Graduate – WRD Blog

November 4, 2026 Maren Case

Course Spotlight – WRD 327/532 Content Strategy

Are you curious about what collaboration with nonprofits looks like? Or how to generate written content for organizations in the fast-paced digital age? We have just the course for you! WRD 327/532 is designed to teach students how to write for today’s online environment. Taught by Dr. Lisa Dush, students will learn the ins and outs of content writing and strategy. Check out additional information on this course from Dr. Dush below. What is the course about? “It’s about what content is, how to create it, and how to use the professional insights of content strategy to align content with

October 26, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Course Spotlight – WRD 511 Composing Chicago: Rhetorics of Space and Place

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

June 8, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Event Recap – 2026 MAWRD Exit Presentations

On Thursday, May 28th, five graduating students from the Master’s in Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse (MAWRD) gave their exit presentations to faculty, classmates, family members, and friends. It was a successful event, thanks to the graduates’ engaging presentations that highlighted their unique journeys through the MAWRD. It was also a relaxed and collegial gathering: There was pizza and conversation, many appreciations and congratulations, and it was an ideal opportunity for current MA students to get a sneak peek of what their own exit presentations might look like. The graduates shared where they started and how far they’ve come as scholars and writers in the program, and they presented

May 27, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Reflections on the MA in WRD from Dylan Cabrera, winner of the 2026 Outstanding Graduate Student Award

Each program in DePaul’s College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences gives an annual Outstanding Graduate Student Award, and we are happy to announce that the recipient of this year’s award in Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse is Dylan Cabrera! Dylan, who will graduate in June, is a Graduate Assistant for the First-Year Writing Program, a Writing Center tutor, a hard-working and enthusiastic student, and a joy to have around. We want to congratulate him on receiving this award! Read on to hear about his journey through the MAWRD program in his own words. After dabbling in film school for a

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

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 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

November 17, 2025 Callie McNorton

Student Spotlight – Amber Corkey

Amber Corkey is no stranger to WRD as a 5th year student completing the combined degree program. A graduate of the undergraduate program, Amber will soon complete the MAWRD degree with a Professional and Digital Writing concentration and a SWAN (Strategic Writing and Advancement for Nonprofits) certification. Not only is Amber a tutor and Professional Development Student Manager at the Writing Center, they also hold the title of Chief Copy Editor and Newsletter Editor at The DePaulia. Read on to learn more about this star student, their plans for the future, and what experiences have impacted them the most during

October 15, 2025 Chaia Van Der Aa

Course Spotlight – WRD 540: Teaching Writing

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

May 17, 2025 Leo Swearingen

Course Recap — WRD 508: Discourse & Style

In Winter Quarter 2025, Dr. Antonio Ceraso taught WRD 508 Discourse & Style. In this class, students approached written style from a rhetorical perspective, examining how style on a micro and macro level can work to accomplish persuasive goals. By exploring methods and terminology for analyzing style and reading a wide range of genres, students ultimately worked to develop their own stylistic repertoires. The class focused on analyzing the relationship between stylistic choices, rhetorical purpose, and rhetorical effects. Throughout the process, students reflected on and articulated their stylistic decision-making as integral to the writing process. Considering their own writing in