​          Upcoming Classes in the Writing Arts Department
                                                              by
                                                               Alex Geffard
  
​With the coming of a new semester, there are always changes in all of the University’s departments. In the Writing Arts department, there are a number of new and exciting classes that will potentially be offered.

First, I want to talk about the two special topic classes (courses that specialize in a specific topic, and that are being taught for the first time) that will be appearing in 2018:

  • Scientific Writing and Rhetoric- this class, which requires the prerequisites of college composition 1 and 2, students will learn about the various genres of scientific writing and be familiarized with critically analyzing, evaluating, and communicating scientific information. Students, using a wide range of the genres and methods, will also learn how to communicate to both specialized and non-specialized audiences. And since there is rhetoric in the title, students will be taught about the rhetorical nature of scientific knowledge and writing, and the role they play in shaping public opinion, policy, and law.
  • Rhetorics of Style-this class can be taken after students have completed college composition 2. Fulfilling the Elements of Language course for the Writing Arts major, this course introduces students to the theory and practice using stylistic devices and strategies in writing. Through studying, analyzing, experimenting, and writing with various stylistic devices, students will learn how to use figural language in the various genres of the writing, and gain an appreciation for the ethical implications of these stylistic choices. This course counts for 3 credit hours.


Here are three courses being developed that should be offered in the Fall of 2018:

  • Writing The Young Adult Novel- this class, which would require the prerequisites of either Creative Writing 1 or Writing Children’s Stories, and 45 credits, gives an in-depth exploration and practice of writing the YA Novel, through reading and writing literature intended for that specific audience. It emphasizes the student’s own writing, and the craft and elements of YA literature, showing the role that they play in the overall genre. This is a 3 credit hour course, and should be appearing Fall 2018.
  • Writing and Craft for Elementary Students-
  • Writing and Craft for Elementary Students- this class will allow students to better understand the craft of writing, and how to include to ideas in the teaching of writing in an elementary school setting. The prerequisites for this 3 credit hour course will comprise either of Creative Writing 1, Writing Children’s Stories, or Writer’s Mind.
  • Medical Writing and Rhetoric- with prerequisites of college composition 2 and 60 credits, this course will show students a variety of genres of medical writing that exist, both in public and professional settings. To better understand medicine as a discipline and culture, students will look at the rhetorical and social elements of medical discourse, and learn to write texts that meet the needs of these specific discourse communities.

Those are the two new classes coming this Spring, and 3 new classes being developed for Fall 2018. These classes can help to change the way we (students and teachers) view writing, offering us means to understand how it can be used in different manners than what me may be used to. More information will be provided soon. And in the meantime, please check out the rest of our website http://www.rowanwritingarts.org/ for an overview of the department.




​