Department News & Events – Page 7

May 31, 2017 Delasha Long

Recap: Sara Wachter-Boettcher’s Talk on Design for Real Life

DePaul’s Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse hosted a talk on Thursday, May 11th featuring content strategy consultant and coauthor of the book Design for Real Life, Sara Wachter-Boettcher. In her talk, she recounted the many ways our designs can be offputting to users, and how designs can leave some users feeling left out. She also delivered solutions on what we can do to mend and prevent setbacks like this. Many users believe that the term “algorithm” evokes a sort of frigid and unbiased truth that only computers could posses. An algorithm is thought to be born with no natural flaws, unlike

May 24, 2017 gradassistant

Recap: Professor Kristin L. Arola’s Talk on Composition and American Indian Rhetorics

On Friday April 21, Dr. Kristin L. Arola from Washington State University visited DePaul to present a talk titled “Slow Composition: American Indian Rhetorics and Mindful Making Practices.” This talk was part of the WRD Department’s Writing and Rhetoric Across Borders Speaker Series. Arola’s described the implementation of a composition theory based on story, what she referred to as “story as methodology.” By using an American Indian lens, Arola discussed our current conceptions of the composing process and opened up new critiques on how to improve. Pointing out the current fast-paced nature of rhetoric in our society, Arola advocated for

April 6, 2017 depaulwrd

Kristin Arola to Visit WRD on April 21

On Friday, April 21 from 1 to 2:30pm in the Lincoln Park Campus in McGowan 104, Dr. Kristin L. Arola from Washington State University will be visiting DePaul and taking part in the Writing and Rhetoric Across Borders Speaker Series. Arola will be delivering a talk entitled, “Slow Composition: American Indian Rhetorics and Mindful Making Practices.” Abstract: This presentation explores what writing studies can learn from American Indian epistemologies. By bringing together stories of the crafting and gathering practices of the Anishinaabe peoples of the Upper Great Lakes and the concept of composing as culturing, Arola offers a framework for

February 27, 2017 Admin

Recap: Professor Victoria Gallagher’s Talk on the Virtual MLK Project

In a talk sponsored by DePaul’s Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse, on Friday, February 10, Professor Victoria Gallagher of North Carolina State University described a rhetorical digital humanities project that she leads, which focuses on a speech given by the great American orator, Martin Luther King, Jr. This project is framed by an important question: What does it take to transform peoples’ hearts and minds about race? About The Virtual MLK Project Professor Gallagher described the Virtual MLK Project as situated at the intersection of rhetoric, Black history, and digital humanities. It is a project that has drawn faculty

Screengrab of Cauldron website showing the article

February 23, 2017 Admin

Justin Staley Ponders the Little League World Series in The Cauldron

WRD instructor Justin Staley’s article “25 Years Ago, I Played In The Little League World Series, Too” was recently published in The Cauldron by Sports Illustrated. In the article, Staley recalls his experiences playing in the Little League World Series championship and reflects on what he’s learned from that memorable summer. We were able to get in touch with Staley and learn more about the article and his reasons for writing it. Want to read Staley’s work? Find it here. Why did you write this piece? Did any recent event or thought trigger a desire to write about yourself and the Little

January 19, 2017 Admin

2/10: Victoria J. Gallagher Visits WRD, Discusses vMLK Project

On Friday, February 10 from 1 to 2:30pm in McGowan South 105, Dr. Victoria J. Gallagher from North Carolina State University will be visiting DePaul and taking part in the Writing and Rhetoric Without Borders Speaker Series. Gallagher will be delivering a talk entitled, “The vMLK Project: Crafting a Necessary (Digital) Space to Explore Rhetoric and Civic Transformation.” Abstract: The Virtual Martin Luther King project is an immersive, ambient recreation, including sound and visual renderings, of a 1960 speech given by Martin Luther King, Jr. in Durham, NC of which no known recordings survive. This project challenges how we think

January 10, 2017 Delasha Long

WRD Faculty Research: Professor Jason Kalin Studies Urban Space and Rhetoric

Wearable technologies, like smartphones and smartwatches, allow us to use location-based services to “check in,” to establish routes and routines, and to discover nearby activities. But how do these new technologies affect the way we make sense of urban spaces? WRD Professor Jason Kalin and his colleague, Professor Jordan Frith of the University of North Texas, recently explored this question through a collaborative research project. Kalin’s areas of expertise are in rhetorical theory—visual, digital, and material rhetorics—and memory studies. Frith’s research focuses on issues of space, place, and mobility in media. In their article, “Wearing the City: Memory P(a)laces, Smartphones,