Author: Leo Swearingen

Course Spotlight — WRD 289: Writing about Rights

In a social context where people must consistently navigate their rights, or lack thereof, it is important to understand how rights claims function as a specific rhetorical tool. This Winter Quarter 2025, Dr. Jason Schneider will be exploring rights rhetoric by teaching WRD 289: Writing about Rights so students can gain a deeper understanding of the role language plays in shaping social and political movements. Read on to hear from Dr. Schneider as to what students should expect from the course and learn why you should enroll!  What are your goals for the course and what can students hope to

Continue reading

Course Spotlight – WRD 242: Writing with AI 

With the emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, professional writers worldwide have been wondering how this technology will affect their field. While AI is certainly controversial, prompting strikes from the likes of the Writer’s Guild of America to protect writers’ jobs and eliciting petitions signed by thousands advocating to “Pause Giant AI Experiments,” one thing is certain: new technology is notoriously difficult to stop in its tracks.  With a pragmatic view of AI’s continuous march, Margaret Poncin Reeves, Senior Professional Lecturer in the WRD department, looks to see how writers can adapt to new AI technologies and remain relevant

Continue reading

Course Spotlight – WRD 204: Technical Writing and its Utility for WRD Majors

This Autumn Quarter, WRD 204 Technical Writing is returning to help students learn how to develop documents for technical workplaces. Taught in person at both the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses, or as an online asynchronous course, WRD 204 is sure to fit into your schedule and provide useful knowledge.  I interviewed Professor Allison Pelletier, who teaches an online async iteration of the course, to learn more about WRD 204 and what it offers—especially for WRD majors. I also checked in with two WRD majors, Amber Corkey and Jillian Muncaster, to share their perspectives as to how the course benefitted

Continue reading

Course Recap – WRD 540: Teaching Writing WQ 24

In Winter Quarter 24, WRD 540 Teaching Writing, taught by Dr. Erin Workman, met to help students develop their understanding of how to teach writing. Students from both the MAWRD and MA in English programs and with different educational and professional goals took the class, which inspired a range of discussions and directions.  I met with two students from the course, Reina Ashley Nomura (“RN”) and Lindsay Wilson (“LW”) to gather their perspectives about what the course offers, what they achieved, and their directions moving forward. Reina Ashley Nomura is a student in the MAWRD program, and Lindsay Wilson is

Continue reading

Event Recap: Dr. Antonio Byrd’s AI Presentation

On Wednesday, April 17th the WRD Department greeted Dr. Antonio Byrd, an Assistant Professor of English from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, to present “Practicing Linguistic Justice with Large Language Models.” In the hour and a half long presentation, Dr. Byrd discussed the need for a critical AI literacy that supports students who speak non-standard forms of English.  With over 20 attendees in person at Arts & Letters Hall and many more attending via Zoom, the event was a success that garnered interest in the department from students, staff, and faculty alike.  In the interactive presentation, Dr. Byrd began by

Continue reading

Course Spotlight – WRD 526: Grant & Proposal Writing

This Autumn Quarter, Dr. Lisa Dush will be teaching WRD 526 Grant & Proposal Writing, where graduate students can learn about developing grant and funding materials both theoretically and practically. By collaborating with local nonprofit organizations, students develop the ability to create specialized documents seeking funding. I checked in with Dr. Dush, who shared some key perspectives on what students can expect from WRD 526.  Course Goals and Learning Outcomes Regarding her goals for the course and what students can hope to learn, Dr. Dush shared, “My primary goal for the course is to give students a situated experience of

Continue reading

Updated Course Spotlight – WRD 500: Proseminar

What To Expect From WRD 500: Proseminar Every Autumn Quarter, the WRD Department offers WRD 500 Proseminar, the only required course that every MAWRD student must take. The course is designed to introduce students to the theories, concepts, and writing of graduate-level work in writing studies.  This year, Dr. Monica Reyes will lead Proseminar on Mondays from 6:00 to 9:15 pm. We checked in with Dr. Reyes in order to help new WRD students understand what to expect from WRD 500. The Value of a Required Course Because all MAWRD students take Proseminar within the first half of their program,

Continue reading

Course Spotlight – WRD 323: Editing

This Autumn Quarter, Dr. Tim Elliott will be teaching WRD 323 Editing, a course for undergraduates to hone not just their editing skills but also their ability to communicate with the writers they’re editing for. I checked in with Dr. Elliott to better understand what WRD 323 Editing is about and what students can expect. Read on to see Dr. Elliott’s insightful responses.  What are your goals for the course and what can students hope to learn? My goals are to help students prepare to edit most kinds of professional documents and become comfortable building rapport with authors. Students will

Continue reading

Updated Course Spotlight – WRD 551: Teaching Apprenticeship Practicum

Overview of WRD 551 & TAP WRD 551 functions as the companion course to WRD’s Teaching Apprentice Practicum (TAP), a program that gives MA in WRD and ENG students the unique opportunity to teach a section of WRD 103, one of the two courses in DePaul’s First-Year Writing Program. As they teach using a shared syllabus, TAP instructors meet weekly in WRD 551: Teaching Apprenticeship Practicum during Autumn Quarter to discuss composition pedagogy,  share classroom experiences, and prepare for upcoming WRD 103 class meetings. WRD’s Director of First-Year Writing, Prof. Erin Workman, teaches WRD 551 and summarizes the class as

Continue reading

Exit Requirement Q&A

The first presentations for the new exit requirement will be given in Spring Quarter 2024.  Learn more about why the decision to change the exit requirement was made and get some insider knowledge on what the Graduate Committee is hoping you will achieve with your presentation. I sat down for a question and answer session with MAWRD Director Jason Kalin, who helped illuminate some information that will be helpful going forward in your own presentations.  Decisions about the graduate program are made by the Graduate Committee, which is a subset of the tenure-line faculty. The Graduate Committee comes to a

Continue reading