Event Recap: WRD Internship Information Session, Winter 2024

On February 14, the WRD Department’s Student Community Committee hosted an internship information session to help students navigate finding, funding, and making the most of internship experiences.  Current undergraduate student Miranda Kincer, MAWRD alumna Natalie Toth, and Professor Lisa Dush shared about their own experiences being, hiring, and advising interns (respectively).  Each offered advice for current WRD students looking to incorporate internship experience in their academic journeys.  The Panelists Miranda Kincer, BA ‘24, is a Research Assistant Intern at the Chicago History Museum, where she is working with a curatorial team to write, format, and present a special exhibit on

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Course Spotlight — WRD 281: Writing Censorship

From book burning to academic regulation, censorship is a historic phenomenon with modern reverberations. With controversy around censorship and freedom of speech on DePaul’s own campus in 2016 following the protest of a conservative speaker, it is pertinent to consider our own place in the conversation of regulated expression. This upcoming Spring Quarter, online asynchronous WRD 281 Writing Censorship aims to prompt and answer important questions about how censorship functions.  Read on to hear from WRD 281’s own Professor Erin MacKenna-Sandhir and learn more about what WRD 281 Writing Censorship will entail. 1. What are your goals for the course

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Course Spotlight — WRD 288: Rhetoric and Popular Culture

At the intersection of The Avengers and Aristotle, WRD 288 Rhetoric & Popular Culture emerges to explore how pop culture shapes and is shaped by the art of persuasion. Taught this Spring Quarter by Professor Justin Staley, this course is your ticket to entertainment and enlightenment in one. Read on to hear from Professor Staley and learn more about what the course entails. Are there any artifacts or events in pop culture the class will be taking a look at?  What’s fun about this class is the wide range of artifacts and events we examine, or that students can examine

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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 from the rhetorical perspective that the environment and nature are not just something “out there” or external to humans. The class tries to impart the perspective that we are not separate from our environment. Rather, we are nature

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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 287 The Comic Book As Visual Argument

There has long been an argument about whether or not graphic novels or comic books should be considered literature. Regardless of which side of the argument you may be on, it is a fascinating conversation to be sure. Professor Alan Ackmann is taking on an adjacent discourse in the upcoming course WRD 287 – The Comic Book as Visual Argument. This class will dig into the rhetorical nature of comics and explore the ways in which they add to conversations. Read on to learn more about this class and, perhaps, even get some reading recommendations if you cannot take this

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Research Opportunities for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

One of the best parts about pursuing a degree is finding scholarly tracks you’re passionate about. Sometimes that passion swells beyond the scope of a class or project and you want to take your research to the next level. Whether you’re an undergraduate or graduate student, oftentimes there are ways to pursue that research in a meaningful, productive way.  Whether you take your project to a fellowship or find funding to do more research on your own, there is a myriad of opportunities to take advantage of while you’re still in school. This article doesn’t talk about every single option

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