ENWR 1506 - Writing and Critical Inquiry: The Stretch Sequence

Offers a two-semester approach to the First Writing Requirement. This sequence allows students to take more time, in smaller sections and with support from the Writing Center, practicing and reinforcing the activities that are central to the first-year writing course. Like ENWR 1510, ENWR 1505-06 approaches writing as a way of generating, representing, and reflecting on critical inquiry. Students contribute to an academic conversation about a specific subject of inquiry and learn to position their ideas and research in relation to the ideas and research of others.  Instructors place student writing at the center of course, encourage students to think on the page, and prepare them to reflect on contemporary forms of expression.  Students read and respond to each other’s writing in class regularly, and they engage in thoughtful reflection on their own rhetorical choices as well as those of peers and published writers.  Additionally, the course requires students to give an oral presentation on their research and to assemble a digital portfolio of their writing.

001 - Writing about Culture/Society  - The Good Life
TR 12:30PM-01:45PM (BRN 332)
John Modica

002 - Writing about Culture/Society - American Sports Culture
MW 02:00PM-03:15PM (CAB 036)
Claire Chantell

003 - Writing about Culture/Society - American Sports Culture​
MW 03:30PM-04:45PM (KER 317)
Claire Chantell

004 - Writing about Culture/Society - Language and Culture: Brain Rot or Demure​
TR 02:00PM-03:15PM (CAB 056)
Patricia Sullivan

005 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing About Mental Health and Well-Being in College Life
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (BRN 330)
Ethan King

College life can often feel like a balancing act between ambition and exhaustion, connection and isolation, thriving and just getting by. This course invites you to explore how college culture—from the pressure to achieve and the pull of perfectionism to the need to belong—shapes emotional well-being. Through readings from psychologists, educators, journalists, and student writers, we’ll consider how ideas about success, motivation, and belonging influence what it means to “do well” and “be well” in academic life. You will develop your writing through analytical essays, reflective narratives, and public pieces that examine how institutions and individuals talk about, support, and sometimes challenge mental health in higher education.

006 - Writing about Culture/Society - The Good Life
TR 03:30PM-04:45PM (BRN 330)
John Modica

007 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing About Mental Health and Well-Being in College Life
TR 12:30PM-01:45PM (BRN 330)
Ethan King

College life can often feel like a balancing act between ambition and exhaustion, connection and isolation, thriving and just getting by. This course invites you to explore how college culture—from the pressure to achieve and the pull of perfectionism to the need to belong—shapes emotional well-being. Through readings from psychologists, educators, journalists, and student writers, we’ll consider how ideas about success, motivation, and belonging influence what it means to “do well” and “be well” in academic life. You will develop your writing through analytical essays, reflective narratives, and public pieces that examine how institutions and individuals talk about, support, and sometimes challenge mental health in higher education.

008 - Writing about Culture/Society - Language and Culture: Brain Rot or Demure
TR 03:30PM-04:45PM (CAB 044)
Patricia Sullivan  

ENWR 1510 - Writing and Critical Inquiry (70+ sections)

Approaches writing as a way of generating, representing, and reflecting on critical inquiry. Students contribute to an academic conversation about a specific subject of inquiry and learn to position their ideas and research in relation to the ideas and research of others.  Instructors place student writing at the center of course, encourage students to think on the page, and prepare them to reflect on contemporary forms of expression.  Students read and respond to each other’s writing in class regularly, and they engage in thoughtful reflection on their own rhetorical choices as well as those of peers and published writers.  Additionally, the course requires students to give an oral presentation on their research and to assemble a digital portfolio of their writing.

