Multimedia Writing

English 419 introduces students to the fundamental rhetorical theories, principles, and practices of multimedia design, implementation, and publishing. The main objective for the course is for students to understand critical theories of multimedia and the new media technologies that create and publish multimedia content, with a particular emphasis on visual rhetoric and usability. Since multimedia is, by nature, interactive, we will cover the rhetorical nature of interactivity, the relationship of the audience—or users—to interactivity, and the discovery of innovative methods for successfully interacting with others through multimedia. Students will explore these theories through projects that require creative engagements with a variety of technologies and users.

Bay, Jennifer. Purdue University (2003). Academic>Courses>Multimedia>Writing

Business Writing

English 420 teaches students the rhetorical principles and writing practices necessary for producing effective business letters, memos, reports, and collaborative projects in professional contexts. The curriculum is informed by current research in rhetoric and professional writing and is guided by the needs and practices of business, industry, and society at large, as well as by the expectations of Purdue students and programs. All sections of English 420 are offered in networked computer classrooms to ensure that students taking the course are prepared for the writing environment of the 21st-century workplace. The course teaches the rhetorical principles that help students shape their business writing ethically, for multiple audiences, in a variety of professional situations.

Bay, Jennifer. Purdue University (2006). Academic>Courses>Business Communication>Writing

Theories of Rhetoric and Composition

English 470 will explore some of the major theories of rhetoric and writing which shape the ways that we use language in social, educational, political, and professional situations. We will examine various definitions of rhetoric, key rhetorical concepts and debates, theories of writing, the impact of new technologies on rhetoric and writing, and philosophical questions, among others. Our trajectory for the course can be mapped across several different heuristics. We can say that we will begin with oral traditions of rhetoric, move to written traditions, and then to electric or online instantiations of rhetoric. Another way to think about the structure of the course is philosophically: we start with ancient concepts of language and thought, then move to modernist conceptions, and finish with postmodern ideas about the place of rhetoric in the world. While we won't be able to cover every historical period and every rhetorical concept, you should leave the class with an understanding of what rhetoric is, when, where, and how it can be deployed, and why rhetoric is important. The ultimate goal of the course is for students to understand rhetoric as a productive art that offers transformative possibilities.

Bay, Jennifer. Purdue University (2004). Academic>Courses>Writing>Rhetoric

English 680N: New Media

What is "new media?" English 680N will examine this question from a variety of perspectives, investigating forms and examples of new media as well as the theories that underlie and emerge from these forms.

Bay, Jennifer. Purdue University (2008). Academic>Courses>Multimedia>Theory

Multimedia Writing Workshop

The last decade has seen an explosion in digital media in numerous outlets of contemporary culture. During English 289.22 Multimedia Writing Workshop we will explore various media, genres, and technologies we use everyday. We will examine the communication, creative expression, interactivity and design of multimedia composition for the purposes of persuading, negotiating, contesting, and creating narratives as well as individual and community identities. In other words, we will ask: How does this multimedia text tell a story? What elements help tell the story? In what ways does it reflect who I am or want to be? In what ways is it trying to persuade me to socially identify? We will interrogate our cultural practices as they relate to the cultural and technological underpinnings of our use of media such as blogs, podcasts,wikis, text messages, chats, MySpace, Facebook, film, videogames, etc. to tell stories and convey our identities.

Fitzgerald, Devon. Illinois State University (2008). Academic>Courses>Multimedia>Writing

Introduction to Technical Writing

This section will focus on both the creation and production of technical writing, particularly concentrating on how using a specific medium to convey information frames how the information is received by the intended audience(s).

Fitzgerald, Devon. Illinois State University (2007). Academic>Courses>Writing>Technical Writing

Introduction to Professional Writing

English 206 introduces theoretical and practical aspects of professional writing. Class activities highlight rhetorical analysis, diverse research methods, collaboration, and document design. Through participation in the course, you will explore opportunities and resources in the field and identify priorities for your own professional development.

Turnley, Melinda. DePaul University (2007). Academic>Courses>Business Communication>Writing

Writing in the Professions

English 301 emphasizes a rhetorical approach to writing. In other words, this course asks you to consider the dynamic, interconnected relationships among purposes, audiences, and authors as you plan and draft professional documents.

