Oct 12, 2024  
2013-2014 Academic Catalog 
    
2013-2014 Academic Catalog [Published Catalog]

Rhetoric and Writing Minor


The Rhetoric and Writing Minor introduces and advances the knowledge, understanding and value of rhetoric and writing disciplines at the university. It provides the opportunity for students to study and practice across disciplines of writing, from narrative nonfiction and creative writing, to business and technical writing, to approaches to academic inquiry.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Rhetoric and Writing Minor, students will be able to:

  • Apply concepts and practices in contexts relevant to their emphasis area.
  • Demonstrate an advanced writing style appropriate to this emphasis area.
  • Practice sophisticated ethical and critical reflection, including (but not limited to) analysis of genre and discourse appropriate to this emphasis area
  • Evidence advanced awareness of interdisciplinary issues attached to their emphasis

 

Requirements (15 credits):


Students who opt to minor in Rhetoric and Writing must have completed RHET 2010  with a minimum grade of B-.

To fulfill the 15 credits for the Rhetoric and Writing Minor, students take:

Required course for each emphasis area:

  • Writing in the Creative Genres:   (Writer’s Workshop)
  • Business/Tehnical Writing:   (Business Communication)
  • Academic Writing:   (Effective Rhetoric: Discourse and Power)

Additional Requirements (12 credits total):

  • 6-9 credits in one emphasis area(Creativity Genres, Business and Technical, or writing and Society)
  • 3 credits in a second emphasis area, and
  • 0-3 credits in any area of their choice
     

Rhetoric and Writing Minor courses may be double-counted for:

  • Core Curriculum credit at the secondary level
  • Core Curriculum credit at the capstone level

Rhetoric and Writing Minor courses may NOT be double-counted for:

  • Primary Core requirement in Rhetoric and Composition (3-9 credits)
  • Major/Concentration credit

Students who have already taken any of the writing courses below as electives or Core courses (as described above) may count credits retroactively.

Course list by emphasis area:

 

A. Writing in the Creative Genres


Students who select this area of emphasis will practice and work toward mastery in several creative genres of writing, including the following: narrative nonfiction, autobiography, travel writing, fiction, poetry, playwriting and children’s literature. They will read within and practice the conventions of these genres, consider ethical concerns raised in the genres, develop critical mastery of the creative genres, and produce a substantial capstone project demonstrating significant growth in writing in a chosen creative genre.

Emphasis Outcomes:

  • Master concepts and practices in creative genres through selected reading and writing
  • Develop into conversant critics in the creative genres, reflecting upon both critical and ethical concerns raised through genre analysis and critical reflection
  • Produce substantial capstone writing demonstrating mastery of concepts and practices in one of the creative genres
  • Learn the professional and publication conventions of their selected genre

B. Business/Technical Writing


Students who select this area of emphasis will practice and work toward professional competency in the fields of business, science and technical communications, including the following: business writing, technical writing, proposal writing, and digital rhetoric. They will read within and practice the conventions of these fields of communication, and will reflect upon ethical and critical standards enforced or called into question by these practices.

Emphasis Outcomes:

  • Describe and analyze norms and conventions in writing for specialized audiences in the fields of business and science/engineering
  • Produce effective and advanced business and science/technical communications

 

C. Writing and Society


Students who select this area will focus on the social power of writing: writing as a force in academic disciplines, writing and cognitive studies, and writing for publication in the various disciplines. Students learn how writing drives thought, genres, and the development of disciplines and consider ethical concerns raised through this practice.

Emphasis Outcomes:

  • Learn the role of writing in forming and influencing academic fields of study, the creation of genres, and professional discourses
  • Analyze the relationship between writing and cognition
  • Learn the professional and publication conventions in chosen disciplines of academic writing

 

Selected Topics and Independent Study


(Depending on ‘topic,’ these courses may fit in any of above ‘emphasis’ areas each course may be repeated for credit as long as the content differs each time it is taken.)