The Writing Creations of Autumn Raynne
Coursework and Course Descriptions
University of Denver Minor in Writing Practices
The Minor in Writing Practices develops writing proficiencies and knowledge at a time when employers assert that writing abilities are paramount, when writing shapes civic thought and action, when writing is a means of personal development and social interaction, when writing is inflected by evolving technologies. The minor is open to all undergraduates who have successfully completed WRIT xx22 and xx33 and are interested in honing their writing, furthering their understanding of concepts and theories, and demonstrating their abilities to employers and others. Students will complete at least 20 credits of courses culminating in a formal portfolio of their work:
WRIT 2000: Theories of Writing (4 credits)
Two courses from a list of approved Applied Writing courses (8 credits)
One course from a list of approved Theory, History, or Research in Writing courses (4 credits)
WRIT 3500: Capstone: Writing Design and Circulation (4 credits)
Students select approved courses from several departments and programs, including Writing; English; Media, Film, and Journalism Studies; Communication Studies; Theater; Business; and Anthropology. These multiple sites offer flexibility and breadth. That said, the minor can be completed entirely from WRIT offerings alone.
Theories of Writing (Writ 2000)
This course introduces a number of theories of writing, providing an overview of complex issues and research into the state and status of writing and writers. It takes up such questions as these: What is writing? Where did it come from? How did it develop – and did it do so the same or differently in other cultures? How do writers develop – and what accounts for differences? What are different types of writing, different situations for writing, different tools and practices – and how do these interconnect? What does it mean to study writing? How have major figures theorized writing, and what tensions emerge among their theories? What are relationships among thought, speech, and writing – and among imagine, film/video, and sound? How do such theories change our notions of what texts are and what texts do? Students will learn how various theorists, historians, and researchers answer these questions, and they will apply that knowledge to their own projects.
Public Good, Personal Gain, and Ethics of Persuasion
Roman rhetorician Quintillian’s ideal orator was “a good man speaking well,” but we know evil people can speak well and good people can struggleto communicate. We also know that a lot has changed since 95 AD. In this course, we will trace the thorny relationship between rhetoric and ethics, from the Sophists of ancient Athens to recent concerns about political persuasion on Facebook. We’ll discuss several touchstones in rhetorical theory and consider if and how their philosophies and frameworks apply to contemporary argument and persuasion in fields like education, law, journalism, and politics. You’ll hone your ability to read a wide variety of texts closely, critically, and rhetorically while also considering your own responsibilities as a writer and citizen. Students will compose regular analysis and response entries and other informal assignments; a multimodal ‘public conversation analysis’ that represents an ongoing argument in the civic sphere; and a dialogue, manifesto, or open letter to present their personal philosophy of ethics and persuasion.
Drugs and Behavior
This course will focus on the general mechanisms by which drugs can affect behavior as well as specific mechanisms of action of several different drugs. The biological and psychological effects of both licit (legal) and illicit (illegal) drugs will be explored.
Memoir and Personal Writing
In learning to write memoir, a writer is learning how to analyze memory, select experiences, invent narratives – all while still being “truthful.” In this course, students distinguish memoir from other forms of writing about the self, including autobiography, diaries and journals, blogs, and letters. They read excerpts of published memoirs and drafts of memoirs they write during the course, with a particular interest in how these writers shape and represent their experiences textually: how do people construct the stories thy tell about their lives? What is the value of personal writing for writers and readers? And perhaps most importantly, how can we begin to create stories of experiences in compelling ways? Students will complete multiple writing projects, including at least one polished short memoir.
Advanced Seminar: Indigenous Approaches to Gender and Sexuality
This course provides students with a glimpse into the various ways that indigenous communities in the U.S. and other parts of the world have understood and continue to understand gender and sexuality in a religious context. From Lakota traditionalists to Indigenous evangelicals, Indigenous peoples understand gender and sexuality in different ways. Throughout the class, students are exposed to a diverse range of perspectives concerning gender and sexuality.Indigenous communities are incredibly diverse. As such, a comprehensive treatment is not possible. Therefore, this class provides specific case studies to demonstrate the ways in which only a handful of indigenous groups attempt to navigate issues of gender and sexuality. Through individual research and writing assignments, students are
expected to provide additional material, adding to the contextual breadth of the class overall.
The class begins with a brief overview of some of the key concepts and arguments that
provide the foundation of gender studies in the Western Academic tradition. These
concepts will be used and/or challenged throughout the class in an effort to determine
the extent to which Western concepts (in)adequately explain non-Western
understandings of gender and sexuality. The class then moves into various case studies,
illustrating the effects of colonialism on traditional indigenous modes of gender and
sexuality.
Writ 1133/Writing and Research
In this section of WRIT 1133, we studied contemporary beliefs about cultural and individual authenticity alongside cases that challenged these beliefs. The cases we researched and wrote about drew upon scholarship from the academic fields of gender, media, and cultural studies, covering topics including Andy Warhol, Andy Kaufman, Mardi Gras, JT Leroy, catfishing, vogue balls, pow-wows, and target marketing. We will also studied research traditions themselves, to understand how different kinds of research questions take shape. Students will have opportunities to develop and conduct several independent writing and research projects, resulting in the completion of at least 20 pages of revised and polished writing by the end of the quarter.