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Learn how words, media, and persuasion shape the world—and how to use them strategically across digital, public, and professional spaces.

In this course, students will learn how to apply principles of rhetoric to write and communicate effectively across a range of contexts, genres, and modalities. They will engage with rhetoric not only as the classical art of persuasion but also as a tool to shape ideas, construct identities, and craft responses to complex situations. The course will cover both classic and contemporary theories of rhetoric, including cultural, feminist, and digital approaches. Course projects will invite students to innovate and adapt their communication strategies, utilizing advanced writing and multimedia design tools, including generative AI, to engage with diverse communities.

Practice the writing and communication skills professionals use to lead projects, pitch ideas, and navigate the modern workplace.

In Advanced Professional Communication, students will explore complex rhetorical situations that may arise in the workplace and beyond. Writing in this field requires an understanding of formal written communication styles, research, and the use of generative writing technology in professional settings. Students will practice writing in formats and genres that may include, but are not limited to, job search materials, project proposals, informal and formal reports, and professional presentations.

Write critically about culture, art, and media for both academic and public audiences.

In the Arts & Humanities disciplines, students develop a nuanced understanding of complex cultural and artistic practices. Writing in these fields requires the ability to convey sophisticated critical and analytical judgments effectively through both print and digital forms of communication. In this course, students will practice writing in formats and genres common to professions in the humanities fields, including criticism, reviews, museum/exhibition catalogs, and web blogs/social media.  

Explore how writing helps us understand people, communities, culture, and social change through compelling research and storytelling.

In the People and Society disciplines, students develop a nuanced understanding of societal structures and social change, using sociological and anthropological frameworks to examine human behavior, social patterns, and cultural dynamics. Writing in these fields requires sophisticated engagement with various texts, critical analysis, and reflective dialogue. In this course, students will practice writing in social science formats and genres, such as narrative reports, ethnographies, comparative case studies, and historical analyses. They will express their ideas in both traditional print and digital forms of communication.

Communicate complex scientific and technical ideas clearly to both expert and public audiences.

In the STEM disciplines, students develop a nuanced understanding of complex natural and man-made phenomena. Writing in these fields requires being able to communicate clearly with both specialist and non-specialist audiences. STEM writing demands a sophisticated engagement with data, original research findings, and existing scholarly literature. In this course, students will learn to convey scientific knowledge through both traditional print and digital forms of communication. Students will also practice writing in formats and genres common to the science and engineering fields, including proposals, literature reviews, and presentations.

Discover how to write effectively for AI systems while critically examining how those systems shape communication and society.

In this course, you will develop foundational skills for communicating with artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The course treats prompting as a writing strategy that requires significant rhetorical skill and engagement. You will practice using plain language, designing and revising prompts as intentional rhetorical choices, and experimenting with meta-prompting to build simple tools using natural language. You will also learn to critically evaluate AI output—from language usage to the artifacts it develops. Anchored to scholarship in Computers and Writing, the course asks you to consider the following questions: How are AI systems constructed? Who is included and excluded in the making of the systems? What assumptions do the systems encode about users and usage? And what does it mean to write clearly when your reader is a machine? No technical background is required to take this course.

Dive into emerging issues, advanced rhetorical theories, and specialized writing practices shaped by today’s communication challenges.

This course explores advanced rhetorical theory, focusing on how rhetorical strategies shape communication across various professional and academic writing genres. Emphasis is placed on understanding and applying rhetorical concepts such as audience, purpose, and persuasion in different writing forms. Students will critically analyze the rhetorical moves within these genres, study real-world examples, and produce writing that demonstrates their ability to adapt rhetorical strategies to specific contexts and audiences. May be repeated if topics are different.

Create multimedia projects using AI tools while exploring the future of digital communication, ethics, and professional writing.

This course provides students with a hands-on foundation for using AI tools to compose digital and professional writing. In the course, students will explore the intersection of AI and digital writing, focusing on the ethical, cultural, and practical implications of AI-driven writing practice. The course exclusively emphasizes multimedia projects, integrating diverse modes of engagement (e.g., visual, audio, interactive) to address a variety of topics relevant to their majors and/or their fields of study. 

Learn how lawyers craft persuasive arguments through briefs, memoranda, and legal analysis.

This course will introduce students to foundational skills in legal writing and rhetoric. Students will analyze judicial opinions and court briefs in order to craft persuasive legal documents and to develop an understanding of legal communication. Through the writing assignments, including memoranda and briefs, students will develop rhetorically-sound approaches to communicating about legal issues. They will also learn how legal writing translates into oral arguments. 

