The department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse (WRD) is dedicated to studying the history and theory of literate activity and helping students excel as writers in a wide range of academic, professional, and public settings.
WRD is home to DePaul University’s First-Year Writing program; in addition, the department offers the Minor in Professional Writing and the Major in Writing and Rhetoric.
We also offer a graduate-level MA in WRD. Graduates of the MA in WRD program go on to become professional writers and digital communicators in nonprofit and for-profit organizations, as well as writing teachers and writing center administrators in post-secondary institutions.
Writing and Rhetoric undergraduate students have the option to complete a Combined BA/MA, which allows them to begin taking graduate courses in their senior year.
Staff
The WRD Blog is ran by the department’s graduate assistants with help from the department assistant and MA in WRD director.
Callie McNorton is a WRD graduate assistant in her second year of the MA program. She received her BA in Journalism and Political Science at Georgia State University, and she currently works as a tutor in DePaul’s Writing Center. She hopes to continue her curiosity within rhetoric, improve her writing and prepare for a career at a nonprofit through her time in WRD.
Chaia Vanderaa is a WRD graduate assistant in her first year of the MA program. She received her BA in English with a concentration in Professional Writing and Publishing from University of Illinois Chicago. Currently, she works as a tutor in DePaul’s Writing Center. She is interested in professional writing, editing, and teaching, and she looks forward to exploring the field of rhetoric while in WRD.