WRD Student Spotlight: Nikki Roberts

Nikki Roberts is a DePaul ‘20 Journalism major and Professional Writing minor. She declared her Professional Writing minor in Autumn 2017 to strengthen her writing “outside of journalism/AP style writing.” During Winter Quarter of her sophomore year, Roberts took WRD 263, Reading Between the Grooves: The Rhetorical Power of Popular Music with Professor Jason Schneider. “His class encouraged me to consider a broader range of topics outside of strict music reporting,” Roberts said.

Continue reading

Creating Knowledge: The LAS Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

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.

Continue reading
An array of ethernet cables

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 reading

WRD 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

Continue reading
Image of Kyla Patterson

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

Continue reading
WRD 377 Students

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

Continue reading