Chaia Van Der Aa – WRD Blog

May 4, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Course Spotlight – WRD 526/326: Grant & Proposal Writing

Interested in doing hands-on nonprofit work with real deliverables? Good news—WRD 526/326: Grant & Proposal Writing with Dr. Lisa Dush is being offered this fall. Check out our previous spotlight for this course to hear about alumnus Leo Swearingen’s experience as a student in the class, and keep reading to hear the updates for this year. What’s new? If you’re an undergraduate, now is the perfect time to take this course. This is only the second time it’s been offered to undergraduate students as well as graduates (the first time was last fall, taught by Dr. Tim Elliott). This year, Dr. Dush, who’s been developing and teaching it for years, is taking the reins

April 22, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

WRD Faculty Research and Writing Recap

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

March 15, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Event Recap: Winter Student Research Showcase

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

February 27, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Program Spotlight: DePaul’s Major in Computer Science + Writing & Rhetoric

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

February 22, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Course Spotlight – WRD 541: Composition Theory

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

February 13, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Course Spotlight – WRD 232: The Language of Disability

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

February 9, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Freedom Readers: A Book Club That Builds Bridges

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

Photo of Dra. Alyssa Cavazos standing in front of a purple background. Image text reads: Event Recap – Rethinking Feedback and Assessment: A Translingual and Reciprocal Approach for All Writers. Dra. Alyssa Cavazos AQ25

November 11, 2025 Chaia Van Der Aa

Event Recap – Rethinking Feedback and Assessment: A Translingual and Reciprocal Approach for All Writers

On Wednesday, October 29th, 2025, Dra. Alyssa Cavazos held a workshop on feedback strategies for student writing, focusing on how a broader view of approaches to feedback and assessment can be used to encourage student success. To start off the workshop, WRD’s Dr. Monica Reyes introduced Dra. Cavazos. She is a professor of writing and language studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande, and is the director of the university’s Center for Teaching Excellence. Much of her work is focused on learner-centered pedagogies that incorporate translingual approaches and support linguistic variation. The workshop was held over Zoom, with some

November 3, 2025 Chaia Van Der Aa

Course Spotlight – WRD 242: Writing with AI

Generative AI has been around in its current form for a few years now, but the conversation around it isn’t slowing down yet. What is its place in our writing, and in the world at large? How does it actually work, and what is it useful for? If you’re curious about any of these issues, Dr. Lisa Dush is teaching WRD 242: Writing with AI this winter, and it’s a great way to find out more. Why this course? Generative AI emerged so suddenly that even people with years of experience in writing and new media studies, including Dr. Dush,

October 16, 2025 Chaia Van Der Aa

Updated Course Spotlight – WRD 377: Writing and Social Engagement: From Hip Hop to Hashtags

This winter, Professor Coray Ames Hoffner is teaching WRD 377: Writing and Social Engagement: From Hip Hop to Hashtags, part of DePaul’s Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. It was also offered last spring, so check out our previous course spotlight to learn more about the basics of the course. Keep reading to see photos from last quarter and get an update. What did you enjoy most about teaching this course last spring? Is there anything you’re especially looking forward to this quarter? So many come to mind, but I’ll just name a few: an early conversation about the nature of