001 - Writing about Digital Media - Writing about Attention
TR 09:30AM-10:45AM (CAB 064)
Tyler Carter

002 - Writing about Digital Media - Writing about Attention
TR 12:30PM-01:45PM (CAB 287)
Tyler Carter
 
003 - Writing about Culture/Society
TR 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 068)
Alison Cotti-Lowell

004 - Writing about Culture/Society - Animal Studies Across Media
MWF 12:00PM-12:50PM (CAB 415)
Maggie Schlich

005 - Writing about Culture/Society
MW 02:00PM-03:15PM (CAB 064)
Jeddie Sophronius
 
006 - Writing about the Arts - Dreamscapes in Literature and Film
TR 08:00AM-09:15AM (BRN 330)
Regan Schadl
 
007 - Writing about the Arts - Fantasy and Its Worlds: Quests and Queries
MWF 09:00AM-09:50AM (CAB 415)
Greta Marle

“Lions, tigers, and…dragons? While fantasy may be a recently recognized genre in the grand scheme of literature, it has quickly gained a following across all forms of media. If it isn’t real, what keeps us engaged? This is the question that will kickstart our quest into new worlds. Some major elements of our journey include exploring works such as The Hobbit, engaging with essays and lectures by prominent fantasy authors, and exploring fantasy media such as Avatar: The Last Airbender. You will also choose a fantasy novel to work with in the second part of the semester that is part of a final project. As you journey through fantastic worlds, you will be taking on important side quests, sharpening your critical reading and writing skills, which will help you on your longer adventure through UVA and beyond.”
 
008 - Writing about the Arts - Writing about Comedy (as a Survival Skill)
MWF 10:00AM-10:50AM (KER 317)
Derek Cavens
 
009 - Writing about the Arts - Writing about Comedy (as a Survival Skill)
MWF 12:00PM-12:50PM (KER 317)
Derek Cavens
 
010 - Writing about Culture/Society
TR 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 036)
Keith Driver

011 - Writing about Culture/Society
TR 12:30PM-01:45PM (KER 317)
John Casteen

012 - Multilingual Writers
MWF 01:00PM-01:50PM (CAB 068)
Davy Tran
(Multilingual or international students ONLY)
 
013 - Writing about Culture/Society
MWF 09:00AM-09:50AM (CAB 056)
Kamau Walker

014 - Writing about Culture/Society - Assessing Performance, Risk, and Reward
MWF 10:00AM-10:50AM (CAB 107)
Jon D'Errico
 
015 - Writing about Culture/Society
MW 08:30AM-09:45AM (CAB 064)
Opeyemi Rasak-Oyadiran
  
017 - Writing About the Arts - Dreams as Critical Inquiry
MWF 10:00AM-10:50AM (CAB 068)
Seonah Kim
 
018 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing about Culture and Place
TR 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 044)
Desiree Santana
 
019 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing about Family
MW 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 036)
Holly Zhou
 
020 - Writing about Identities
MW 02:00PM-03:15PM (CAB 056)
devin donovan
 
021 - Writing about Culture/Society
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (CAB 287)
Kate Natishan

022 - Writing about Culture/Society
MWF 12:00PM-12:50PM (CAB 036)
Emily Park
 
023 - Writing about Digital Media - The Art of the Post: Performance in Social Media Spaces
TR 12:30PM-01:45PM (CAB 211)
Dana Little

In the digital era, social media platforms have become integral spaces for self-expression, communication, and cultural production. This course investigates how individuals and communities perform identities, narratives, and micro-cultures through various forms of digital expression. Beyond merely observing, we will critically examine how social media platforms serve as stages for creative expression, social interaction, and civil discourse, using theoretical frameworks drawn from media studies, cultural theory, performance studies, and digital humanities.
  
024 - Writing about Culture/Society
MW 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 044)
Opeyemi Rasak-Oyadiran
 
025 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing about Writing and Literacy
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (CAB 036)
Kate Kostelnik

Writing is a tool that allows us to discover new ideas and communicate our ideas to others. In this class, we will inquire into writing itself and education—specifically what academic literacy means in the twenty-first century. We will investigate what writing means for us as individuals and what factors influence how we write. Throughout the course we will be considering different genres (personal essays, academic arguments, and fiction) and trying different writing strategies (invention, reflection, critical analysis, drafting, revision, and final editing). Particular attention will be paid to developing a working knowledge of rhetorical concepts such as audience, purpose, and context for writing. In the final month of the course, we’ll consider arguments about academic discourse and how college writers progress; our final projects will allow us to enter these ongoing academic conversations and articulate our own ideas and experiences in the context of scholarship.
 
