Professional Writing & Rhetoric
The Minor for Every Major!
Students in the PWR minor will practice communicating effectively in professional and public spaces. Grounded in the fields of rhetoric and writing, we shape the minor around your personal interests and career goals. The courses are focused on hands-on projects using a range of media such as visual, audio, and even tactile.
The minor weaves theory with practice—or praxis—with writing being a central force in discovery and change. Students reflect on their own developing positions as meaning-makers and knowledge workers. And that’s why we call it the minor for every major!
At its core, the PWR minor is grounded in the power of storytelling. PWR courses will help you:
- Gain experience in professional and technical writing
- Communicate persuasively with public and professional audiences
- Design content that is accessible and audience centered
- Make and examine texts, for print and digital distribution
What is Rhetoric?
For most people, the term 'rhetoric' is vague and unfamiliar. As you read these words, you’re engaging with the rhetoric of them (even the bolding of the word is a rhetorical choice).
Rhetoric is the organization, presentation, and form of communication. Rhetoric is how you address others, tell stories, and persuade. Once you become aware of rhetoric, you can use it to your advantage. A written poem may have more impact if given song form; this is an example of rhetoric.
Literacy goes hand-in-hand with rhetoric. Literacy is more than knowing your ABC’s, more than reading a hundred classic novels; literacy is the ability to navigate a given context the way it requires. Problem-solving, inquisition, and awareness of the situation and medium are marks of literacy.
Together, rhetoric and literacy inform and persuade. Professional writing of all kinds employs literacy and rhetoric.
Careers
Some career paths focus specifically on writing—technical writing, grant writing, literary writing, feature writing, advocating, reviewing, publishing, copy editing, etc.
But employers in public and private sectors are looking for people with the ability to write and think through our always evolving communication technologes. PWR students may go on to put their skills to work in any number of fields such as user-experience designers, project managers, content developers, game designers, medical professionals, engineers, teachers, small business owners, non profit professionals—you name it.
Read more below to find out how alumni are applying the practices and skills they've learned from PWR courses out in the world beyond the classroom.
Lily Olason graduated from WWU in 2018 with a degree in English. After this she went to work for ERM for three years working on sight for safety documentation. Now she works full-time with Microsoft doing documentation for Viva Suite, where she says she's still using skills acquired in Professor Rachel Sarkar's ENG 302 Technical Writing course.
“I’ve worked with many different types of engineers…and all those people were writing documents meaning even if they didn't major or minor in a writing field doesn't mean their job doesn't require them to write almost all the time. So if they had access to this minor I think that would really help them doing their reports or doing summaries or anything like that.”
After graduating WWU in 1999 with her Bachelor’s in English she continued her education at WWU and obtained a Masters degree in English Studies. She has worked as a Technical Writer for multiple engineering companies. Currently she acts as the Project Manager for ERM Global overseeing Technical Writing projects.
“I think it's really valuable for both someone that might want to become a technical writer and also someone who…is in another discipline or major because there is opportunity for technical writers and editors."
“When we hire scientists and engineers it's an asset for them to have writing skills, because part of the job is writing reports...It’s such an assist to see that on a resume."
After graduating from WWU in 2012 with a degree in Creative Writing, Erik went to the Columbia School of Publishing. He now works for the bike company Old Man Mountain as a marketing coordinator. Check out some of his recent works!
Your Bike is a Bikepacking Bike: How to Get Started Bikepacking
Stacia Scott graduated from WWU in 1996 with a degree in English Literature. She has been working at Microsoft for the past 25 years and is now their Principal Program Manager Lead.
“So the type of work I do in particular, 80% communication and–whether it’s written or verbal or a presentation–and so the technical writing classes helped me think about how to break information down in a way that made it very consumable.”
“If you want to become a leader in an area you need to be able to communicate, if you want to expand your career beyond into a more specific skill set, communication is such a critical part of that.”
Course Information
PWR coursework focuses on developing both your theoretical understanding of and practical skills in rhetorical theory practice. Different instructors will teach the same course in different ways, and some courses change topics to explore their subjects through a new lens each quarter, for example:
- ENG 301 as Open Letters, Comics, Video Essays, Food Writing
- ENG 401 as Medical Rhetoric, Environmental Rhetoric, Rhetoric and Disabilty ENG 462 as , Grant Writing, UX Design, Workplace Writing Research
Many courses offer students a chance to develop their skills through hands-on and community-based projects. PWLR students have produced projects like:
- Gyno Girl, a 14-episode podcast series on reproductive healthcare created by Rosa Tobin for ENG 462 Podcasting and the Professional
- "Our (Students') Work (and Play) Can Make Us Smarter Next Time," a book chapter co-written by Matthew Sorlien with Professor Donna Qualley for the collection Inventing the Discipline: Student Work in Composition Studies, based on work Matthew did for ENG 442 Studies in Literacy
- Writing that makes a change, a collection of four grant applications written for the Seattle-based nonprofit Construction for Change by a team of students in ENG 402 Writing for Community Engagement
Through ENG 461, students have also been placed with local organizations like Blind Eye Books, Children of the Setting Sun Productions, 501 Commons, SPARK Museum, and the Northwest Association for Mental Illness.
For descriptions of this quarter’s courses, visit the English Department web page.
Community Partners
A core part of our curriculum has students working with our community partners, including ENG 402: Community Engagement and ENG 461: Writing Internship. Previous community partners include: Western’s Palliative Care Institute, Web Communication Technologies (WebTech), 501 Commons, our own PWR faculty, as well as Children of the Setting Sun Productions, Earth Law Center, the Sehome Hill Arboretum, Board of Governors, and Growing Veterans.
We consider all these partnerships as learning sites—a place to engage with communities of practice and absorb information in order to bridge access to knowledge. By treating community partners as learning sites, we increase ongoing engagement with what they represent and recognize them as valuable to learning communities both inside and out of a typical classroom setting.
How to Declare
Nicole Brown is the department advisor for the PWR minor. To declare the minor, please email Professor Brown with your Western ID number (W#) and state your interest in declaring. Be sure to use your Western student email.
Requirements
The courses listed below make up the PWR program. We strongly encourage you to take at least two, if not all three, of ENG 301, 302, and 371. These courses make a great foundation for the minor, and you’ll find many of the other PWR courses have one listed as a prerequisite.
But, so long as you take 25 credits from the courses listed, you will be approved for the PWR minor. This flexibility allows you to tailor the minor to your needs and interests–reach out to your advisor for help in creating a plan that makes the PWR minor work for you!
- 301 Writing and the Public
- 302 Technical Writing
- 371 Rhetorical Practices
- 385 Sustainable Literacies II
- 401 Seminar in Writing Studies & Rhetoric
- 402 Professional Writing and Community Engagement
- 442 Studies in Literacy
- 461 Internship in English – Professional Identity
- 462 Topics in Professional and Technical Writing
Another 300/400-level writing or media course (think podcasting, videography, etc.) that focuses on public or professional writing may be substituted with advisor approval.
Note: ENG 301, ENG 401, and ENG 462 may be repeated once for credit with a different topic and instructor. A grade of C- or higher is required for minor courses, and courses taken for credit in English Department minor programs can’t be applied toward English majors.