Overview of Major
The Professional Writing major offers a focused but flexible curriculum designed to provide depth and breadth of study. The major requires 36 hours of coursework:
- Five core courses (15 hours)
- Five track courses, one of which is required (15 hours)
- Two elective courses in any 200-level or above course in the English Department (6 hours). (Note: A course may not “double-dip” as both a track-elective and an open-elective.)
The core courses serve to develop both foundational and advanced skills and knowledge needed by all PW majors. The different tracks enable students to focus on a particular area tailored to their interests and their chosen career paths.
The five tracks are:
- Digital and Technical Communication
- Editing in Professional Contexts
- Intercultural Rhetoric and Writing
- Public Rhetoric and Writing
- Self-Designed
Students in the Professional Writing major learn to write for print and digital contexts, and how to work in a variety of collaborative, project-based environments. All tracks incorporate options for courses that include community-based projects where students write and edit for real-world clients, such as creating a website for a local township, producing a web and print guide for a museum, and editing e-books for a publishing press. In addition, all tracks include the option of enrolling in ENG 340 Internship, so students may earn academic credit for an internship experience.
See the current bulletin for the full course listing in the major.
Overview of Minor
The minor is called a minor in Rhetoric and Writing and involves 18 credit hours, 1 required course and 5 electives of your choosing. This enables you to tailor the minor to your professional and academic interests and to pair the minor well with other majors.
See the current bulletin for the full course listing in the minor.
Descriptions of Core Courses in the Major
The five core courses provide opportunities for students to hone in the skills that are intrinsic to all professional writers’ success.
ENG 171 – Humanities and Technology Students analyze how the ubiquitous use of digital technologies impacts professional communications and professional communicators.
ENG 223 – Rhetorical Strategies for Writers Students learn foundational theories and strategies of rhetoric, the art of effective communication.
ENG/IMS 224 – Digital Writing and Rhetoric Students move from analysis to production, creating multi-mediated compositions for networked circulation, while learning basic design principles. Here is a short video of professors and students talking about this course.
ENG/IMS 411 – Visual Rhetoric Students create both print and digital publications, which forces them to engage with advanced design principles.
ENG 415 or ENG495R – Senior students select one of the two capstone courses: ENG 415 Capstone in Professional Writing, which includes a client-based project or ENG 495R Capstone in Rhetoric and Writing, which focuses more on rhetorical analysis and academic or public writing.
Descriptions of Tracks
Digital and Technical Communication
The Digital and Technical Communication track prepares students to write, conduct usability research, and engage with user-centered design in digital and technical contexts. Students have the opportunity to work in state-of-the-art computer classrooms (PC and Mac) equipped with high-end software for digital and print design, Web publication, image and audio editing, animation, and online development of help systems and portfolios.
Editing in Professional Contexts
Courses in the Editing in Professional Contexts track prepare students to edit and publish digital and print texts by working within a variety of editing processes. Students will engage with community and client-based projects, which allow them to gain experience writing, editing, and publishing content for real-world clients.
Intercultural Rhetoric and Writing
The Intercultural Rhetoric and Writing track provides students with theory and knowledge-making practices to navigate diverse cultures and audiences. Students will learn how to write in intercultural situations while building upon diversity and inclusivity. The flexibility in choosing the different courses from multiple programs helps students develop theoretical insight to prepare them with global understandings for both academic and workplace environments.
Public Writing and Rhetoric
The Public Writing and Rhetoric track focuses more extensively on writing for educational, community, and government organizations that serve the public good. Courses focus on grant writing, social justice and social action writing, and writing in and for the media. This is often the track chosen by majors who seek to enter legal, academic, or government fields.
Self-designed
The self-designed track allows students to design their own track in consultation with an academic advisor and with administration approval. The track must have a coherent and clearly identified theme in professional writing, and must include at least three courses at the 300 level or above from the list of courses in the other tracks.