A Closer Look: Updates from the WRD Equity Committee

In the aftermath of the 2020 killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade at the hands of the police, a collective cry for action resonated within the Writing, Rhetoric, & Discourse Department. Motivated by a poignant letter written by concerned students and alumni, the WRD department was called upon to actively champion diversity, equity, and inclusion. This compelling call to action culminated in the establishment of the WRD Equity Committee. The Committee’s Goals: Since its inception, the Equity Committee has emerged with a series of goals aimed at transforming the WRD department’s approach to antiracism and inclusivity. Some of

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Updated Course Spotlight – WRD 531: Digital Storytelling

This upcoming Winter Quarter, Professor Lisa Dush will be teaching another iteration of the popular graduate course WRD 531: Digital Storytelling.   In this course, students will analyze current digital storytelling practices, genres, and techniques that organizations use to share information and gain support online; then, students will create their own original digital story collections and projects. This course will engage students in new digital writing processes while applying their rhetorical awareness and creativity. WRD 531 is ideal for students in MAWRD”s Professional and Digital Writing concentration, those pursuing a SWAN certificate, and other graduate students looking to add to their

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Course Spotlight – WRD 242: Writing with AI

With the emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, professional writers worldwide have been wondering how this technology will affect their field. While AI is certainly controversial, prompting strikes from the likes of the Writer’s Guild of America to protect writers’ jobs and petitions signed by thousands advocating to “Pause Giant AI Experiments,” one thing is certain: new technology is notoriously difficult to stop in its tracks. With a pragmatic view of AI’s continuous march, Margaret Poncin, Professional Lecturer in the WRD department, looks to see how writers can adapt to new AI technologies and remain relevant and competitive in

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Course Spotlight – WRD 220: How Language Works

In the upcoming Winter Quarter, Professor Jason Schneider will be teaching WRD 220: How Language Works, which offers an introduction to the study of linguistics. As registration approaches, this course gives students the opportunity to broaden their understanding of language and gain critical knowledge they can apply to their own writing, teaching, and research. Here, Professor Schneider shares more about the upcoming course and its array of topics that students will engage with.  How did you decide to teach this class, and how does it relate to your other teaching and scholarship? JS: In addition to counting for WRD elective

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Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Tim Elliott and the TCEP Tutoring Program

Introduction In the heart of Chicago’s vibrant Little Village, a tutoring program has been making waves by empowering local high school students to become first-generation college students. This impactful initiative is a collaboration between DePaul University and the Telpochcalli Community Education Project (TCEP). For several years, the program has provided invaluable guidance to Latinx high schoolers in Little Village, offering them support on their academic journeys. Today, we shine a spotlight on the driving force behind this program, Dr. Tim Elliott, Assistant Professor in the WRD department, who has played a pivotal role in shaping the tutoring program’s mission and

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WRD 540 Teaching Writing: Updated Course Spotlight

With class enrollment quickly approaching, hear from Dr. Erin Workman on WRD 540: Teaching Writing, the course that she will be teaching this Winter Quarter 24. Here, Dr. Workman offers her insights into this year’s installment of the class and what students can look forward to. We delve into an in-depth exploration of what this course entails, its recent modifications, and the myriad of opportunities it opens up for its students. Course Overview Join our WRD 540 community to learn more about current approaches to teaching writing that center antiracist and antiableist teaching practices. Through engaging with composition studies research

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Introducing MAWRD’s Newest Cohort – Autumn 2023

This quarter, MAWRD welcomes seven new students from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Take a moment to get to know each student in their own words!  Eryk Markiewicz is a first-year student in the MAWRD program. He is currently working at the DePaul Writing Center and also does some work at a bakery near his house. He has lived in Chicago basically his whole life, and he does a lot of writing and music spamming on his Instagram story.   Maya Muschitz is a first-year MAWRD student as well as the Communications Writer/Scholarship & Events Administrator for the DePaul College of

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Event Recap: Pilsen Mural Rhetorical Tour

In May, the Equity Committee and Student Community Committee hosted a walking tour through Pilsen to explore the history and visual rhetoric of the neighborhood’s vibrant murals. The walk was led by DePaul History professor Dr. Juan Mora-Torres, whose research and teaching interests include Latin American history with an emphasis on the history of the border. Professor Mora-Torres is an editor for the non-profit bilingual online monthly magazine “El BeiSmAn” based out of Pilsen as well, and he sits on the committee of DePaul’s Center for Latino Research/Latin American and Latino Studies Program. The tour began outside of the Lozano

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Event Recap: WRD Professionalization Panel

Last quarter, WRD”s Student Community Committee hosted a Professionalization Panel for students to hear from WRD graduates who work as professional writers about their lives post-graduation. As Dr. Michael Gallaway, who facilitated the panel shared, “The goal is to talk about what life is like after you leave DePaul and after you have received your degree from the WRD Department, including what kind of things you might be doing and some of the intricacies of professional writing jobs.”  WRD undergraduate and graduate students joined the panel on Zoom, which included three speakers: one DePaul Career Center staff member and two

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Updates from WRD’s Equity Committee

This year, the WRD Equity Committee is demonstrating more commitment to the students, staff, and faculty of the department. Through events, a public whiteboard, grant-funded research, and additional projects, the committee is facilitating conversations on equity and striving to make the department more inclusive and diverse. Read on to learn about these ongoing projects. The mission of the Equity Committee is to create practices to embrace and sustain DEI initiatives in the department as a way to respond to the wider WRD community’s exigencies. WRD Equity Committee member Dr. Maria Prikhodko Community Whiteboard During each week of the Winter Quarter,

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