Overview
Writing Studies is an interdisciplinary field engaged in scholarship related to composing and making; rhetoric, culture, and technology; community-engagement and public writing; and language, literacy, and pedagogy.
The Department of Writing Studies offers courses in support of UM’s General Education Requirement for written communication skills, as well as a range of 200- and upper-level courses. Additionally, through its various specialized programs and initiatives, the Department contributes to the development of innovative writing skills for all UM students and faculty.
Students completing first-year courses for the General Education Requirement will center themselves as learners while demonstrating effective written communication skills in relation to specific rhetorical tasks; constructing original, well-reasoned arguments using a range of materials; and integrating and synthesizing appropriate and relevant primary and secondary sources in their writing.
Students enrolled in 200- and upper-level Writing Studies courses will receive additional practice in rhetorical considerations such as audience, context, and purpose; critical attention to genre, social action, and disciplinary convention; engagement with developing effective writing processes and feedback approaches; inquiry-based making practices; and, intentional and reasoned use of source material.
WRS 100T. Transfer Credit Elective. 1-10 Credit Hours.
Transfer Credit Elective
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
WRS 101. Writing Lab. 1 Credit Hour.
WRS 101 will provide students with consistent and sustained support for their reading and writing needs in WRS 105. Students will schedule one-hour per week standing appointments with Writing Center tutors. These standing appointments will be used exclusively to support the work of the WRS 105 course and must be kept throughout the entire semester.
Corequisite: WRS 105. and Requisite: (ACT English >=18 and <=31) or (SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing >=430 and <=690) or (SAT Critical Reading >=430 and <=690) or (TOEFL iBT Writing >=18).
Components: LAB.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
WRS 102. Writing Lab. 1 Credit Hour.
WRS 102 will provide students with consistent and sustained support for their reading and writing needs in WRS 106 or WRS 107. Students will schedule one-hour per week standing appointments with Writing Center consultants. These standing appointments will be used exclusively to support the work of the WRS 106 or WRS 107 course and must be kept throughout the entire semester.
Corequisite: WRS 106 or WRS 107.
Components: LAB.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
WRS 103. Basic Academic Writing. 3 Credit Hours.
Intensive approach to the basics of academic writing with emphasis on building written fluency, using conventions of standard written English, and editing for precision and correctness. Intended for students who need extra preparation before entering WRS 105. Not for credit toward graduation.
Requisite: ACT English score below 18; or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing or Critical Reading score below 430; or TOEFL iBT Writing score below 18.
Components: LEC.
Grading: CNC.
Typically Offered: Fall & Summer.
WRS 105. First-Year Writing I. 3 Credit Hours.
Advanced approaches to multidisciplinary written and multimodal communication. Emphasizes transferable skills in academic inquiry and argument. Not for major or minor. Cannot be taken on credit-only option.
Requisite: ACT English score 18-31; or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing or Critical Reading score 430-690; or TOEFL iBT Writing score 18 or above.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
WRS 106. First-Year Writing II. 3 Credit Hours.
Advanced approaches to multidisciplinary written and multimodal communication using secondary sources. Emphasizes transferable skills in academic analysis, argument, and research. Not for major or minor. Cannot be taken on credit-only option.
Requisite: WRS 105 OR ACT English score 32 or above; or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing or Critical Reading score 700 or above or Foote Fellow designation.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
WRS 107. First-Year Writing II: STEM. 3 Credit Hours.
Advanced approaches to multidisciplinary written and multimodal communication using secondary sources. Emphasizes transferable skills in academic analysis, argument, and research for STEM disciplines. Not for major or minor. Cannot be taken on credit-only option.
Prerequisite: WRS 105 or Requisite: ACT English score 32 or above; or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing or Critical Reading score 700 or above.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
WRS 200T. Transfer Credit Elective. 1-10 Credit Hours.
Transfer Credit Elective
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
WRS 208. Advanced Academic Writing for Transfer Students. 3 Credit Hours.
Review of research techniques and revision strategies. Completes the university Written Communication Skills requirement for those students who transfer into UM with credit for one first-year writing course from another institution. Open only to transfer students who have received transfer credit for either WRS 105 or WRS 106. Not open to students who have taken WRS 105, WRS 106, and/or ENG 106 at UM.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
WRS 230. Advanced Professional Communication. 3 Credit Hours.
