Writing

Faculty: Professor Stubblefield, and Assistant Professors Polo and Green 

Cottey believes written communication is a cornerstone of a liberal arts education and requires six hours of writing for graduation, First-Year Writing Seminar (FWS 101), and College Writing (WRI 102). 

First-Year Writing Seminar (FWS)
Faculty: Faculty across the disciplines teach this foundational course. 

Writing-Intensive (WI) Courses
Faculty: Faculty across the disciplines teach writing-intensive (WI) courses. 

The ability to write clearly and persuasively is a valuable skill that is important for advanced study, professional advancement, and personal development. As such, Cottey strives to integrate writing into classes beyond the first-year writing program to ensure students develop and hone these skills. Therefore, students can expect to practice and learn about writing beyond their required first-year writing courses. See degree programs for details as individual programs may require WI courses. 

Students can expect the following in any course marked with the WI designation:

  • Writing will be an important part of the course and will constitute at least 30% of the course grade. 
  • Class time will be dedicated to teaching and/or talking about writing and the expectations for writing in the course. 
  • There will be a minimum of three (3) writing assignments of at least two (2) different genres. Length and type of assignments will vary based on professor and discipline. 
  • The professor will provide feedback on student writing. This feedback can happen at any stage in the writing process and may be either written comments or face-to-face discussion about the assignment.
  • Students will have the opportunity to revise writing assignments. The number of revisions and the assignments with revision options is determined by individual professors.

Degrees and Certificates

Courses

FWS 101: First Year Writing Seminar

Credits 3
First-Year Writing Seminar is a foundational course for Cottey students for both writing and content. Students will be introduced to the benefits of women’s-only education, Cottey history, leadership, social responsibility, and global awareness through the practice of thoughtful reading, analysis, and writing within a liberal arts context. This course provides students the opportunity to connect with the institution while also building community among themselves.

WRI 102: College Writing

Credits 3
Continues focus of FWS 101 by assigning writing based on reading. Includes formal documentation, research methods, and critical essays on nonfiction and literary works.

WRI 200: Introduction to Writing Studies

Credits 3
An introduction to the discipline of Writing Studies. Through immersion in and engagement with scholarship, students will gain more nuanced understanding of writing, the teaching and study of writing, and changing principles of the field; additionally, students will analyze and compose in a variety of academic genres.

WRI 250: Studies in Writing

Credits 3
Studies in Writing courses provide students with the opportunity to explore various subjects in the field of Writing Studies. These courses introduce disciplinary knowledge and provide writing intensive experiences in various genres.

WRI 251: Creative Writing

Credits 3
Introduction to writing of poetry and fiction, with emphasis on contemporary practice of both. Students will become familiar with contemporary short fiction writers and poets in English, working to develop a personal aesthetic of craft.

WRI 252: Introduction to Genre

Credits 3
This course introduces students to genre theory, research, and pedagogies situated within the field of Writing Studies, specifically Composition/Rhetoric. Coursework will include, but is not limited to, research projects, textual analysis, genre critique, and presentations.

WRI 253: Professional Writing

Credits 3
Introduction to writing about technical subjects within a professional setting. Students create job documents and write reports, instructions, emails, and memos; develop audience awareness; receive instruction on document layout and design; and collaborate in a group project to produce a written report of and presentation on the group’s primary research.

WRI 254: Introduction to Primary Research

Credits 3
This course introduces students to the practice of primary research, focusing on qualitative research methods with some introduction to quantitative research methods. Students will learn about data collection methods, data collection tools, research ethics and IRB protocol, and how to write up and present the findings of original research. The course culminates in students proposing and conducting their own small primary research project.

WRI 255: Introduction to Rhetorical Studies

Credits 3
This course introduces students to the study of rhetoric by exploring its role in theoretical, pedagogical, and practical arenas. Students will attend to both historical and contemporary rhetorical situations. Coursework will include critical reading, rhetorical analysis, researched projects, and composition in multiple genres.

