Undergraduate – WRD Blog

November 9, 2026 Maren Case

Being a WRD Major: Views from Dara Drury and Barbara Riendeau

As a new graduate student in the WRD department, the most exciting thing I’ve learned about our community is that everyone comes from a different background. Each person is drawn to something specific and has their own story to tell about how they ended up in WRD. Being new to DePaul myself and Chicago at large, I’ve found this variety to be entirely comforting! To get a better understanding of how these stories influence the culture of the WRD department and to hear memorable moments within these walls, I recently sat down with two undergraduate students to learn how their

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

May 19, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Course Spotlight – WRD 360/LSP 275 Rhetoric of the Red Summer: Chicago Race Riot of 1919

Chicago is a city with a rich and complicated history, and this history still impacts us today. Go deep into one aspect of it and learn to connect it to our present with WRD 360/LSP 275, Rhetoric of the Red Summer: Chicago Race Riot of 1919 with Professor Salli Berg Seeley. Why take this course? One of the special things about this course is that it will give students a look into the different forms civic engagement can take. Professor Berg Seeley has been teaching Chicago literature for over a decade. This drew her attention to 1919, a book by Chicago poet and sociologist

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

April 28, 2026 Callie McNorton

Study Abroad Spotlight – Identities@Guatemala: Human Rights & Activism in the Americas

Pictured Above: Students at the Museum at Parque Intercultural in Xela. Dr. Saravia’s great aunt is part of this mural created by the HIJ@S group in Guatemala. Have you been looking for a study abroad opportunity? DePaul’s Identities Abroad programs are “short-term study abroad programs on topics related to multiculturalism in a U.S. context, which then visit a destination abroad for 8-12 days at the end of the quarter to examine the topic from an international perspective.” WRD faculty member Dr. Lydia Saravia will be teaching LSP 200: Human Rights & Activism in the Americas in the Autumn Quarter. According to its

April 28, 2026 Callie McNorton

Course Spotlight – WRD 266: Leveling Up: The Social Rhetoric of Video Games

This upcoming Autumn Quarter, Professor Alan Ackmann is teaching WRD 266: Leveling Up: The Social Rhetoric of Video Games. From the arcade to the internet, video games have been evolving since their inception. This course has been a student favorite in the past and Professor Ackmann’s approach remains tried and true. To learn more about what to expect in the Autumn, read his 2023 interview with WRD alumni Grace Von Lehman. What is the main focus of this course? AA: The course’s main objective is to think about video games as rhetorical artifacts—they are usually thought of as more trivial

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 27, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Program Spotlight: DePaul’s Major in Computer Science + Writing & Rhetoric

Are you interested in both modern digital technologies and writing? Here’s the good news: You don’t have to choose one or the other. You don’t even have to get two separate degrees to explore both fields. Today’s world is full of communication-centered technologies. With the rise of AI and social media, it’s becoming increasingly important that programmers have a solid understanding of communication and social science. It’s also essential for today’s writers to have good technical skills. That’s why DePaul offers a B.S. in Computer Science + Writing and Rhetoric (CS + W&R), an interdisciplinary degree that equips students to navigate this evolving digital landscape. But don’t just take our word for it. Allie Gesdorf is a CS + W&R student who’s currently finishing her second year in the program, and she has

February 13, 2026 Chaia Van Der Aa

Course Spotlight – WRD 232: The Language of Disability

Do you have a disability or know someone who does? No matter who you are, the answer is almost certainly yes. What’s less clear-cut is what disability is, exactly, and what we should do when we encounter it, whether it’s our own disability or that of someone we know. This spring, Dr. Monica Reyes is teaching WRD 232: The Language of Disability, a course that explores the intersection of disability, culture, and society. It examines how the language we use defines, describes, and creates real-world effects for those with disabilities. Has this course been offered before, and is this your

November 18, 2025 Callie McNorton

Alumni Spotlight – Ella Yates

Do you remember when WRD alum Ella Yates sang the National Anthem at Wrigley Field earlier this year? We sure do! Not only is she an accomplished singer, she also excelled during her time at DePaul until her recent graduation in June. With a Bachelor of Arts in Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse, a minor in Creative Writing, and the William E. Hay Leadership Accelerator Certification, Ella continues to succeed outside of school. Learn more about her time at DePaul and how she applies what she learned in WRD in the real world. Why did you decide to pursue a degree