Course Spotlight – WRD 511: Rhetorics of Displacement

In the upcoming Spring Quarter, Dr. Monica Reyes will be exploring counterstories and how, as rhetors, students can shift their perspective from harmful narratives. With a focus on the stories of immigrants and refugees, WRD 511: Rhetorics of Displacement focuses on pushing back against stereotypical, limiting language surrounding these communities. While learning how to move away from the ‘helpless’ immigrant and refugee narrative, students will discover how to critically and empathetically amplify the true experiences of these groups.  What is a Counterstory?   Influenced by cultural rhetorician Aja Martinez’s concept of the counterstory, Dr. Reyes explains that “Martinez’s description of counterstory

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Event Recap — Dr. V Jo Hsu’s “The Story Begins with a Sundering”

On January 28, 2025, WRD faculty, students, and staff gathered in Arts & Letters Hall to hear Dr. V. Jo Hsu, Associate Professor in the Departments of Rhetoric and Writing and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, present “The Story Begins with a Sundering: On Narratives of Medical Uncertainty.” This illuminating talk explored transgender and disability medical narratives and was followed by a thought-provoking Q&A.  Dr. Hsu began by explaining that narratives shape how we understand ourselves and our experiences while bound up in a shared world. “We are tethered to narrative threads,” they

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Course Spotlight — WRD 522: Writing in the Professions

Workplace writing is a critical skill that professionals use every day, but what exactly is it, and how can students learn it? In Spring Quarter 2025, Dr. Timothy Elliott seeks to answer these questions in WRD 522 Writing in the Professions. Read on to learn more about what to expect in this graduate level course and see why you should enroll.   Course Goals and Learning Outcomes  WRD 522 Writing in the Professions seeks to define workplace writing while also equipping students with the tools to do it effectively. Instead of just discussing theories, Dr. Elliott will bring in industry professionals

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Course Spotlight — WRD 203 Style for Writers

This Spring Quarter 2025, Dr. Julie Bokser is teaching WRD 203 Style for Writers, a core major class that helps students develop their ability to think and write effectively in a variety of genres. Read on to learn more about what this class entails and see why you should be excited to enroll this Spring Quarter! Course Goals and Learning Outcomes Dr. Bokser’s main goal for the course is to get students to think more deeply about language. By looking at the details of language use, like how sentences are structured, students can expect to learn how to make their

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Course Spotlight — WRD 283: Environmental Writing

Scheduled intentionally in Spring Quarter as changes in the environment become more easily perceptible, WRD 283 Environmental Writing, taught by Dr. Jason Kalin, offers more than just Social, Cultural, Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI) credit. It offers a chance to grow along with nature into new perspectives.  What is Environmental Writing?  In this course, environmental writing is writing about the environment and nature, but with the rhetorical understanding that the environment and nature are not just “out there” – external to or separate from humans. The class tries to teach that we are not separate from our environment. We are nature and

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Course Spotlight – WRD 543: Teaching ESL Writing

*originally published in 2017 *revisions made for accuracy regarding SQ 2025 Students in Dr. Jason Schneider’s WRD 543: Teaching ESL Writing course learned to better understand the theoretical and practical issues connected to writing studies in an increasingly diverse world. WRD 543 is a graduate-level course, open to all MA in WRD students, and is offered every other year. It provides concentration credit for students in DePaul’s Teaching Writing and Language concentration of the MA in WRD and counts for Methods credit for those students pursuing the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate. Structured around readings and

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Course Spotlight – WRD 360 Topics in Rhetoric: Privilege, Discourse, and the Second Amendment

In Spring Quarter 2025, Dr. Michael Gallaway will be teaching WRD 360 Topics in Rhetoric: Privilege, Discourse, and the Second Amendment. This class enters debates on who is allowed to do what, particularly when it comes to enacting citizenship through the right to bear arms. Read on to learn more about what this class entails and hear why you should enroll this Spring Quarter!  Course Goals and Learning Objectives  This course emerged as an extension of the Lived Civics Initiative that DePaul started a few years ago, wherein the University was awarded a grant to examine the ways that people

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Event Recap: National Day of Writing 2024

October 20 marked another National Day of Writing. The Stanford Hume Center of Writing and Speaking calls it “a day to recognize and celebrate writing in all its forms.” On October 21, The WRD department teamed up with The Writing Center to celebrate. Writing Center tutors were set up in Arts and Letters Hall on DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus. Students, faculty, and staff were all welcome to engage with fun prompts, yummy treats, and good conversation. Four prompts were offered for those willing to participate: Check out some of the amazing responses we got! Thank you to all that came out

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Student Spotlight: Andrea Hamler

Andrea Hamler is a soon to be graduate of the MAWRD program with a concentration in Professional and Digital Writing and an addition of the Strategic Writing and Advacement for Nonprofits (SWAN) certification. She completed an independent study looking into a rhetorical analysis of religious discourse communities and their relation to anti-environmental political discourse. She has roots in math and science tutoring, and her strengths include storytelling and understanding contemporary evangelical Christian discourse. We got to talk to Andrea about her experiences during her time at DePaul and what her next steps might look like post grad!  How did you initially find

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Course Spotlight WRD 540: Teaching Writing

WRD 540 Teaching Writing is a great introduction to those interested in teaching writing after they graduate, it’s in the name! This class gives students tools to understand different methodologies for teaching composition and looks at modern theories of rhetoric, reading, and language acquisition. Dr. Erin Workman has been teaching this course for the last few years and here she provides a new perspective on the course that will be offered this Winter Quarter 2025.   Are there any differences since the last spotlight last Fall?   Everything covered in last year’s spotlight is still relevant, including the hybrid modality with weeks

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