Professional Writing

April 26, 2024 Grace Von Lehman

Course Recap – WRD 531: Digital Storytelling

This past Winter Quarter, Dr. Lisa Dush taught MAWRD’s sixth iteration of WRD 531: Digital Storytelling. This course gives students the opportunity to craft short digital personal experience narratives (DPENs) and to learn about how such narratives are circulated for organizational and community-building purposes. Exploring the processes, norms, and ethics of digital storytelling, this course enables students to better conceptualize and execute digital storytelling projects in both personal and professional contexts. I had the opportunity to take WRD 531 this past quarter, and below I share some of the main class components and takeaways articulated by Dr. Dush, MAWRD student

April 9, 2024 Grace Von Lehman

Alumni Spotlight: Kristin Fleming

MAWRD alumna Kristin Fleming (’22) spent her time in WRD strengthening specific writing skills while enjoying a range of courses in rhetoric as well. Today, Kristin works as a Senior Medical Writer, where she is able to combine her interests for technical writing and science. Read on to learn more about Kristin’s time at DePaul, and how MAWRD prepared her for her current and future career moves. Why did you decide to pursue a degree in WRD? I wanted to pursue a degree in writing that strengthened my technical skills while also indulging in my love of theory. I had

February 20, 2024 Grace Von Lehman

Spotlight on WRD’s Minor in Professional Writing

Students in any major at DePaul can enroll in the WRD department’s Minor in Professional Writing, which can be completed in fully online, in-person, and hybrid formats. This minor offers students opportunities to hone their workplace writing skills through real-world writing tasks that emphasize clear communication, strategic efficiency, and authentic collaboration. Read on to explore how a Minor in Professional Writing may be the perfect complement to your degree! Why minor in Professional Writing? With only two required courses and four electives, the Professional Writing Minor allows you the flexibility to cater the coursework to your interests. While it draws on

January 25, 2024 Leo Swearingen

Course Spotlight — WRD 523: Editing

As course registration is soon to open for Spring Quarter 2024, learn more about WRD 523 Editing taught by Dr. Tim Elliott. Here, Dr. Elliott reflects on WRD 523 and what it offers to students who enroll. Course Goals and Learning Outcomes WRD 523 is a class that opens doors. Students will learn how to edit all different kinds of writing, from resumes and cover letters to documentation from a local partner organization. In class we’ll learn an array of concepts and strategies, like rhetorical grammar, technical writing principles, style guides, and more. But the lessons students will learn in

January 16, 2024 Grace Von Lehman

Student Spotlight: Christian Woodley

For students and faculty at all levels, conferences offer the opportunity to present scholarship, learn about others’ work, and connect with fellow scholars. Recently, MAWRD student Christian Woodley presented original work at the National Communication Association Annual Convention held in Washington, D.C. His research, which he presented as part of a panel on business communication, focused on the various ways online meetings impact interpersonal dynamics. Beyond his presentation, Christian connected with scholars, explored the city, and gained perspective on academic conferences more broadly. Read on to hear more about Christian’s experience and his advice to students considering similar opportunities! Grace

October 19, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

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

May 5, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Course Recap – WRD 309: Persuasion in the Age of TikTok

Last year, we chatted with Professor Margaret Poncin Reeves about her upcoming course WRD 309: Persuasion in the Age of TikTok. Now that the course has ended, we wanted to share a recap from students’ perspectives as well. Here two students, education major NIna Odishoo and WRD major Miranda Kincer, share their perspective on this fasicnating course. Why did you decide to take this course? Nina: I decided to take this course to fill a requirement, but I did have the choice to pick a few WRD courses. This one in particular intrigued me due to its title, as I find

April 27, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Course Spotlight – WRD 286: Writing with Photographs

This upcoming Autumn Quarter, the WRD Department will be offering another iteration of WRD 286: Writing with Photographs. While the WRD Blog published a post outlining the course when it was taught by Professor Lisa Dush, this additional spotlight looks through the lens of Professor Justin Staley, who will now be teaching the course for the third time. Read on for Professor Staley’s perspective on this exciting class, including how it engages students in essential skills and practices “to understand that world more deeply.” What interests you about teaching Writing with Photographs? JS: Everything. WRD 286 was designed by Professor

April 20, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Course Spotlight – WRD 327: Content Writing

In the WRD Department, Spring Quarter is well underway—meaning that course registration for next quarter has begun! WRD will be offering several new courses at the undergraduate level, including WRD 327: Content Writing taught by Professor Tim Elliott. Here, Professor Elliott discusses his plans for the new course, including how it came about, course projects, and major takeaways. To start on the same page, how do you define “content writing” for your students? In this context, content writing means writing about a particular or specialized subject matter area, and then making that specialized subject matter accessible and engaging. Good content

March 15, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Alumni Perspectives: 2023 CCCC Convention

The 2023 CCCC Convention, themed “Doing Hope in Desperate Times,” took place in Chicago from February 15-18. Attendees joined the conference from around the country – and world – among whom were several WRD students, alumni, and faculty! WRD alumni Maddy Crozier (BA 2018; MA 2020) and Krissy Wilson (MA 2018) both presented original research at this year’s conference. Crozier is currently a third-year PhD student in Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics at The University of Tennessee Knoxville, where she teaches first-year composition courses. Wilson is a Senior Learning Designer at Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies and an adjunct instructor at