English-Academic, Professional, & Creative Writing

A chronological survey of the persuasive communication and writing strategies Black women have used towards the project of empowerment and activism in speeches, essays, poetry, drama, and novels.

Political propaganda often persuades through conspiracy theories that create suspicion and fear. This course examines the rhetorical strategies of conspiracy-driven propaganda from the 20th and 21st centuries. By examining the arguments, evidence, images, myths, and tropes that animate propaganda and conspiracy theories, we will identify how they are circulated to inflame our emotions, exploit our prejudices, and bias our decision-making.

An introduction to critical frameworks and methods for exploring how rhetorics construct, preserve, and augment social understandings of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, class and more. Areas of focus may include: cultural practices of writing, digital rhetorics, performance, popular culture, material rhetorics, visual rhetorics, race and ethnicity. Specific themes and topics may vary.

Students in Making Books (ENWR 3810) will gain a broad view of book editing and publishing in the 21st century, as well as hands-on experience with developmental, substantive, and copy editing. Appropriate for aspiring publishing professionals, but also for anyone who simply wants to better understand the often-hidden lives of books-in-progress, or to take their writing skills to a new level. 

Develops proficiency in a range of stylistic and persuasive effects. The course is designed for students who want to hone their writing skills, as well as for students preparing for careers in which they will write documents for public circulation. Students explore recent research in writing studies. In the workshop-based studio sessions, students propose, write, and edit projects of their own design.