WRITING, RHETORIC, AND MEDIA ARTS
Coordinator: Tennyson O'Donnell, PhD,
Director, Allan K. Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric
This minor is designed for students interested in writing, rhetoric, and the interrelated arts of media. Core courses provide students with extensive opportunities to develop their writing in various genres, along with an examination of rhetorical theories and practices. Elective courses explore social, cultural, and field-specific topics in language, logic, persuasion, and multimedia modes of communication.
Course Requirements:
The minor consists of six courses, including three core courses, two electives, and an integrating exercise. Courses must be chosen from at least three different academic fields, with no more than three courses drawn from any one field. Students must earn a minimum of C- in any given course to receive credit for the minor.
1. Core Courses—Three (3) courses chosen from the following list.
RHET 103. Special Writing Topics
RHET 202. Expository Writing Workshop
RHET 208. Argument and Research Writing
RHET 225. Writing “Broad Street” Stories
RHET 226. Spirit of Place
English 265. Introduction to Film Studies
English 270. Introduction to Creative Writing
RHET 300. Art of the Essay
RHET 302. Writing Theory and Practice
RHET 331. Art of Argument
English 333. Creative Nonfiction
English 337. Writing for Film
RHET 338. Political Rhetoric and the Media
Electives—Two (2) courses chosen from different academic fields. A sample list of eligible courses follows. Appropriate alternative courses can be substituted, subject to the approval of the minor coordinator.
American Studies 279. American Autobiography
Anthropology 301. Ethnographic Methods & Writing
Cities Program 206. Writing the City
Computer Science 110. Computers, Information, and Society
Fine Arts 105. History of World Cinema
History 264. Film and History
History 299. What is History? Historiography & Historical Methods
Linguistics 101. Introduction to Linguistics
Mathematics 114. Judgment and Decision-Making
Mathematics 205. Abstraction and Argument
Philosophy 205. Symbolic Logic
Philosophy 255. Philosophy of Logic
Philosophy 238. Media Philosophy
Philosophy 386. Philosophy and Film
Political Science 241. Empirical Political Methods and Data Analysis
Political Science 325. Communications and Politics
Psychology 221L. Research Design and Analysis
Psychology 255. Cognitive Psychology
Psychology 391. Psychology of Language
Public Policy and Law 202. Law, Argument and Public Policy
Religion 267. Religion and the Media
Sociology 201L. Research Methods in the Social Sciences
Sociology 241. Mass Media, Popular Culture and Social Reality
Studio Arts 126. Photography I
Theater and Dance 393. Playwrights Workshop I
Note: Classical and modern language courses at the intermediate level and above can also count as electives.
3. Integrating Exercise
Seniors in the minor have three options for the integrating exercise. They can choose to (1) take Rhetoric 399, Independent Study, involving a semester-long writing project, or (2) undertake an integrated internship related to media and communications, or (3) participate in a writing-related apprenticeship for academic credit as a Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant. Students should consult with the minor coordinator about these options.