Department of Writing, Literature & Publishing
Research Writing
In WR 121, students explore a variety of rhetorical situations that call for research, as well as a range of genres and media that writers use to represent their findings. Students develop rhetorical awareness by writing in a number of different genres. The course uses a common text and may call on additional texts chosen by the instructor.
The goal of the course is to enable students to understand:
- How writers make genre choices in response to rhetorical situations
- How genres position writers in relation to their topics and audiences
- How genres relate to each other
- How various genres afford writers different resources of representation
Assignments
WR 121 is organized around four main writing assignments, each of which calls on students to respond to rhetorical situations in different genres. The course typically includes one academic research paper that is focused on critical analysis, drawing primarily on written sources, and using MLA citation. The other assignments may include:
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WR 121 assignments may also include media other than print, such as:
- Public exhibits
- Audio design (e.g., public service announcements, NPR-type Story Corps)
- Multimedia (e.g., sound maps, websites)
- Video
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Performance pieces
Course Materials
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The Call to Write by John Trimbur gives students practice writing both in college and in the public sphere. This text connects writing to the real worlds of everyday life, college, and work. A strong emphasis on public writing promotes civic involvement through writing—to inform the public, to shape opinion, to advocate change, etc.—while relevant, provocative readings underscore when and why citizens are called to write. |
First-Year writing Program Blog
Sharing resources, ideas, assignments, and strategies, and thinking about writing's role in liberal arts, higher education, and culture at large.
