Category: Course Spotlights

The rhetoric of place allows us to explore how the physical environment itself makes arguments. What better way to examine it than through the very city we live in? This winter, students can see how discourses, social actions, and more build the environment around us in WRD 511, Composing Chicago: Rhetorics of Space and Place, taught by Professor Jason Kalin. Why this topic? “My teaching and research interests continually return to questions of place, especially this place we call Chicago,” Kalin says. It’s a topic that he’s been studying throughout his academic career. “I began studying rhetorics of space and

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

Whether you’re completely new to teaching writing or just want to learn more about doing it at the college level, WRD 540: Teaching Writing with Dr. Jason Schneider is a great place to start. This course allows students to explore the topic from both a theoretical and a practical perspective. You’ll also need to take this course if you’re interested in applying for the Teaching Apprenticeship Program (TAP) next year.   This is Professor Schneider’s second year teaching this class. He’s taught a variety of courses on pedagogy, rhetoric, and applied linguistics to both grad students and undergrads, so he looks

This past quarter, Dr. Lisa Dush taught WRD 532 Content Strategy, where students were able to practice applying content strategies in a professional setting. Students and Dr. Dush partnered with Just DePaul, a sustainability collective who is seeking to further the mission of social and environmental justice. Through assessing Just DePaul’s content and collaborating with each other, Students created a report of practical documentation and deliverables to be applied to current and future content on Just DePaul’s website and social media pages.  Leo Swearingen and Shane Zimmer, who both took the class and are now in their last quarter of

In the upcoming Spring Quarter, Dr. Monica Reyes will be exploring counterstories and how, as rhetors, students can shift their perspective from harmful narratives. With a focus on the stories of immigrants and refugees, WRD 511: Rhetorics of Displacement focuses on pushing back against stereotypical, limiting language surrounding these communities. While learning how to move away from the ‘helpless’ immigrant and refugee narrative, students will discover how to critically and empathetically amplify the true experiences of these groups.  What is a Counterstory?   Influenced by cultural rhetorician Aja Martinez’s concept of the counterstory, Dr. Reyes explains that “Martinez’s description of counterstory