. Erin Workman is teaching WRD 541: Composition Theory. It’s the first time this course has been offered since 2018, so you won’t want to miss it. Read on to hear more from Dr. Workman on what the course will be like. What interests you about this topic? I remember my first exposure to composition theory as an English Lit MA student who had never heard of rhetoric and composition before, and it interested me so much that I ended up
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From conspiratorial rabbit holes to makeup tutorials, Americans are trapped within algorithms and a constant influx of information. College aged students have found themselves at the genesis of the social media age, and while it affects everyone, it can be overwhelming to face political and social issues online. Professor Poncin Reeves wants to equip students to engage in thoughtful dialogue around meaningful and sometimes controversial topics. WRD 390: Persuasion in the Age of TikTok will address how “democracy encounters the information deluge of social media.” Crosslisted as LSP 275: Lived Civics, The Social Contract and Public Life, this course will
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Do you have a disability or know someone who does? No matter who you are, the answer is almost certainly yes. What’s less clear-cut is what disability is, exactly, and what we should do when we encounter it, whether it’s our own disability or that of someone we know. This spring, Dr. Monica Reyes is teaching WRD 232: The Language of Disability, a course that explores the intersection of disability, culture, and society. It examines how the language we use defines, describes, and creates real-world effects for those with disabilities. Has this course been offered before, and is this your
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You may have read about WRD 377: Writing and Social Engagement here on our blog last year. This course is part of Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, giving DePaul students and their incarcerated peers a chance to learn alongside each other. It is a wonderful opportunity to create more community involvement and connection. But what about students who would love to get involved but couldn’t fit the class into their schedules? Well, we have good news! Freedom Readers is a book club born out of that class, and DePaul students and alumni are welcome to participate. In this article, we talk to Coray Ames Hoffner and Salli Berg Seeley, the two WRD faculty members who oversee the book club, as well as former WRD 377 student and current TA Michelle. Read on
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