Undergraduate Courses in Rhetoric and Composition

English 204, Writing Creative Nonfiction
Focuses on genres of creative nonfiction. Workshop format with frequent writing exercises. Readings and discussion of published nonfiction with particular attention to voice, genre, and style. May be repeated for a total of nine credit hours.

English 304, Argument
Study of various kinds of arguments (causal, proposal,definition) used in academic and civic writing. Provides an overview of the history and terminology of argument, and allows students to workshop their own argumentative writing.

English 324, Topics in Rhetoric and Composition
Draws from areas such as composition theory; rhetorical theory/history; cultural studies; literacy, media, and race/ gender/class/ethnicity studies. May be repeated for a total of nine credits.

English 410, Twentieth-Century American Nonfiction
American nonfiction prose from 1900 to present, including autobiography, biography, history, journalism, social and cultural criticism, science and nature writing. Typical authors include W. E. B. Dubois, H. L. Mencken, James Agee, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, John McPhee, Annie Dillard, Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote, Leslie Marmon Silko, Maxine Hong Kingston, Loren Eiseley, and Wallace Stegner.

English 401/G, Advanced Nonfiction Writing
Advanced practice in nonfiction genres, and study of how writers read and learn from other writers. Experimentation with subjects, voice, organization, and style. Students may take the course twice, for a total of 6 credits. Students seeking graduate credit will produce a greater quantity and high quality of original work, will have a separate and more extensive reading list, and will be expected to participate more fully in class activities.

English 498, Senior Seminar
Required of all senior English majors.

Graduate Courses in Rhetoric and Composition

English 534, Form and Theory of Creative Nonfiction
An intensive study of aspects ofcraft in creative nonfiction. Course will expose students to particular methods, approaches, and techniques in creative nonfiction and their aesthetic effects.May be taken twice for credit.

English 554, Introduction to Research Methods in Rhetoric and Composition
An introduction to research methods in Composition and Rhetoric and English Education, including teacher research, ethnography, and case study. Students will learn to develop research questions and choose appropriate research methods, as well as address ethical issues in conducting person-based research.

English 561, Theories of Rhetoric and Composition
A study of the theoretical context of current writing and writing pedagogy. Influential theories of invention, arrangement, andstyle, from ancient and modern times, are examined and compared. Special attention is paid to the relationships of current rhetorical and cognitive theories to writing processes and written products.

English 563, The Theory and Teaching of Basic Writing
WRITING (3-0-3)(F/S). A study of the theory and practice of teaching basic writing. Surveys the history and politics of basic writing and remediation while focusing on specific instructional strategies, writing assignments, and assessment. Prepares students to teach basic writing at the college level, in learning centers, and in other adult learning settings.

English 567, Grammar and the Teaching of Writing: Theory and Practice
A study of the theory and practice of teaching grammar and usage from rhetoric and composition perspectives. The course examines a approaches to instruction in grammar and conventions of discourse communities. Prepares students for teaching writing in secondary schools and two-and four-year colleges, and for further graduate study.

English 568, The Essay Tradition
An examination of the essay tradition from its origins in Montaigne to its continuation in the writing of modern essayists from a variety of national and ethnic backgrounds. Explores theories of the genre, paying particular attention to the ways the essay has been used to teach writing and thinking.

English 569, Portfolio for Rhetoric and Composition
Demonstrates the unique relationship between theory and practice in the field of rhetoric and composition. Must include an introductory statement, a publishable paper, a conference presentation, and a bibliographic essay; may also include teaching materials and work in other genres and styles.

English 583, Selected Topics in Rhetoric and Composition
Investigation of selected theories or topics in rhetoric and composition, drawing from areas such as composition theory; rhetorical theory/history; cultural studies; literacy, media, and race/gender/class/ethnicity studies. Although of primary interest to rhetoric and composition majors, the course may be useful for graduate teaching assistants and for classroom teachers. Repeatable for credit.

Sample Selected Topics Offerings

Adult Learners and Writing/Literacy Instruction
Description from syllabus [cut as needed]: Students will review classic and recent sources on adult learning theory; this information will be connected to the teaching of writing, especially beginning college writing and literacy programs. Students will construct theoretical papers and practical teaching plans. Particularly useful for community college or urban college teaching. (Karen Uehling)

Digital Rhetoric
In this course, we will examine the changes that Internet technologies have had on writing and writing instruction. We will look specifically at how digital writing is affected by visual design, and how the ability to incorporate sound, animation, and interactive features affects our sense of what writing is. We will also consider questions of digital access, copyright, and community. In addition, we will explore and learn several applications and put this knowledge to use in the production of our own digital texts. (Tom Peele)

Cultural Studies
In the1950s, British graduate students from working-class backgrounds began to challenge the exclusive emphasis in English studies on canonical, high-culture texts. Since then, objects of study have expanded to include the areas of television, film, advertising, fashion, sexuality, gender, race, and others. In the last ten years, as so many of our most innovative cultural artifacts have been produced for digital delivery, cultural studies has examined these new media. Our aim in this course will be to study the history and development of cultural studies as an academic discipline and its proliferation in English departments. (Tom Peele)

English 598, Seminar for Teaching Assistants
Focuses on writing theory and practice, the teaching community, and the Department’s English Composition courses for first semester Teaching Assistants. The seminar will provide information and support for the assistants while they learn to meet their obligations as classroom teachers.