Use writing to advocate for communities, address public issues, and create meaningful social impact.

In this course, students will examine how civic engagement can foster critical dialogue and drive social engagement through writing. They will develop skills to use writing as a powerful tool for community collaboration and advocacy. Students will analyze real-world issues while focusing on elevating community voices. They will critically engage with writing as a tool for positive personal and community transformation.

Develop advanced research, synthesis, and academic writing skills while producing an original research project.

This course will guide students through the research and writing processes necessary to produce a well-crafted academic research paper. By engaging in independent research, students will learn to select appropriate topics, formulate research questions, and conduct research using both traditional library resources and digital tools. Emphasis will be placed on critically evaluating and synthesizing sources, practicing ethical methodology, engaging in the recursive writing process, understanding disciplinary conventions, and developing effective multimodal presentations of their findings. 

Design compelling content for interactive and digital experiences using principles of rhetoric, UX, and AI-assisted workflows.

Interactive media communicates in non-linear and user-dependent ways and requires writers to learn how to structure content for a variety of screen-based and off-screen experiences with media. In this course, students will practice methods of non-linear writing and design work, utilizing a rhetorical approach to creating documentation and developing accessible and repeatable writing processes. Additionally, students will learn to work on high impact approaches to working with generative artificial intelligence as part of their writing workflow. Students who take the course should have a working understanding of interactive media and principles of user experience.  

Explore how communication drives innovation, collaboration, leadership, and organizational change.

This class will explore writing as foundational to facilitating and leading innovation activities with civic and professional organizations. We will emphasize team dynamics and how these interplay with innovation activities. We will also discuss the rhetorical nature of writing and leadership through creative thinking and community organizing work. 

Learn to design inclusive, accessible, and ethically responsible communication for diverse audiences and emerging technologies.

This course explores how writing shapes inclusive futures through accessibility and universal design principles. Students will learn to create multimodal content that meets accessibility standards, analyze ethical and cultural dimensions of design, and apply writing strategies to emerging technologies. 

Analyze and create vlog content while exploring the rhetoric, creativity, and business of digital influence.

Video blogging, or vlogging, is a multibillion-dollar industry where everyday people turn their everyday lives into public, profitable, and persuasive content. In this course, you will learn the rhetorical strategies of vlogging not only through analysis but through the first-hand making (planning, filming, editing, producing) of vlogs. In addition to exploring vlogs as rhetorical artifacts, you will also engage with the entrepreneurial dimensions of vlogging to better understand the profession of the social media influencer/content creator. Please note that this course does not require you to publicly share any content online. 

Learn how to secure funding by crafting persuasive grant proposals for academic, nonprofit, and professional settings.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to grant writing, equipping students with the foundational skills necessary for securing funding in both academic and professional contexts. Through engagement with discipline-specific research interests, students will learn to identify and evaluate funding opportunities, analyze calls for proposals, and critically examine successful grant applications. Emphasizing rhetorical strategies, audience awareness, and structural conventions, the course guides students in drafting key components of grant proposals. Instruction will integrate theoretical discussions, guest lectures, writing workshops, and hands-on experimentation with AI tools to enhance the writing process. By combining academic inquiry with practical application, this course offers a rigorous exploration of grant writing as a strategic and persuasive practice. 

Build advanced appellate and judicial writing skills through sophisticated legal arguments and opinion writing.

This course will build on the legal writing skills gained in WRS 331 by focusing on advanced rhetorical techniques in legal writing at the appellate and judicial level. Students will draft arguments for issues on appeal on behalf of a mock “client” as well as a judicial opinion to resolve a legal issue. 

Explore how language, culture, identity, and rhetoric shape communication across global and multilingual contexts.

This course explores writing across linguistic, cultural, and geopolitical borders. In the field of rhetoric and composition, there have been numerous turns towards plurilingual, diverse approaches. Even in professional and workplace settings, diverse rhetorical strategies can become an asset in developing critical thinking and analytical flexibility, particularly in collaborative work and cross-cultural professional communities. This course will introduce students to diverse rhetorical voices, practices, and frames including translingualism, ethnic rhetorics, linguistic justice, critical language awareness, and more. Through these lenses, we will explore the critical power of words enmeshed in histories, experiences, and cultures of people. Students produce a range of written and multimodal compositions that engage linguistic diversity and rhetorical awareness across contexts, and in various settings, including education, personal and family literacy, public and professional sphere, and global contexts.