Program & Courses

PW Overview | PW Requirements | PW Courses

PW Courses

See MSU Schedule of Courses for detailed course offerings by semester.

WRA 202 Introduction to Professional Writing (3 credits). Basic principles of rhetoric and composition applied to professional writing. Topics include page design, field definition, research tools and practices, genres and conventions, and professional style.

WRA 210 Introduction to Web Authoring (3 credits). Reading, analyzing, evaluating, and authoring Web sites. Principles of design rhetoric. Practices of Web accessibility.

WRA 260 Rhetorics of American Culture (3 credits). Rhetorical analysis of consumer, corporate, organizational, and popular cultures appropriate to professional settings.

WRA 308 Invention in Writing (3 credits). Theory and practice of invention in writing. Strategies and theories of generating and exploring thought in civic and professional writing contexts.

WRA 320 Technical Writing (3 credits). Principles and practices of effective writing in the workplace, with special emphasis on technical, scientific, and electronic-mediated writing. Includes audience and organizational needs, visual rhetoric, information design, electronic publication, ethics, technical style, usability testing, and team writing.

WRA 331 Writing in the Public Interest (3 credits). Various forms of public writing and rhetoric and their roles in democracy and public culture. Practice in modes of public and civic discourse, including deliberative strategies and a range of public literacies.

WRA 341 Writing Nature and the Nature of Writing (3 credits). Writing- and reading-intensive course focusing on the language of scientists, poets, essayists, naturalists, environmentalists, and biologists, and on their various responses to and representations of the natural environment.

WRA 355 Writing for Publication Workshop (3 credits). Develop and hone skills in revision and editing using a rhetorical approach. Develop to publishable level at least two major pieces of work and submit them for print, web, performance or other publication.

WRA 360 Visual Rhetoric for Professional Writers (4 credits). Writing- and design-intensive. Visual literacy, design, and rhetoric and the effects elements in print and online documents have on audience, such as typography, page size, paper type, alignment, graphics.

WRA 361 Rhetoric, Persuasion, and Argument (3 credits). Traditional and contemporary approaches to rhetoric, persuasion, and argument both in text and visuals and relating to a wide variety of approaches (e.g., feminist, digital/electric, political, postmodern).

WRA 370 Introduction to Grammar and Style (3 credits). Theories, practice, and processes of grammar, style, and rhetorical issues for professional writers.

WRA 410 Advanced Web Authoring (3 credits). Developing and maintaining large-scale, interactive web sites. Emphasis on visual design, usability, audio and video integration, ongoing site management, and web accessibility.

WRA 415 Digital Rhetoric (3 credits). Exploration of the rhetorical, social, political, economic, and ethical dimensions of electronic writing and publishing. Focus on the rhetorical dynamics of computer-mediated writing spaces such as the Internet, World Wide Web, email, and synchronous chat.

WRA 417 Multimedia Writing (4 credits). Visual rhetoric and design theories applied to digital short subjects. Write, direct, critique, and produce motion-based digital compositions that include multiple media.

WRA 420 Advanced Technical Writing (3 credits). Applied theory and specialized practices. Topics such as user-centered design, project and document management, information and interface design, issues in digital writing, technical editing, and writing for scientific and technical journals.

WRA 444 Writing in American Cultures (3 credits, repeatable up to 6). Analysis of rhetorical practices in selected American disciplines, communities, and public cultures.

WRA 446 American Indian Rhetorics (3 credits). Theoretical approaches to Native rhetorics. Historical and contemporary debates about the production and reception of visual and written Native texts.

WRA 451: Managing Publication Projects (3 credits). Design theory, task management research, collaborative problem-solving approaches, and team processes involved in designing and creating large-scale publications.

WRA 453 Grant and Proposal Writing (3 credits). Researching and writing grants and proposals for corporations, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and government agencies.

WRA 455 Portfolio Seminar (3 credits). Workshop for students preparing professional document portfolios, in print and digital formats, including application materials for career, graduate study, and professional positions.

WRA 470 Editing and Publishing (3 credits; offered as WRA 491 in Spring 2008). Theories, practice, and processes of editing in professional writing contexts. History and processes of the publishing industry and publishing in business, civic, and nonprofit contexts.

WRA 491 Special Topics (3 credits). Writing and reading intensive course on special topics in professional writing. Topics vary, and have included a focus on Principles of Publishing in the 21st Century and Advanced Editing for Professional Writers.

WRA 493D Internship in Editing and Publishing (1-3 credits). Supervised work as writers and editors in a corporate or organizational setting, with classroom component. Internship assignment must be arranged with instructor prior to semester.

WRA 493E Internship in Professional Writing (3-6 credits). Supervised work as writers and editors in a corporate or organizational setting, with classroom component. Internship assignment must be arranged with instructor prior to semester.

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