Student & Alumni News

June 4, 2024 Grace Von Lehman

Event Preview: MAWRD 2024 Independent Studies, Portfolios, and Final Presentations

This Thursday, June 6 @ 2:00–4:00pm (Central) in SAC 301 and on Zoom, join the WRD department for presentations by MAWRD students Nan Denette, Andrea Hamler, Lara Diaz, and Christian Woodley. Nan, Andrea, and Christian will be presenting their research from their independent studies completed during Spring Quarter 2024. Nan and Lara will share their experiences in the MAWRD program in their final exit requirement presentation. Additionally, several students completed Professional Portfolios highlighting their work in MAWRD; here, Bee Browning shares their perspective on the portfolio process as well. Get a Sneak Peek of the Presentations We checked in with

May 30, 2024 Grace Von Lehman

Student Spotlight: Reina Ashley Nomura

Recently, MAWRD student Reina Ashley Nomura completed an Independent Study as part of their coursework in the Teaching Writing and Language Concentration. With knowledge gained in the study, Reina went on to present at DePaul’s 2024 Teaching and Learning Conference and is currently working on a research proposal they plan to submit to the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) soon. Reina’s work focuses on critical university studies, using rhetoric and writing pedagogy scholarship to understand the experiences of faculty and staff in higher education and how these impact teaching and learning. We chatted with Reina about their experience and how

April 9, 2024 Grace Von Lehman

Alumni Spotlight: Kristin Fleming

MAWRD alumna Kristin Fleming (’22) spent her time in WRD strengthening specific writing skills while enjoying a range of courses in rhetoric as well. Today, Kristin works as a Senior Medical Writer, where she is able to combine her interests for technical writing and science. Read on to learn more about Kristin’s time at DePaul, and how MAWRD prepared her for her current and future career moves. Why did you decide to pursue a degree in WRD? I wanted to pursue a degree in writing that strengthened my technical skills while also indulging in my love of theory. I had

March 12, 2024 Leo Swearingen

Spring Break Reading Recommendations

With Spring Break on the horizon and Winter Quarter nearly behind us, it’s a better time than ever to look out for reading that invigorates the soul and keeps you excited for upcoming Spring Quarter classes. We heard from 5 MAWRD students and got their reading recommendations for you to enjoy during your Spring Break! The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham — Recommended by MAWRD GA Grace Von Lehman This is a powerful, reverent reflection on being intimately curious about nature and understanding human life as an element of nature

January 16, 2024 Grace Von Lehman

Student Spotlight: Christian Woodley

For students and faculty at all levels, conferences offer the opportunity to present scholarship, learn about others’ work, and connect with fellow scholars. Recently, MAWRD student Christian Woodley presented original work at the National Communication Association Annual Convention held in Washington, D.C. His research, which he presented as part of a panel on business communication, focused on the various ways online meetings impact interpersonal dynamics. Beyond his presentation, Christian connected with scholars, explored the city, and gained perspective on academic conferences more broadly. Read on to hear more about Christian’s experience and his advice to students considering similar opportunities! Grace

October 31, 2023 Leo Swearingen

Student Spotlight: Nan Denette

This October, MAWRD student Nan Denette presented at a conference at the University of Memphis, discussing her findings on how we can use existential rhetoric to more effectively combat climate change. Learn more about her fascinating work through this exclusive interview, where she discusses not just her research but her experience presenting. What topic did you present on and what inspired you to present on it? My presentation was titled “Anthropos & Anthropocene: Existential Rhetorics in the Age of Ecological Disaster.” I focused on two fictional texts—Paradise Lost by John Milton and White Noise by Don DeLillo. Paradise Lost narrates

September 28, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Introducing MAWRD’s Newest Cohort – Autumn 2023

This quarter, MAWRD welcomes seven new students from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Take a moment to get to know each student in their own words! Eryk Markiewicz is a first-year student in the MAWRD program. He is currently working at the DePaul Writing Center and also does some work at a bakery near his house. He has lived in Chicago basically his whole life, and he does a lot of writing and music spamming on his Instagram story. Maya Muschitz is a first-year MAWRD student as well as the Communications Writer/Scholarship & Events Administrator for the DePaul College of

March 1, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Student Perspectives: 2023 CCCC Convention

After several years of online and hybrid conventions, the Conference on College Composition and Communication hosted a primarily in-person convention this year in Chicago. Themed “Doing Hope in Desperate Times,” the 2023 CCCC Convention took place February 15-18. Many WRD students, alumni, and faculty attended, sharing their scholarship in various presentation formats. Here, MAWRD students Nan Denette and Maggie Rothrock offer insights on their convention experiences as first-time attendees and presenters. The Big Picture For both students, their first CCCC Convention yielded exciting ideas and new opportunities. Denette shared, “I was (pleasantly!) surprised how large the conference was, both in

February 22, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Community Engagement in WRD Courses

One of the WRD Department’s goals for students is to prepare them, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, to excel in the range of contexts in which they will go on to write. Practicing writing in a variety of contexts and genres, for a variety of audiences, is a key part of this preparation that is embedded into many WRD courses. Community-engaged WRD courses offer students the opportunity to deepen their learning by engaging with real-world audiences, learning more about their local communities, and producing meaningful writing with tangible impacts. Read on for perspectives from faculty in various roles

May 5, 2022 Kristin Fleming

Alumni Spotlight: Krissy Wilson

We caught up with yet another WRD alumna who took a more teaching oriented career path. Krissy Wilson (class of 2018) is an Instructional/Learning Designer at Northwestern as well as an adjunct here at DePaul, and we checked in with her to see what her day-to-day is like, and how WRD helped prepare her. What about this job drew you in? Did you know a career like this was an option? After I completed an MFA in Writing at the School of the Art Institute in 2014, I ended up applying to DePaul’s MA in Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse, looking