Purpose(s) and Course Flow
There are multiple purposes for writing in communication, and the discipline
is very broad; thus, one cannot simply point a finger to a single purpose,
writing model, or the like. While the program has specified several
writing goals (see goals), the crux of the program is to teach you communication
theory, effective communication practice, and approaches to insightful
communication research and criticism.
Writing, then, is an essential component of the program’s pedagogical
efforts toward those ends. Furthermore, the program is organized
strategically:
- Writing in the COMM 100 course (the
only 100-level course): Your writing will take shape through outlines,
speech critiques, and small group reflections, among other assignments.
- Writing in 200-level courses: You
will sometimes be invited to apply communication theory to your life
experiences, using secondary sources (what scholars have written about
communication) to provide a framework for your application. You
will also be asked to analyze primary sources of data (a speech or film
for instance), and your writing becomes a vehicle to interpret a communication
or rhetorical text (also known as an artifact or case study). In
addition, you will likely write persuasive proposals in some of these
courses and so advocate a solution to some sort of problem. You
might also write journals in these courses.
- Writing in 300- and 400-level courses: Assignments
will often include application papers, analysis papers, proposals, and
journals, but they will also demand original research. Thus, you
will need to write a literature review, articulate a research method,
convey an analysis of a rhetorical artifact or findings from a social
scientific investigation, and finally highlight implications of your
study. During these courses you will likely deal with both primary sources and secondary sources.
