Program Overview

Overview

The Bachelor of Arts in Writing and Rhetoric focuses on the development and expression of ideas in writing, which is the foundation of the liberal arts and contemporary democratic culture. The program explores theories of language, rhetoric, and discourse, preparing students for careers grounded in written communication.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• Describe concepts, theories, and historical periods related to writing, rhetoric, and literacies.
• Produce clear, cohesive, and precise prose.
• Compose audience-centered texts in a variety of public and professional genres.
• Design persuasive multimodal texts.
• Assess the ethical, cultural, or political dimensions of rhetoric, language, or writing technologies.

College Core Requirements

The student's course of study in the College consists of three parts: Liberal Studies, the major field, and electives. Together, these parts contribute to the liberal education of the student.

Study in the Major Field

The major field program is built upon a set of core courses and a specialized concentration. The number of courses required for a major varies by department.

Declaration of Major, Minor, and Concentration

All students in the College are required to declare a major field prior to beginning their junior year.

The Modern Language Requirement (MLR)

All students will be required to demonstrate competence in a modern language equivalent to the proficiency attained from one year of college-level language study.

Liberal Studies Requirements

• 84 quarter hours of Liberal Studies Requirements are needed.
• The requirements include:
  • Chicago Quarter
  • Focal Point
  • Writing
  • Quantitative Reasoning
  • Race, Power, and Resistance
  • Experiential Learning
  • Capstone

Learning Domains

The Liberal Studies program is divided into several learning domains, including:

• Arts and Literature (AL)
• Historical Inquiry (HI)
• Math and Computing (MC)
• Philosophical Inquiry (PI)
• Religious Dimensions (RD)
• Scientific Inquiry (SI)
• Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)

Major Requirements

• 56 quarter hours distributed as follows:
  • Core (4 courses)
  • WRD Elective Categories (2 courses, one from each category)
  • Major Field Electives (8 courses)

Core

The core courses include:

• WRD 201: Digital Writing
• WRD 203: Style for Writers
• WRD 210: Cultural Rhetorics
• WRD 264: Language, Self, and Society

WRD Elective Categories

Two elective categories are available:

• Writing in Communities and Professions
• Rhetorical History, Theory, and Analysis

Writing in Communities and Professions

Select one course from the following:

• WRD 204: Technical Writing
• WRD 205: History of Literacies and Writing
• WRD 206: Professional Writing
• WRD 240: Argumentative Writing
• WRD 241: The Essay from Print to New Media
• WRD 242: Writing with AI
• WRD 280: Writing in the Sciences
• WRD 282: Ethics of Public and Professional Writing
• WRD 283: Environmental Writing
• WRD 284: Sports Writing in America: Myths, Memories, Heroes, and Villains
• WRD 286: Writing with Photographs
• WRD 300: Composition and Style
• WRD 301: Workplace Writing: Theory and Practice
• WRD 309: Topics in Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse
• WRD 320: Topics in Professional Writing
• WRD 321: Writing in the Legal Profession
• WRD 322: Writing and Metadata
• WRD 323: Editing
• WRD 324: Writing for Public Health and Health Care
• WRD 325: Rhetoric in Crisis Contexts
• WRD 326: Grant and Proposal Writing
• WRD 327: Content Writing
• WRD 340: Writing and Revising
• WRD 371: Mentoring Youth in Community Writing Groups
• WRD 372: Digital Storytelling
• WRD 376: Fieldwork in Arts Writing
• WRD 377: Writing and Social Engagement
• WRD 395: Writing Center Theory & Pedagogy

Rhetorical History, Theory, and Analysis

Select one course from the following:

• WRD 209: Genre and Discourse
• WRD 220: How Language Works
• WRD 231: Googling God: Religious Practices in Digital Culture
• WRD 232: The Language of Disability
• WRD 260: Rhetorical Analysis
• WRD 261: Digital Culture
• WRD 262: The Rhetoric of Everyday Texts
• WRD 263: Reading Between the Grooves: The Rhetorical Power of Popular Music
• WRD 265: Social Movement, Social Media, and American Identities
• WRD 266: Leveling Up: The Social Rhetoric of Video Games
• WRD 281: Writing Censorship
• WRD 285: Truth in Disguise: The Rhetoric of Satire
• WRD 287: The Comic Book as Visual Argument
• WRD 288: Rhetoric and Popular Culture
• WRD 289: Writing About Rights
• WRD 306: Rhetorical Traditions
• WRD 360: Topics in Rhetoric
• WRD 361: Topics in Alternative Rhetorics
• WRD 362: Semiotics
• WRD 363: Visual Rhetoric
• WRD 364: Chicago Women Rhetors
• WRD 365: Migration & Storytelling
• WRD 368: Global Englishes
• WRD 378: Teaching English as a Second Language in Chicago
• WRD 390: Rhetoric and Public Writing

Experiential Learning (EL) Requirement

All Writing and Rhetoric majors are required to take one EL-designated course within the major.

Open Electives

Open elective credit is also required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours.