Writing Practices
This page houses the course descriptions for the foundational Writing Practices Courses that have helped cultivate my voice and skill in my writing minor at the University of Denver
Introduction to Writing and Research
In addition to continuing to master the goals of WRIT 1122, we learned to: Demonstrate practical knowledge of academic research traditions (for example, text-based/interpretive; measurement-based/empirical; and observational/qualitative) through effectively writing in at least two of those traditions. Demonstrate a practical understanding of appropriate rhetorical choices in writing for specific academic audiences or disciplines and specific popular, civic, or professional audiences, through both analysis and performance. Demonstrate proficiency in finding, evaluating, synthesizing, critiquing, and documenting published sources appropriate to given rhetorical situations.
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To read a sample of my work from this course click here.
Topics in Applied Writing
This course focused on writing within the Creative genre and gave me a tour of writing within the context of different creative texts. This course asked us to critically notice and practice the habits, processes, and conventions of different texts within the creative writing genres. Through this course, we explored different creative forms of non-fiction, and fiction in reading and writing poetry and prose. We also cultivated our works through group workshops that asked us to read and critique our colleague's writings.
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To read a sample of my work from this course click here
WRIT 2000
This course introduced a number of theories of writing, providing an overview of complex issues and research into the state and status of writing and writers. It took up such questions as these: What is writing? Where did it come from? How did it develop – and did it do so the same or different in other cultures? How do writers develop – and what accounts for differences? What are different types of writing, different situations for writing, different tools and practices – and how do these interconnect? What does it mean to study writing? How have major figures theorized writing, and what tensions emerge among their theories? What are relationships among thought, speech, and writing – and among imagine, film/video, and sound? How do such theories change our notions of what texts are and what texts do? We learned how various theorists, historians, and researchers answer these questions and applied that knowledge to our own projects.
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To read a sample of my work from this course click here
Theory, History, Research in Writing
In this class, we explored rhetorical theories from the sophists in ancient Greece to the Romans and Medieval Christians and finally to contemporary postmodern and posthuman theories partially shaped by online culture. We also examined some aspects of non-Western rhetorics such as Chinese, African American, and Latinx rhetoric. In studying each theory, we explored what is still up for debate and examine how these theories still impact rhetorical culture today both online and in the media. For instance, the sophists taught that rhetoric was a tool to win arguments at any cost, often without ethical regard. This led to Plato’s distrust of rhetoric and Aristotle’s fuller theorization of rhetoric. However, rhetoric is still used as a tool to win debates – sometimes at any cost. We asked questions like what can be an effective response to such unethical use of rhetoric in order to counteract it? What do we need to know about rhetoric in order to effectively negotiate our often rhetorically bombastic culture, especially as we move more to a more fully digital culture?
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To read a sample of my work from this course click here
Capstone: Writing Design and Circulation
The primary goal of this capstone course for the Minor in Writing Practices is to create and present a professional electronic/web-based portfolio synthesizing university writing experiences. The portfolio showcases and offers reflective insight into a student’s writings, demonstrating the writer’s ability to navigate diverse rhetorical situations. Students will learn theories and practices for selecting, arranging, and circulating/publishing written work, culminating in a required portfolio that synthesizes their university writing experiences. In addition to practicing principles of editing and design, students will produce a substantive revision of a previous piece of their own writing and compose a theory of writing that synthesizes analyses of their practices with published scholarship and research. The course covers design considerations and strategies and offers studio time for peer and instructor feedback. It culminates with a public showcase.
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To read a sample of my work from this course click here