Photo of Dra. Alyssa Cavazos standing in front of a purple background. Image text reads: Event Recap – Rethinking Feedback and Assessment: A Translingual and Reciprocal Approach for All Writers. Dra. Alyssa Cavazos AQ25

Event Recap – Rethinking Feedback and Assessment: A Translingual and Reciprocal Approach for All Writers 

On Wednesday, October 29th, 2025, Dra. Alyssa Cavazos held a workshop on feedback strategies for student writing, focusing on how a broader view of approaches to feedback and assessment can be used to encourage student success.  To start off the workshop, WRD’s Dr. Monica Reyes introduced Dra. Cavazos. She is a professor of writing and language studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande, and is the director of the university’s Center for Teaching Excellence. Much of her work is focused on learner-centered pedagogies that incorporate translingual approaches and support linguistic variation.  The workshop was held over Zoom, with some

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Course Spotlight – WRD 242: Writing with AI

Generative AI has been around in its current form for a few years now, but the conversation around it isn’t slowing down yet. What is its place in our writing, and in the world at large? How does it actually work, and what is it useful for? If you’re curious about any of these issues, Dr. Lisa Dush is teaching WRD 242: Writing with AI this winter, and it’s a great way to find out more.  Why this course?  Generative AI emerged so suddenly that even people with years of experience in writing and new media studies, including Dr. Dush,

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Course Spotlight – WRD 360: Topics in Rhetoric: Cults & Rhetoric of Community

Have you ever been apart of something that made you feel like you belong? Really belong? Within the context of communities and cults, Professor Hohenzy is exploring the way that people are drawn to being apart of something bigger than themselves. WRD 360: Topics in Rhetoric: Cults & Rhetoric of Community tackles the juxtaposition between finding peace and losing autonomy in the process of acceptance. Read on to discover why this new course is a great way to understand rhetorical manipulation and the power of cults. What are your goals for this course and what do you hope students learn? 

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Updated Course Spotlight – WRD 377: Writing and Social Engagement: From Hip Hop to Hashtags

This winter, Professor Coray Ames Hoffner is teaching WRD 377: Writing and Social Engagement: From Hip Hop to Hashtags, part of DePaul’s Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. It was also offered last spring, so check out our previous course spotlight to learn more about the basics of the course. Keep reading to see photos from last quarter and get an update.  What did you enjoy most about teaching this course last spring? Is there anything you’re especially looking forward to this quarter?   So many come to mind, but I’ll just name a few: an early conversation about the nature of

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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

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Course Spotlight – WRD 371: Mentoring Youth in Community Groups

*originally posted October 10, 2024 Writing is best when it is a collaboration. In high school, the thought of someone critiquing my work was terrifying. However, a great way to grow as a writer is to work with those around you, receiving and giving feedback. In WRD 371: Mentoring Youth in Community Groups, DePaul students have an opportunity to grow their ability to provide feedback, enhancing their own reflective writing processes, and help younger students at the local Leo High School develop their writing. Finding these types of spaces can be intimidating, but WRD 371 has become a haven for

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Course Spotlight – WRD 210: Cultural Rhetorics

Rhetoric and culture are constantly at odds with one another. To fully understand these interdependent concepts, Dr. Monica Reyes explores “symbols, material conditions, locations, and ordinary day-to-day practices” in WRD 210 or Cultural Rhetorics. Dr. Reyes provided some insight into what to expect in WRD 210 in the upcoming Winter Quarter and addressed why this course is crucial to understanding how communities make meaning.   What are your goals for this course, and what do you hope students learn?  My main goal in WRD 210 is to help students see how deeply culture and communication shape who we are and how

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The Conference on College Composition and Communication Recap

The Conference on College Composition and Communication (Cs) is a gateway to public discussion that advocates for the ever-evolving definitions of “literacy, communication, rhetoric, and writing (including multimodal discourse, digital communication, and diverse language practices).” Through collaboration and the promotion of ethical scholarship, Cs empowers diverse individuals and communities that will hopefully translate to practical solutions and modeling in teaching and learning. The annual convention was held last month in Baltimore with the theme: “Computer Love”: Extended Play, B-Sides, Remix, Collaboration, and Creativity. DePaul’s WRD program was represented by an alumna, a student, and four faculty members: Madeline Crozier, Reina

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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

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Alumni Spotlight – Grace Von Lehman

In her role as Central Indiana Outreach Coordinator at Faith in Place, MAWRD alum Grace Von Lehman is able to apply her knowledge gained from completing the MAWRD program in tandem with the SWAN certificate. Even though she graduated less than a year ago, Grace is breaking barriers through environmental justice work in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization she works for, Faith in Place, has been operating in Illinois for more than two decades, but its presence in Indiana only sprang up a couple of years ago, giving Grace the role of first outreach staff member in Indianapolis. Faith in Place works

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