Citation

Citation is crucial to establishing authority in speech and writing--especially when the target audience is well educated and likely to engage in critical literacy practices. Learn when to cite, how to cite, and which citation style to use so your texts and arguments will be clear and persuasive--and avoid plagiarism and academic dishonesty.      

Collaboration

Review theory and research on collaboration.  Learn about the core competencies associated with collaboration in home, school, workplace, and public contexts.

Design

Design refers to much more than how something looks or works. Design is a powerful tool of communication that empowers writers, graphic designers, and product developers to reach their target audience at the visual level.  

Discourse

Discourse is an umbrella term: discourse may refer to something as concrete as a bit of text (such as a sentence, paragraph, or modes of discourse) or something as abstract as the ways culture and human behavior are shaped and defined by language, debate, and dialog. This article provides a summary of research and theory on definitions of discourse.

Editing

Editing, one of the final steps in the writing process, refers to the process of rereading a text word-by-word, sentence-by-sentence, in order to identify and eliminate errors and problems with the writing style. Editing is crucial to establishing a professional tone in school and workplace contexts. Learn how to edit documents so they meet the needs and expectations of your readers.    

Genre

Genre may reference a type of writing, art, or musical composition; socially-agreed upon expectations about how writers and speakers should respond to particular rhetorical situations; the cultural values; the epistemological assumptions about what constitutes a knowledge claim or authoritative research method; the discourse conventions of a particular discourse community. This article reviews research and theory on 6 different definitions of genre, explains how to engage in genre analysis, and explores when during the writing process authors should consider genre conventions. Develop your genre knowledge so you can discern which genres are appropriate to use—and when you need to remix genres to ensure your communications are both clear and persuasive.    

Mindset

Mindsets are ways of perceiving, interpreting and acting in the world. The mindsets you hold, consciously or subconsciously, shape how you feel, think, and act; your sense of identity and belonging; what you believe is possible. Review research and scholarship on mindset. Learn to coach yourself, to avoid unnecessary negativity and anxiety when writing. Explore how to adopt the habits of mind employed by successful writers, entrepreneurs, and product managers.

MLA Handbook, 9th Edition

Organization

Organization refers to commonplace, recurring patterns of discourse such as deductive or inductive order. Learn about the organizational schemas that people use to communicate so you can discern the most appropriate way to organize your communications.

Publication Manual of the APA: 7th Edition

Research

Research refers to investigator's efforts to learn about a topic and develop new knowledge. Learn how to solve problems at work, school, and home. Learn how to test knowledge claims using informal, qualitative, quantitative, textual, and mixed research methods.

Rhetoric

Rhetoric is "the art, practice, and study of human communication" (Lunsford). Understanding rhetoric is crucial to literacy, composing, and interpretation. Learn about rhetoric so that you can better understand why people say what they say and do what they do--and, perhaps most importantly, so you can compose messages that accomplish your goals.

Writing Process

The writing process (aka creative process) refers to the composing strategies writers engage in when composing  (e.g., prewriting, writing, revising, editing). Learn about research and scholarship on the writing process so you can find your fluency as a writer, speaker, knowledge maker.  

Writing Studies

Writing Studies is an academic subject of study with B.S., B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. programs in the United States. Writing Studies is an interdisciplinary field, with investigators coming from a multitude of academic and professional fields, including English studies, communication, the learning sciences, corpus linguistics, rhetoric, composition, and English Education.

So Your Instructor is Using Contract Grading…

Working Through Revision: Rethink, Revise, Reflect

 What is revision? How can it help me improve my writing? Read about what revision is and how to solicit, interpret, and implement feedback that helps you make positive changes to your work.

You want me to do what to my paper? Interpreting your professors’ feedback

Feedback is one of the major components of effective writing. Professional technical writers may get feedback from clients or members of their target audience before producing a deliverables; creative writers may ask other writers they trust or a sample of their target demographic to provide feedback; and workplace writers may receive feedback from their boss or coworkers before releasing the final version of a draft. What these writers know is that feedback provides an invaluable opportunity to understand the needs and perceptions of their audiences, so it’s important to take that information into account to produce a rhetorically sound final product. The purpose of this article is to walk you through some common comment types, and help you respond effectively to improve your writing.

Fake News: An Undergraduate Composition Course

Fake News is a themed undergraduate English composition course. This course aims to help students develop an understanding and practice of Empathetic Information Literacy.

Professional Writing Course Schedule

The Professional Writing Schedule outlines course assignments, readings, and due dates for Professional Writing - ENC 3250, sections 4 and 32, Fall 2022.