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21:355:301
Foundations: Usage, Voice, and Style (3)
In this course, students will learn and review the principles that underlie voice and style. They will develop a critical understanding of the connotations and implications of language usage, with emphasis placed on choices of diction, syntax, grammar, and rhetoric. They will also consider how these choices shape meaning and perception. Students will gain both facility with and agency through language and will develop control of voice and style through classical rhetorical practices of imitation and invention. In this course, students will study their own, their peers', and published writers' works. The class will call for extensive experimentation in exploring the writing strategies and stylistic choices appropriate to different rhetorical and conventional contexts.
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102.
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21:355:306
Advanced Exposition (3)
This upper-level writing course offers instruction in planning, revising, editing, and documenting lucid and persuasive preprofessional and professional articles, reports, and research papers.
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102.
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21:355:331
Writing and the Blogosphere (3)
The term "blogging" is contemporary, but bloggers have been around for centuries. In This Craft of Verse, Jorge Luis Borges, who did not live long enough to know about the internet, writes about an early blogger: a nameless Saxon who wrote his observations about the weather on the Northumberland shore. This unknown Saxon was not a famous poet or a published author. He was someone who wanted to write about the weather; he had no idea that someone in Argentina centuries later would be quoting him, or that his observations mattered. Today, thousands of bloggers record and publish their gripes, observations, and adulations about the weather, the arts, politics, and their personal lives. They might not be aware of it, but they are voices of our times. In this course, we will examine the craft, history, and social implications of blogging.
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102.
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21:355:340
The Art of Persuasion (3)
In this course, students will learn how to analyze, critique, and respond to written argument. They will learn theoretical models of interaction and apply them to oral and written texts, examining biases, modes of communication, and rhetorical manipulation. Students will learn how to use style, tone, and content in making effective and persuasive written arguments and in anticipating responses and understanding audiences.
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102.
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21:355:402
Review Writing: Book, Film, Theater, Music, Dance, and Art (3)
A review of a book, movie, play, concert, or exhibit is quite different from an academic paper. In this class, students will learn the art of writing compelling critiques. Students will develop their ability to interpret and critically assess multimodal forms of expression. We will read and discuss published interviews and critically evaluate what makes them effective and intelligent ... or not. By reading reviews in all genres, we will analyze how authors write critiques as well as how they evaluate the works of others. Students will write their own reviews of literature, film, art, and performance, and will critique reviews in a workshop format.
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102.
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21:355:421
Speaking and Writing: Presenting Your Work (3)
This course is designed to improve oral and written communication in the academic and professional worlds. The course will cover the fundamentals of writing effective speeches, with students critically assessing written and performed speeches and analyzing how oratory differs from writing composed for a readership rather than a listening audience. Students will also learn to construct persuasive, organized, well-supported, and engaging speeches of their own as they gain an understanding of speech writing as a rhetorical form. Building on their analyses of famous speeches as well as of their own and their peers' written and performed speeches, students will hone their written and oral communication.
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102.
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21:355:422
Advanced Research Writing (3)
In this course, students will learn the principles that underlie effective academic research. Emphasis is placed on understanding methods of attribution, dynamics of authority in scholarly research, and the impact of rhetorical context on research practices. Students will develop their critical thinking, reading, and writing skills, as they conduct research based on questions of their design. They will learn to critically evaluate, synthesize, and integrate their findings and to situate their work in a broader scholarly conversation. The course will require mini-research assignment as well as a final project.
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102.
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21:355:431
Writing in the Professions: Social Sciences (3)
This course is designed for students interested in pursuing advanced work in the social sciences, including, but not limited to, psychology, social work, and public administration. Students will develop their critical thinking and analytical skills as they learn to identify, evaluate, and synthesize sources in writing papers on topics specific to the social sciences. Students will engage research and texts produced by professionals within social science fields to hone their critical skills and to develop their knowledge of current theories and practices. Guest lecturers will provide students with an understanding of the various genres and audiences within this field, and through their own work, students will learn how to negotiate the conventions of this discourse community. Students will be required to complete short writing projects as well as two research papers based on topics that are relevant within the current contexts of their chosen fields.
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102.
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21:355:432
Writing in the Professions: Medicine (3)
This course is designed for students pursuing careers in medicine. Students will develop their critical thinking and analytical skills as they learn to identify, evaluate, and synthesize sources in writing papers on topics specific to the health professions. Through their work, students will develop an understanding of the various genres and audiences within this field and learn how to negotiate the conventions of this discourse community. Students will consider the implications of the constraints within which they write as well as the broader social ramifications of medical writing. In this course, students will also develop their critical reading and verbal reasoning skills in preparation for the verbal and written portions of the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102.
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21:355:433
Writing in the Professions: Law (3)
This course develops the critical reading and writing skills required of individuals in the legal profession. Students will hone their skills of
critical analysis, textual synthesis, and clear, efficient written communication. They will consider issues of audience, purpose, and conventions as they learn to effectively research and compose for various legal writing genres, including briefs, arguments based on case law, and memorandums. Students will also critically assess legal documents as they consider the context, ethics, and implications of the processes and products of this profession.
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102.
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21:355:440
Internship (3)
The writing internship will enable students to work at a writing-based job with a newspaper, magazine, publishing house, literary journal, educational or cultural institution, nonprofit organization, or business. The objective of the internship is to integrate classroom theory and practice with work experience, thus lending relevancy to learning and providing students with realistic exposure to career opportunities in writing. The internship will help students develop professional skills combined with an academic experience aimed at cultivating their attributes as writers and rhetoricians. The writing internship is designed to hone students' interpersonal and professional communication skills, while giving them a glimpse into how writers and editors work in the business, nonprofit, and academic worlds.
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102.
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21:355:498, 499
Independent Study in Writing (3)
Designed for the writing minor who desires to undertake extensive writing in a particular area, this course calls for exploration of a theme, genre, or rhetorical device through planned readings and discussions with a faculty member in the writing program.
Prerequisites: 21:355:101 and 102. Requires 2.5 GPA or higher in writing minor and permission of program director and instructor.
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