Academic Programs Catalog

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional and Public Writing is for students wishing to specialize in writing as an area of expertise. Students develop advanced writing strategies and skills with emphasis on rhetorical approaches and practices such as writing anchored to audience, context, purpose; writing attentive to community and cultural dynamics; and writing in consideration of public and professional trends and contexts. Students write in digital spaces including web pages, social media, and content-management systems; write for and in diverse public and disciplinary communities and audiences; and edit and publish in a variety of public and professional contexts. The major prepares students for careers in professional editing and publishing, technical writing, information development, communications management, communications strategy, content management, and web authoring. It also prepares students for graduate work in rhetoric, writing, public and community writing, technical writing, the teaching of writing, and the study of culture.

Students who elect the Professional and Public Writing major should contact the Associate Chair and Director of Undergraduate Programs in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures. Students should work closely with the department academic advisor, the program director, and with program faculty to shape a focus or theme in the major that fits their career interests and plans. Internships, management of writing projects, and development of a professional portfolio are all important aspects of student preparation for work in writing-related professions, in public or private settings such as nonprofits, small, and large corporations, or in graduate study.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Professional and Public Writing

1. The University requirements for bachelor’s degrees as described in the Undergraduate Education section of this catalog; 120 credits, including general elective credits, are required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional and Public Writing.
   The University’s Tier II writing requirement for the Professional and Public Writing major is met by completing one of the following courses: Writing, Rhetoric and Cultures 320, 331, or 370. Those courses are referenced in items 3. below.
2. The requirements of the College of Arts and Letters for the Bachelor of Arts degree.
3. The following requirements for the major:

   a.	All of the following courses (16 credits):
   	WRA	202	Introduction to Professional and Public Writing						3
   	WRA	260	Rhetoric, Persuasion, and Culture						3
   	WRA	325	Writing and Multimodality						3
   	WRA	360	Visual Rhetoric						4
   	WRA	455	Portfolio Seminar						3
   b.	Completion of a set of courses oriented toward a theme in the major (12 to 15 credits minimum). Students may obtain a list of example themes and courses from the program academic advisor. Themes vary and are determined in consultation with the program’s academic advisor.
   c.	Completion of elective courses meant to complement and extend the student’s chosen theme. An internship for credit is strongly recommended in the major. Courses used to fulfill requirement b. above may not be used to fulfill this elective requirement (3 to 6 credits):
   	WRA	210	Introduction to Web Authoring						3
   	WRA	211	Documentary History and Theory						3
   	WRA	214	Social Media and the Start-up						3
   	WRA	225	Introduction to Composing for Digital Video						3
   	WRA	290	Independent Study						3
   	WRA	291	Special Topics						3
   	WRA	308	Invention in Writing						3
   	WRA	311	Introduction to Documentary Production						3
   	WRA	320	Technical Communication (W)						3
   	WRA	330	Writing Research in Communities and Cultures						3
   	WRA	331	Writing in the Public Interest (W)						3
   	WRA	345	Topics in Writing						3
   	WRA	350	Sound Writing and Rhetoric						3
   	WRA	355	Writing for Publication Workshop						3
   	WRA	370	Introduction to Grammar and Editing (W)						3
   	WRA	395	Writing Center Theory and Practice						3
   	WRA	401	Rhetoric, Leadership, and Innovation						3
   	WRA	410	Advanced Web Authoring						3
   	WRA	411	Collaborative Documentary Design and Production (W)						3
   	WRA	415	Digital Rhetoric						3
   	WRA	420	Content Strategy						3
   	WRA	441	Social Justice as Rhetorical Practice						3
   	WRA	453	Grant and Proposal Writing						3
   	WRA	471	Rhetoric of Grammar						3
   	WRA	480	Publication Management						3
   	WRA	482	Information and Interaction Design						3
   	WRA	483	Community Publishing						3
   	WRA	484	Ethics in Writing						3
   	WRA	490	Independent Study						1 to 6
   	WRA	491	Special Topics						3
   	WRA	493	Internship in Professional or Public Writing						1 to 4
   	WRA	499	International Research in Professional or Public Writing						3 to 6
   	One or two writing or design courses from outside WRA may be used with approval of the student’s academic advisor.

The Minor in Writing, administered by the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures, engages students in rhetorical analysis, community-based research, and writing strategies. This knowledge and skill base may be used to complement majors in a wide range of fields. The minor is intended for students who wish to develop as writers beyond what is offered in Tier I or Tier II and who recognize the value of writing for their majors, fields, and communities. Students are invited to work with the department academic advisor and with the program director to select courses in the minor and connect the minor to their degree programs.

The minor is available as an elective to students who are enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs at Michigan State University except those in the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Professional and Public Writing. With the approval of the department and college that administer the student’s degree program, the courses that are used to satisfy the requirements for the minor may also be used to satisfy the requirements for the bachelor’s degree.

Students who plan to complete the requirements of the minor should consult an undergraduate advisor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures.

Requirements for the Minor in Writing

Complete a minimum of 15 credits from the following: