Writing and Rhetoric (WRIT)

WRIT 100. Writing and Critical Reading Tutorial. 1 Unit.

This course is a one-credit, semester-long tutorial designed to help you become a more confident reader and writer--skills that matter in every discipline. Through weekly one-on-one conferences with a Writing Resource Center consultant, you'll learn how to analyze complex texts, organize ideas effectively, and communicate with clarity and precision. The course is highly individualized: your instructor will tailor assignments to your goals and needs as a reader and writer. You'll produce at least 12 pages of polished writing and complete targeted exercises that strengthen your ability to interpret challenging material and express ideas persuasively.

WRIT 207. Writing Across Disciplines. 3 Units.

In this course, students will develop their genre knowledge and metacognitive skills to prepare for the advanced writing, reading, and research tasks required in upper-level writing and disciplinary courses across the university. Through individual and group inquiry, students will analyze and discuss the conventions of academic genres to understand the textual and linguistic features and disciplinary expectations of each form of writing. Then, students will apply these generic conventions through the production and revision of writing within each genre. Throughout the semester, students will engage in workshops and discussions that foster skills in the areas of seminar participation, collaboration, rhetorical awareness, and critical thinking. This course is specifically designed for non-native speakers of English, but native speakers may take the course with the approval of the instructor. Counts as a Communication Intensive course.

WRIT 210. Business Writing. 3 Units.

This course offers students an introduction to business communication in theory and practice. We will pay special attention to audience analysis, persuasive techniques in written and oral communication, document design strategies, and ethical communication practices. Typical assignments include instructional (e.g., user guides), informational (e.g., minutes, reports), persuasive (e.g., pitches, proposals), and transactional (e.g., memos, letters, forms) writing. Recommended preparation: This course is most effective for students who have at least sophomore standing. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Prereq: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS).

WRIT 211. Writing for the Health Professions. 3 Units.

This course offers practice and training in the professional and technical writing skills common to health professions (e.g., medicine, nursing, dentistry). Attention will be paid to the writing processes of drafting, revising, and editing. Typical assignments include: letters, resumes, personal essays, professional communication genres (e.g., email, reports, patient charts, and histories), and scholarly genres (e.g., abstracts, articles, and reviews). Recommended preparation: This course is most effective for students who have at least sophomore standing. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Prereq: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS).

WRIT 212. Legal Writing. 3 Units.

In this course, we will explore the language of the law. We will study legal documents, cases, and statutes, as well as compose our own memos, briefs, and letters. We will examine the way in which lawyers make arguments and how to analyze them, then create arguments of our own. We will examine the inner workings of the legal system in the United States, and what the legal profession might look like. No prior experience or knowledge is required, and you don't need to be planning on law school to benefit from this course. Recommended preparation: This course is most effective for students who have at least sophomore standing. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Prereq: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS).

WRIT 213. Introduction to Technical Communication. 3 Units.

This introductory course explores the field of technical communication and workplace scenarios that involve technical writing. Emphasizing rhetorical awareness, this course guides students to explore the principles, issues, and practices of technical communication. Students will learn to analyze, create, adapt, and revise technical documents for various audiences and contexts. Typical assignments include translating complex concepts for public audiences, for example: technical descriptions, instruction sets, usability testing reports, and visual displays of information. This course includes individual and collaborative projects, focusing on writing as a process. Students will brainstorm topics, draft documents, and revise their work based on the feedback from the instructor and peers. Recommended preparation: This course is most effective for students who have at least sophomore standing. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Prereq: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS).

WRIT 215. Podcasting Workshop. 3 Units.

This thematically-focused podcasting workshop uses literature as a model for creative audio storytelling. Class meetings will alternate between discussions of the readings and hands-on podcast script brainstorming, research, writing, workshopping, and production (including mini-workshops and tutorials on audio recording and editing). Recommended preparation: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS) or SAGES First Seminar. Offered as ENGL 215 and WRIT 215.

WRIT 230. Humans vs. Computers: Will Artificial Intelligence Write Us Out of Existence?. 3 Units.

Controversy about artificial intelligence (AI) is brewing, raising important questions about how technology is changing our worlds and what it means to be "intelligent." Is there something special about "natural" human intelligence that cannot be replicated artificially? Some say this newest technological advancement is different from those in the past that have worried and frightened us. Others say the capacities of current AI are leading us down a path that will irrevocably change what it means to be human. In this course, we will take up these questions, with particular attention to AI text generation, which seems to strike at our very identities as language users. These particular technologies have implications for education, medicine, law, journalism, among other industries. What are the risks and benefits of AI to us as humans, students, and then as professionals? How can we understand our relationship with AI? How can we come to understand, use, and develop literacy with AI language modules? We will explore these and other questions that we raise through a series of readings and writing projects. We will experiment with AI text generators like ChatGPT and Bard, we will research the various contemporary perspectives on AI, and we will debate to come to our own positions on this inevitable feature of our current and future lives. Recommended preparation: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS) or SAGES First Seminar. Counts as a Communication Intensive course.

WRIT 250. Science Communication. 3 Units.

In this course, students will analyze and practice the genres of communication central to academic science writing, like literature reviews, poster presentations, funding proposals, and visualization and explanation of data. We will also experiment with how to communicate scientific findings in popular venues, like social media, documentaries, popular magazines, and health websites. Students will choose a research question that they work on all semester, writing and presenting in different popular and academic genres to communicate their research. The course content will draw from research work in the physical sciences, including Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences. Students cannot receive credit for both WRIT 250 and ASTR 350. Recommended preparation: This course is most effective for students who have at least sophomore standing. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Prereq: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS).

WRIT 285. Interdisciplinary Topics Seminar. 3 Units.

Seminars focus on refining writing processes and composing research-based arguments. See Course notes for topics and detailed descriptions. Recommended preparation: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS) or SAGES First Seminar. Counts as a Communication Intensive course.

WRIT 345. Grant Writing. 1 Unit.

This course will focus on understanding and composing the elements of a funding proposal. Different types of grants will be considered: non-profit organizations, governmental, STEM, Arts, and Humanities. Focus may shift depending on the interests and experience of enrolled students. Students will prepare a polished, submittable funding application to an organization of their choice. Offered as WRIT 345 and WRIT 445. Prereq: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS).

WRIT 445. Grant Writing. 1 Unit.