Professional writing with critical attention to complex rhetorical situations. Practice in formal and informal written communication styles.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or ENG 106 or WRS 107 or ENG 107 or WRS 208 or ENG 208.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
WRS 231. Advanced Writing for Arts and Humanities. 3 Credit Hours.
Advanced instruction in writing for specialist and non-specialist audiences on topics in the Arts and Humanities disciplines, with an emphasis on essay and multimodal forms of communication.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or ENG 106 or WRS 107 or ENG 107 or WRS 208 or ENG 208.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
WRS 232. Advanced Writing for People and Society. 3 Credit Hours.
Advanced instruction in writing for specialist and non-specialist audiences on topics in the People and Society disciplines, with an emphasis on essay and multimodal forms of communication.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or ENG 106 or WRS 107 or ENG 107 or WRS 208 or ENG 208.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
WRS 233. Advanced Writing for STEM. 3 Credit Hours.
Advanced instruction in writing for specialist and non-specialist audiences on topics in the STEM disciplines, with an emphasis on essay and multimodal forms of communication.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or ENG 106 or WRS 107 or ENG 107 or WRS 208 or ENG 208.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
WRS 300T. Transfer Credit Elective. 1-10 Credit Hours.
Transfer Credit Elective
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
WRS 306. Advanced Writing. 3 Credit Hours.
Multidisciplinary advanced writing. Topics vary. May be repeated if topics are different.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or ENG 106 or WRS 107 or ENG 107 or WRS 208 or ENG 208.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
WRS 331. Legal Writing. 3 Credit Hours.
A study of the composition of legal arguments in court opinions, legal briefs, oral arguments before the Supreme Court, and social-legal documents. Emphasis on analysis of issues, structure and style of legal writing, and the function of logic in persuasion.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or ENG 106 or WRS 107 or ENG 107 or WRS 208 or ENG 208.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
WRS 332. Writing for Civic Engagement. 3 Credit Hours.
This class will deeply and critically engage with a variety of texts while focusing on the value of our first-amendment rights, giving particular attention to the freedom of expression and freedom of the press including analysis of prison-writing exchange facilitated by the prison-education nonprofit Exchange for Change.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or ENG 106 or WRS 107 or ENG 107 or WRS 208 or ENG 208.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.
WRS 333. Writing the Research Paper. 3 Credit Hours.
Advanced techniques in conducting research and writing the research paper. Use of traditional library resources, on-line searches, the Internet, and other research methods. Strategies for effective presentation of research findings. Students not in the Bachelor of General Studies program need permission of instructor.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or ENG 106 or WRS 107 or ENG 107 or WRS 208 or ENG 208.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
WRS 334. Legal Rhetoric. 3 Credit Hours.
Legal texts and the rhetoric of legal discourse.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or ENG 106 or WRS 107.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.
WRS 335. Writing for Interactive Media. 3 Credit Hours.
Interactive media communicates in non-linear and user-dependent ways and requires writers to learn how to structure content for a variety of screen-based and off-screen experiences with media. In this course, students will practice methods of non-linear writing and design work, utilizing a rhetorical approach to creating documentation and developing accessible and repeatable writing processes. Additionally, students will learn to work on high impact approaches to working generative artificial intelligence as part of their writing workflow. Students who take the course should have a working understanding of interactive media and principles of user experience.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or WRS 107 or WRS 208 or ENG 106.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.
WRS 345. Writing for Innovation and Leadership. 3 Credit Hours.
This class will explore writing as foundational to facilitating and leading innovation activities with civic and professional organizations. We will emphasize team dynamics and how these interplay with innovation activities. We will also discuss the rhetorical nature of writing and leadership through creative thinking and community organizing work.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or WRS 107 or WRS 208 or ENG 106.
Components: DIS.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.
WRS 399. Independent Study. 1-3 Credit Hours.
Through this independent study course, students will research topics related to the field of Writing Studies (e.g., digital literacy, writing ethics, rhetoric). Students will write smaller assignments throughout the semester that will build to a final research paper.
Prerequisite: WRS 106 or WRS 107 or WRS 208 or ENG 106.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
WRS 400T. Transfer Credit Elective. 1-10 Credit Hours.
Transfer Credit Elective
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
WRS 500T. Transfer Credit Elective. 1-10 Credit Hours.
Transfer Credit Elective
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
WRS 600T. Transfer Credit Elective. 1-10 Credit Hours.
Transfer Credit Elective
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
WRS 700T. Transfer Credit Elective. 1-10 Credit Hours.
Transfer Credit Elective
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
