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Writing Minor

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The writing minor reinforces a primary course of study in English, speech, or philosophy; complements science or business majors; gives education majors an understanding of writing pedagogy; allows students to pursue an interest in professional, technical, or creative writing; and prepares students to create software documentation and manuals.

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All minors take the core courses listed below. The writing core insures that all writing minors write creative, technical, and practical texts and develop an understanding of basic rhetorical and linguistic processes and theories important to written communication.

Introduction to Creative Writing (WRTG 2310)
Introduces students to creative writing theory and practice in all genres: fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and playwriting/screenwriting.

Creative Writing (WRTG 3300)
Focuses on a specific genre as an art and as a craft; composition of factual articles, essays, fiction, or verse; preparation of copy for publication; techniques of marketing.

Writing for New Technologies (WRTG 3305)
Upper-division workshop course for writing majors and minors and students in other programs. Focuses on academic and professional forms of writing. Student will use advanced strategies for print and electronic writing and examine how to shape the composition process for specific writing tasks and purposes. Prerequisite: WRTG 1320. Fall, spring.

Technical Writing (Writing 3310)
Instructors use case study and real-client involvement to apply theories of audience, purpose, and context to the rhetoric of professional writing. Students create and design documents dealing with instructions, specifications, international cross cultural issues, persuasive/informative long and short proposals, and reports. Writing projects stress learning to write effective and technically concise documents as they may apply to students' future work environments.

Persuasion (SPCH 3312)
Recent research and techniques in persuasion in rhetoric, social psychology, advertising, public opinion, and evidence in relation to attitude change.

In addition, writing minors must take nine hours of electives selected from upper-division courses in the Writing Program or, with approval of the Writing Department's Curriculum Committee, from courses offered by other departments. Electives may be drawn from but are not limited to courses from the following list:

• Introduction to Linguistics (WRTG 2320)
• Introduction to Dramatic Writing (WRTG 2315)
• Creative Writing: Poetry (WRTG 3300)
• Creative Writing: Fiction (WRTG 3300)
• Creative Writing: Non-Fiction (WRTG 3300)
• Creative Writing: Writing for Children (WRTG 3300)
• Creative Writing: Screenwriting (WRTG 3300)
• Forms of Scriptwriting (WRTG 3320)
• Forms of Poetry (WRTG 3325)
• Forms of Nonfiction (WRTG 3330)
• Forms of Fiction (WRTG 3335)
• Teaching & Tutoring Writing (WRTG 3315)
• Rhetoric and Composition (WRTG 3301)
• Rhetoric and Cross-Cultural Communication (WRTG 4320)
• Evolution of Rhetorical Theory (SPCH 4311)
• Semantics (WRTG 4315)
• Sociolinguistics (WRTG 4325)
• Linguistics for Educators (WRTG 4330)
• Modern Grammars (ENGL 3312)
• Beginning Reporting and Editing (MCOM 2300)
• Writing for Public Relations (SPCH 3310)

 
Universtiy of Central Arkansas College of Fine Arts and Communication