Read more about the presentation requirement in this 2024 Q&A with Dr. Jason Kalin, and below.
Exit Requirement
All MAWRD students will deliver a presentation during their last quarter in the program. This presentation will incorporate research, analysis, and reflection to critically consider the student’s pathway through the MAWRD program and look ahead to post-graduate plans. It will be presented to an audience of peers and faculty.
Presentation
During your last quarter in the program, you will present a 20-minute multimodal presentation (e.g., visuals, slides, documents, etc.) followed by a 10-minute Q&A session. The audience for your presentation will be WRD students and faculty members. MAWRD students will be strongly encouraged to attend their peers’ presentations in support and as preparation for their own presentations. The presentations will be collected and shared with current MAWRD students and may be made available on the WRD Blog as a resource for future MAWRD students.
The presentation should incorporate research, analysis, and reflection to critically consider your pathway through the MAWRD program and look ahead to your post-graduate plans. It should:
- Reflect on your Goals Statement from WRD 500 Proseminar: How and why have your goals changed or remained the same? Where did you start, where did you end, and what’s next? What did you know, what did you learn, and what’s next?
- Describe and explain 2–3 projects that exemplify your achievement of specific MAWRD learning outcomes. Explain how these projects prepare you for your post-graduation plans.
- Research and report on post-graduate plans: If you would like to teach writing and/or language, to work for a corporate or nonprofit organization, to work as a freelance writer, or to apply to Ph.D. programs, research in depth the position(s), setting(s), or program(s) you would prefer. Identify how your choices in the MAWRD program have prepared you for this work. Explain how your rhetorical and writing skills might transfer. Examine what you might need to do or learn to strengthen your progress toward this goal.
- As part of your research, you might identify specific job opportunities and descriptions. Analyze how your rhetorical and writing skills transfer to the responsibilities and skills of these positions.
- As part of your research, you might request an informational interview with an employee, Ph.D., or MAWRD alumni. Consider how the information learned applies to your post-graduation plans.
- Articulate a professional and/or academic identity.
Timeline
By week 5 in the quarter prior to graduating, schedule a meeting with your advisor to discuss your plans for your presentation.
A complete draft of your presentation is due at the beginning of Week 2 of your final quarter. The draft will inform an advising conversation with your advisor. The advisor will approve your presentation at this time or will ask for revisions. The revision must be completed by the end of Week 6.
The presentation(s) of all students who are completing this exit requirement will be scheduled for the same event and time between Weeks 8 and 10.