Andrea Hamler is a soon to be graduate of the MAWRD program with a concentration in Professional and Digital Writing and an addition of the Strategic Writing and Advacement for Nonprofits (SWAN) certification. She completed an independent study looking into a rhetorical analysis of religious discourse communities and their relation to anti-environmental political discourse. She has roots in math and science tutoring, and her strengths include storytelling and understanding of contemporary evangelical Christian discourse. We got to talk to Andrea about her experiences during her time at DePaul and what her next steps might look like post grad!
How did you initially find your way to the WRD program?
I took to the study of rhetoric, something I knew nothing about before 2020, in an Argumentative Writing class at College of DuPage during pandemic shutdowns. I was troubled by patterns of speech that appeared in high-control religious environments in which I grew up. These same patterns were apparent in right-wing news media and politics. I thought taking this one class might help me make good logical arguments that would convince people to snap out of being controlled by politicians and religious leaders who didn’t have their best interests at heart. I left that class hungry for more knowledge that might help me understand the power dynamics and the appeal to emotion. After completing another rhetoric-heavy course at COD, I thought I might want to do a second Bachelor’s degree in Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse at DePaul. My professor for those classes encouraged me to instead look into the MA WRD program.
How have your skills gained through your tutoring career been applied to your work at DePaul?
I started off tutoring Spanish, and I quickly moved into teaching and tutoring math and science. I had a strong foundation in math and science after taking many math, science, and engineering courses for an engineering program that I ultimately couldn’t finish because of other life events, I found that why my students frequently came to me for tutoring was because of a lack of clear communication, either on the part of the instructor or the student.
I specialize in translating complex mathematical and scientific concepts into language that each individual student can understand. I revise in the moment if needed, trying a different approach to communicating with each student. Sometimes I use analogy or a metaphor. Sometimes, I use visual methods including drawings. Sometimes I pull up a video resource.
Additionally, I teach students how to structure their written work into clear communication to their teachers. Even when writing out answers to math or physics problems, clear communication using good design principles and visual organization is key. I tell my students that their teachers are much more likely to give them partial credit if they don’t have to work hard to see what they’re doing. These are good habits to build regardless of whether they end up in a math/science-heavy field.
How has the SWAN certificate informed your work and path through the program?
I started the program with a hunger for learning more about rhetoric and a general goal of being able to write to make a positive difference in the world. The SWAN certificate has prepared me to put the strategic and multimodal writing skills I’ve gained into practice in specific ways that can help a nonprofit organization achieve their mission. In many ways, my writing skills were directly applicable to writing for nonprofits with minor tweaks.
Through SWAN coursework, I also learned new specific genres like LOIs (Letter of intent) and grant proposals. The courses I took through the school of public service greatly increased my understanding of how nonprofits are set up and how I might fit into a nonprofit organization. I am confident that I could step into a writing, fundraising, or communications role in a nonprofit organization with little trouble.
Tell me about your Independent Study! What are some of your biggest takeaways?
I have been fascinated (is that the right word?) by how the rhetoric and discourse of the Religious Right has a seemingly outsized influence over the government in the U.S. I was particularly curious about how evangelical Christian politicians and those who support them seem to have a profound disrespect for what they would call “God’s creation.” I grew up in an evangelical atmosphere, and the cognitive dissonance between exploiting the Earth’s resources for financial gain while harming vulnerable populations at the same time claiming to be followers of Jesus, a person who, in my understanding, repeatedly told people to use their wealth to support the poor, was severe. This, along with a host of other issues involving the exploitation of the vulnerable, led me away from evangelicalism over a decade ago.
Another student in my cohort, Nan Danette, shared an interest in religion and environmental rhetoric. We came from different backgrounds, and our different perspectives and strengths played well together. Dr. Jason Schneider, our faculty adviser, provided valuable guidance as we learned how to apply critical discourse analysis to what we had suspected was a link between the anti-environmental discourse of evangelicals in the Religious Right in the 1970s through the 2000s and the current anti-environmentalist discourse in the Republican Party.
We identified a common discourse shared by Jerry Falwell and current evangelical members of Congress, Lauren Boebert and Mike Johnson. We wrote a draft of an article for publication during our time in the independent study course, and I hope to share our results with a broader audience, either in writing or in a podcast format.
What kind of work would you like to do post-graduation?
For paid work, I would be excited to be in a development/fundraising or marketing and communications position in a nonprofit whose mission I support or a government organization. Of particular interest to me are organizations that focus on the environment/conservation, science research, and religious freedom.
I also plan to use the knowledge I gained about how the rhetoric and discourse of the Religious Right has a detrimental impact on democracy to inform advocacy and lobbying efforts in which I participate.
I am working on a book proposal that would communicate some of what I identified during my time in the program to a broader, non-academic, but intellectually curious audience. I am also creating a pilot podcast episode to share some information about the anti-environmental discourse of the Religious Right and the history of connections between major polluters, including oil barons, and conservative Christian movements in the U.S.
If you are interested in joining Andrea’s Exit Presentation on Thursday November 7th @ 1:00 – 1:30 pm (CT) be on the look out for a Zoom link in your DePaul email.