WRI 256: Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy

Credits 3
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of Writing Center Studies. Students will learn about the history and emergence of writing centers in the United States, study seminal texts surrounding writing centers, learn the practices of working with writers in writing centers, observe tutoring sessions, and learn the specifics of the Cottey College Writing Center. Coursework will include critical reading and reflection,observations of recorded and live sessions, researched projects, implementation of tutoring strategies through participation in writing center sessions, and composition in multiple genres.

WRI 350: Topics in Writing

Credits 3
These courses provide a deeper exploration of special topics within the field of Writing Studies, reinforces disciplinary knowledge, and provides writing-intensive experiences in various genres.

WRI 351: Discourse Analysis

Credits 3
This course introduces students to the qualitative research method of discourse analysis, which allows us to determine how we attempt to do things with language. With discourse analysis, writing researchers can gain a more sophisticated understanding of the latent motives and constraints influencing a rhetorical situation. Fulfills writing-intensive requirement.

WRI 352: Rhetorical Style

Credits 3
This course discusses stylistic rhetorical moves and how they may be used to enhance the persuasiveness of nonfiction texts. Students will become acquainted with stylistic moves at the word, sentence, and passage level and will see how rhetoric truly is the ART of persuasion. Fulfills writing-intensive requirement.

WRI 353: Rhetorics of Public Memory

Credits 3
This course explores the rhetorical work of museums, monuments, memorials, and archives by examining them as sites of public memory. Student in the course will read public memory and rhetorical scholarship, actively analyze sites, and create their own digital exhibits. Fulfills writing-intensive requjirement.

WRI 354: Archives and Composition

Credits 3
This course explores the representation of the field of rhetoric and composition within and by archives. With a special focus on underrepresented voices, sites, and forms of writing, this course teaches students to use archival research to complicate and enrich understandings of past writing and rhetorical practices. Fulfills writing-intensive requjirement.

WRI 355: Style and Editing

Credits 3
Students will be introduced to the principles, methods, and styles of technical editing and will apply that knowledge by practicing editing techniques with real editing tasks and clients. Designed for students who want to learn more about writing and editing, become better writers, and/or assist others in becoming better writers. Fulfills writing-intensive requjirement.

WRI 356: Digital & Multimodal Composition

Credits 3
This course introduces fundamental concepts of digital and multimodal writing for audiences across a variety of platforms with an emphasis on the interaction of the medium and the message. Theories of digital and visual rhetorics will be presented as well as the effect of interactivity, both document-to-reader and reader-to-document. Students in this course will develop the vocabulary and practical skills to create, collaborate on, and deliver digital documents in a variety of media to real audiences and users. Fulfills writing-intensive requjirement.

WRI 357: Fiction Writing

Credits 3
The course offers advanced study of writing literary fiction, both the short story and the novel. Readings support the art and craft of contemporary fiction writing. Workshops for student writing will be conducted. Fulfills writing-intensive requirement.

WRI 358: Advanced Composition

Credits 3
As an advanced composition course, this class moves beyond the writing of first-year composition to explore historical and theoretical perspectives of composition theory while asking writers to examine their own writing processes. This course also introduces students to a variety of genres and presents rhetorical principles relevant to the writing process. Fulfills writing-intensive requjirement.

WRI 360: Teaching Writing

Credits 3
An advanced course focused on writing pedagogies. Students will explore theories, research, and conversations informing the teaching of writing in higher education, and will prepare materials designed for high-school writing instruction. Fulfills writing-intensive requirement.

WRI 400: Writing Minor Portfolio

Credits 1
Culmination of the student’s work in the Writing Minor. Under the direction of an English faculty member, students will compile a selection of written materials to demonstrate understanding of the Writing Studies field; successful composition in multiple genres; ability to make effective rhetorical choices; and pursuit of Cottey learning outcomes. Pass/Fail