Looking to build upon the previous years of successful student publication, the WRD Committee for CK encourages faculty to identify strong papers and projects for submission. We are seeking submissions from WRD majors and minors in upper-level courses from the current academic year 2017–2018 (scholarship from SQ 2017 is acceptable). All submissions should follow the LAS guidelines (see below) and should be emailed to Jason Kalin (jkalin@depaul.edu) by Friday, June 1, 2018.
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Complete the Professional Writing Minor Online
The WRD department’s Minor in Professional Writing is currently available to all students from any major in the university, and is now able to be completed entirely online. The Professional Writing Minor is an excellent complement to any degree, as the ability to write and communicate effectively is a valuable skill no matter what profession you are in. With only two required courses and four electives, the Professional Writing Minor allows you the flexibility to cater the coursework to your interests.
Continue readingWRD Student Profile: Mariah Schultz
Mariah Schultz is a senior at DePaul University studying Dramaturgy with minors in History and Professional Writing in the Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse Department. Schultz’s first WRD class was 103, the writing course for first-year students at DePaul. Though it was required, she is thankful that she had to take it because of a faculty member who helped her declare a Professional Writing minor, former WRD Professor Nathan Fink. “Nathan was an inspiring professor and made every class tie into the current events of our world by using The New York Times as a constant, living source of writing and
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Kyla Patterson: Fulbright Scholar
Kyla Patterson, a 2017 graduate of the BA in Writing, Rhetoric, & Discourse program, recently received the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship! WRD was able to catch up with Kyla and learn about where she will be going and what kind of work she will be doing as a Fulbright Scholar. Beginning this autumn, Kyla will be traveling to Czechia (also known as the Czech Republic in the recent past) to participate in an English Teaching Assistant Program. As the name of the program suggests, Kyla’s main responsibility will be teaching English to elementary-aged children in Czechia for at least twenty hours
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WRD 377: Writing & Social Engagement
This Winter Quarter, instructor Jen Finstrom is putting a twist on WRD 377: Writing and Social Engagement. WRD 377 courses always include an experiential learning component—typically, students will complete mandatory service-learning hours by going out of the classroom to serve and collaborate with communities and organizations in Chicago. What makes Finstrom’s course unique is that while it remains grounded in experiential learning and community service, students in this WRD 377 class are primarily collaborating and working with their Chicago community online rather than in person. How? Students in WRD 377 give written online feedback to sixth graders writing poetry at
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Spring & Summer ’17 Courses Are Here!
The Course Cart for Spring and Summer 2017 classes opened this week, and registration begins February 5! If you’d like a comprehensive list of WRD’s course offerings, visit the Student Resources page at WRD’s website. There, you can plan your class schedule with detailed course descriptions at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Any questions about what classes to take? Email your program director or contact the department at wrd[at]depaul.edu.
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WRD Student Spotlight: Elise Jackson
This week, WRD was able to speak with current BA in WRD student Elise Jackson. She has plans to pursue a career in speech therapy after graduating from DePaul, and in this spotlight, Elise speaks about how the WRD program is helping her prepare for the future. Tell us about your career plans in speech therapy after graduating from DePaul. After graduating from DePaul, I plan to apply to a handful of graduate schools in the Chicago area that offer a Speech Language Pathology graduate program. Right now, I hope to attend either Northwestern, which is my first choice, or
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Recap: Professor Krista Ratcliffe’s Talk on Rhetorical Listening
As students and scholars of rhetoric, we understand that others’ conceptions of what is good or true are influenced by their beliefs and values. But how can we apply this understanding? How can we use our rhetorical knowledge to more effectively traverse difficult conversations, like those happening on our campus and in our city during this contentious election season? In a talk sponsored by the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse, given on Friday, October 7, Professor Krista Ratcliffe of Purdue suggested rhetorical listening as a teachable tactic to help students—and everyone—learn how to listen to and participate in conversations
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Recap: National Day on Writing
Two weeks ago, the WRD Department joined other schools around the nation to celebrate National Day on Writing (October 20). Founded by the National Council of Teachers of English, this day aims to draw attention to the fact that no matter who you are, writing is an integral part of your life. To help with the day’s celebration of all things writing, WRD faculty, staff, and students went out on campus to ask DePaul, “Why do you write?” We received all sorts of responses, from writing out of necessity (my professor makes me) to writing for self-expression and to create
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WRD 111: Transition DePaul
WRD 111 is designed specifically for international students and was taught this Autumn Quarter by Margaret Poncin and Douglas Sheldon. The course has two main goals—to introduce students to the city of Chicago and to help students transition into the academic culture of the United States. As a result, WRD 111 instructor Margaret Poncin says, “students visit museums, architectural landmarks, and neighborhoods as part of their research for class assignments.” How is exploring Chicago paired with an introduction to U.S. academic culture? One class project required students to do just that—get out in the city and utilize concepts learned in
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