Turnley, Melinda. DePaul University (2007). Academic>Courses>Business Communication

Computers and Composition

Writing always has included technical components. In fact, writing itself can be considered a technology. Relatively recent developments in computers and digital media, however, have reshaped our understandings of relationships between technology and writing. This course will explore the cultural, institutional, professional, and pedagogical implications of such shifts. Our explorations will draw upon theories of technology as well discussions from the field of computers and composition.

Turnley, Melinda. DePaul University (2007). Academic>Courses>Writing>Technology

Text and Image

Whether it's gestures in an oral conversation, type on a page, or flickering images on a screen, each medium of communication includes visual elements. Such elements long have been recognized as rhetorically significant, but the cultural proliferation of digital technologies has heightened interest in the visual dimension of rhetoric. As both consumers and producers, we engage daily with a variety of textual and graphical elements. Text and Image will encourage critical consideration of such encounters. We will examine the affordances and constraints of various forms from the perspectives of both reception and production. Our course assignments will ask you to respond to existing theories and examine them in praxis by producing a variety of image/text artifacts.

Turnley, Melinda. DePaul University (2008). Academic>Courses>Visual Rhetoric

Literacy, Technology, and Society

This course will ask you to explore the ways that literacy, technology, and humanity interact. You will look at the ways that each of these entities affects the others. The course will begin with a historical look at human technological literacy, but the majority of the course will focus on present literacy and technology.

Whipple, Bob, Jr. Creighton University (2005). Academic>Courses>Technology>Writing

Principles of Technical Writing

Technical writing is nonfiction writing meant to make the complex simple. It informs, instructs, and persuades. And it can take many forms -- manuals, references, instructions, correspondence, reports, and proposals, among others. Whatever form is used, technical writing's focus is to ensure that readers can make informed choices, understand complex information, and follow complex procedures. In this class, technical writing is treated rhetorically: We will build on lessons of rhetorical analysis, organization, and style learned in previous classes, but we will apply those lessons to concrete real-world problems.

Spinuzzi, Clay. University of Texas (2009). Academic>Courses>Writing>Technical Writing

Multimedia Content Management  

Strategies for developing and delivering multimodal content via digital media. Focus on the principles on database design, interface development, usability testing, and collaborative content management within technical communication settings. Projects include training modules, online documentation, dynamic interfaces, and document management systems.

Sauer, Geoffrey. EServer (2009). Academic>Courses>Content Management>Multimedia

CE 333T: Engineering Communication

The principle objective of this course is to prepare you for all the communication activities you will engage in as a professional engineer, including various forms of writing, speaking, illustrating, collaborating, and presenting. Since an important part of engineering work is to disseminate the results of research and data collection, the course focuses on reports and presentations. But we also try to duplicate many of the conditions of the workplace, where you will often work with cross-functional teams on collaborative projects and where you will often be communicating to people who are NOT engineers.

Hart, Hillary. University of Texas (2009). Academic>Courses>TC>Engineering

CE 389C: Advanced Engineering Communication

This course offers engineering graduate students the opportunity to accomplish the following: communicate effectively with a variety of audiences; communicate effectively in several media: written, oral, visual; manage the process of collecting, synthesizing, and presenting data and information; manage the process of writing and publishing scholarly work; produce a portion of their thesis or dissertation or a complete scholarly paper.

Hart, Hillary. University of Texas (2007). Academic>Courses>TC>Engineering

Online Design

A graduate seminar in the theory and practice of structuring and designing information for web-enabled devices. This course emphasizes web standards, accessibility, and rapid prototyping.

Stolley, Karl. Illinois Institute of Technology (2009). Academic>Courses>Web Design>Information Design

Publication Management

A graduate seminar in intensive work developing and using systems to manage documents delivered electronically and in print using single-sourcing technologies. Theory and practice of managing publication projects across groups and organizations.

Stolley, Karl. Illinois Institute of Technology (2009). Academic>Courses>Document Design>Publishing

Electronic Research and the Rhetoric of Information

This class will explore the social and cultural role of information. We will pay particular attention to the ways in which the self and society shape and are shaped by our information networks, and will look at the structure of these systems. We will examine such topics as social and collaborative networking, information retrieval, database structures, tagging, and copyright issues. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to understand the function and limits of rhetorical choices within information production and retrieval.

Arola, Kristin L. Washington State University (2009). Academic>Courses>Research>Online