6.0 credits, Y 2021-2022
This practicum allows fourth-year students to design and implement digital writing for community organizations. The primary goal of this course is to communicate in an online environment and critically reflect on this type of communication. Students will further develop critical skills in reading, writing, and thinking as they relate to actively working on real-world projects. Taking a case study approach, this course explores the usefulness (and limits) of Design Thinking theories and methods for creating complex, multifaceted digital writing projects.
Course Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Apply rhetorical theory to the practice of digital writing in both classroom and community contexts
- Understand contemporary, professional, and ethical issues in digital writing
- Collaborate with colleagues and community partners to produce deliverables in a variety of media and genres
Selected Readings
- Lewrick, Michael. The Design Thinking Toolbox: A Guide to Mastering the Most Popular and Valuable Innovation Methods. John Wiley & Sons, 2020.
- Marback, Richard. “Embracing Wicked Problems: The Turn to Design Thinking in Composition Studies.” College Composition and Communication 61.2 (2009): 397-419.
- Tham, Jason Cew Kit. Design Thinking in Technical Communication: Solving Problems through Making and Collaborating. Routledge, 2021.
Assignments and Assessment
Reading Quizzes: 10%
Design Thinking Exercises and Reflections: 20%
Participation: 10%
Portfolio 1: 15%
Project Milestone Video Journals: 25%
Portfolio 2: 20%
Brandee Easter | Digital rhetoric 