Professional Writing – Page 7

March 17, 2015 Admin

MA in WRD Course Profile: Writing in the Professions

In a job market where most job descriptions contain the phrase “strong writing skills,” what does it mean to be a good professional writer? This spring’s MA in WRD course, WRD 522: Writing in the Professions, will explore a variety of professional genres while also problematizing the concept of professional writing. The class is the first-ever online course offered by the MA in WRD program. Instead of weekly class sessions on campus, the course will include weekly writing deadlines, Google Hangouts and discussion forums to discuss readings, and online peer review.

March 12, 2015 depaulwrd

WRD Professor Sarah Read Receives CCCC Research Grant

This quarter, WRD Professor Sarah Read was granted a competitive Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Research Initiative grant. Beginning in March, Read along with her colleague Michael Michaud at Rhode Island College, will begin a national survey research project called “Surveying the Status of the Multi-major Professional Writing Course in U.S. Institutions of Higher Education.” As the title of the project suggests, the main goal of this research project is to gather vital data about introductory professional writing courses taught at colleges and universities across the country.

November 14, 2014 Admin

Intern Beat: Russell Wojcik, BA in WRD

We recently spoke with Russell Wojcik, a 2014 BA in WRD graduate who participated in two internships during his time at DePaul. He worked as an editorial intern at Wagstaff Worldwide PR and as a blog writer for Newman Realty, receiving academic credit for both through his enrollment in WRD 398, part of WRD’s professional internship program. Since graduation, Russell has relocated to Phoenix and now works for an online travel company as a Content Strategist and PR Coordinator, a position that he says uses many of the skills he developed and honed as an intern.

June 3, 2014 depaulwrd

WoRDing It Your Way with Kimberly Coon

This month, we interviewed Kimberly Coon, a 2012 grad of the MA in WRD program. Kim used her experiences in WRD to land an exciting job in the non-profit sector. What was your academic and professional background prior to entering WRD? What I focused on once I was in the WRD program was a really natural extension of what I’d spent the five or so years prior to WRD doing, which was finding ways to tell the stories non-profits are creating through their cause-based work.

January 28, 2014 depaulwrd

Good Things from Chicago Public Schools, The Worst in Professional Writing, and Obama’s Rhetoric of Education

This week’s roundup of articles collectively considers the question ‘How can we do well in writing, rhetoric, and discourse?’ The New York Times article shares a tutoring success story in Chicago, while Stephen Lurie’s piece in The Atlantic argues that Obama’s vision of education reform has proven to be empty rhetoric thus far. Each piece asks its readers to consider the efficacy of words, rhetoric, and discourse. On a lighter note, we found a list of the worst examples of professional writing in 2013 — read at your own risk!

February 26, 2013 depaulwrd

Alumni Spotlight: Aaron Samardzich

Aaron Samardzich graduated from DePaul in 2010 with a BA in English and minors in Interactive Media and Professional Writing. WRD’s Professional Writing minor allows students in any major to take courses in writing, editing, style, rhetoric, and more to prepare for writing in a range of professional settings. In May 2012, Aaron also earned an MS in Technical Communication and Information Design from Illinois Institute of Technology. Since June 2009, Aaron has been working as a technical writing contractor for Thomson Reuters in Chicago.

February 20, 2013 depaulwrd

MAWRD Student Shares Her Internship Experience

As MAWRD student Kristen Geil enters the homestretch of the masters program, she reflects on the internships she completed and leaves WRD students with some good advice. Q: What is your major/concentration? A: MA in Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse with a concentration in Professional/Technical Writing. Q: When did you complete your internship? A: I’ve completed two internships: one during the Spring Quarter of my first year and a second during the summer between my first and second years of grad school.

February 4, 2013 depaulwrd

Alumni Spotlight: Badriyyah Al-Islam

Badriyyah Al-Islam (MAWRD 2011) currently works as an independent writer with a focus on servicing small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Chicago. After investigating local businesses in the area, she quickly learned that many sole proprietors, partnerships, and nonprofit agencies have neither the means to hire nor the initiative to search for a full-time staff writer who can serve their business needs. As an independent writer, she works with such organizations on a range of professional writing projects.