Writing

This course is designed to help students develop their skills in humor and comedy writing. Although the focus is on prose intended for readers, students will also have the opportunity to write commonly performed pieces that also apply when read (such as podcast scripts and short plays). Similar to the creative process used in writing longer prose, students will also brainstorm and refine very short forms of humor that sometimes stand alone in popular culture, such as jokes and wordplay associated with standup comedy, bumper stickers, and t-shirts.

A creative-writing course in which students learn techniques for turning autobiographical experiences into nonfiction stories. Students read published works (memoir, essay) to explore the craft of creative nonfiction. Student writing will be critiqued regularly in the class workshop.

An introduction to rhetorical methods for analyzing such “texts” as speeches, editorials, advertisements, sports writing, movie reviews, and talk radio programs. Students will learn to identify patterns in everyday discourse and to recognize and explain the persuasive powers these forms exert over audiences. The course develops students as critical observers and consumers of everyday discourse.

In this course focused on web design and analysis, students create persuasive arguments in the digital humanities and submit their projects to peer-reviewed magazines and journals. Students gain a basic understanding of web languages (i.e., HTML and CSS) and rhetorical theory for analyzing websites. Readings will focus on constructing digital arguments using the principles of digital rhetorical theory. In completing the course, students will be able to make a website from scratch, manipulate web templates, add interactive elements to a site, and communicate effectively with web designers about design.