026 - Writing about Culture/Society - Assessing Performance, Risk, and Reward
MWF 11:00AM-11:50AM (CAB 107)
Jon D'Errico
 
027 - Writing about Culture/Society
MW 03:30PM-04:45PM (CAB 036)
Kaitlyn Airy
 
028 - Writing about Science & Tech
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (KER 317)
Cory Shaman
 
029 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing about Family​
MW 03:30PM-04:45PM (WIL 244)
Holly Zhou
 
030 - Writing about Digital Media - Did the Camera Ever Tell the Truth?
TR 09:30AM-10:45AM (CAB 283)
Jodie Childers

In this class, we will build upon this provocative question posed by documentary filmmakers Maximilien Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson to explore what it means to be a discerning content consumer in the age of digital media. As we become active readers, viewers, and listeners, we will analyze the ways in which content creators attempt to shape our perception, from the Kuleshov effect in a video to the pathos of the sound design in a podcast. We will also apply the tricks of the trade as we make our own digital projects. With the rise of AI-generated media, it’s more important now than ever to grapple with the ethics of digital content creation and consumption.
 
031 - Writing about the Arts - Sci-fi and Its Present
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (WIL 244)
Hodges Adams

In the introduction to The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin declares that “Science fiction is not predictive; it is descriptive.” What, then, can a work of science fiction tell us about the time in which it was written? Students in this course should expect to read and watch works of science fiction across a variety of genres and forms, including novels, short stories, essays, poetry, television episodes, and movies, and then generate critical written responses. This class focuses on reading, writing, researching, and revising carefully and with intention. Student papers will be peer reviewed and revised multiple times during class.
 
032 - Writing about Science & Tech
TR 09:30AM-10:45AM (KER 317)
Cory Shaman
 
033 - Multilingual Writers
MWF 12:00PM-12:50PM (Cab 068)
Davy Tran
(Multilingual or international students ONLY)
 
034 - Writing & Community Engagement - Walking Charlottesville
TR 12:30PM-01:45PM (CAB 115)
Kate Stephenson

035 - Writing about Digital Media - Writing about Movie Remakes
TR 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 411)
Meredith Swaim
 
036 - Writing about Digital Media - Digital Mythopoeia: Rituals, Symbols and Storytelling in Networked Cyberspaces
TR 08:00AM-09:15AM (CAB 411)
Aindrila Choudhury

Contemporary belonging and beliefs are beginning to increasingly crystallize around social media, online urban legends, hashtags, memes, Reddit threads, and online rituals. This section of ENWR 1510 invites us to consider how the internet functions as a participatory archive of mythmaking, where ordinary digital gestures (like reposting, stitching, liking) take on ritualistic and symbolic meaning. We will attempt to unmoor myth from its timeworn origins and reimagine it as a living, circulating form that gains meaning through repetition and viral exchange. How do digital spaces rework one of the oldest human impulses to explain, connect, and remember through story? How do digital rituals create forms of belonging that are at once intimate and impersonal? Topics include online ritual (trending challenges to global dissent), the social life of memes, mapping the rhetorical moves of digital myths, and how platforms archive and circulate stories. We’ll read both traditional texts and read the internet itself (or specific digital artefacts, pages, platforms) as text, with writing offering a way to intervene and locate ourselves within a constantly shifting web of shared myths that are endlessly circulating.
 
037 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing about Writing and Literacy
TR 12:30PM-01:45PM (CAB 036)
Kate Kostelnik

Writing is a tool that allows us to discover new ideas and communicate our ideas to others. In this class, we will inquire into writing itself and education—specifically what academic literacy means in the twenty-first century. We will investigate what writing means for us as individuals and what factors influence how we write. Throughout the course we will be considering different genres (personal essays, academic arguments, and fiction) and trying different writing strategies (invention, reflection, critical analysis, drafting, revision, and final editing). Particular attention will be paid to developing a working knowledge of rhetorical concepts such as audience, purpose, and context for writing. In the final month of the course, we’ll consider arguments about academic discourse and how college writers progress; our final projects will allow us to enter these ongoing academic conversations and articulate our own ideas and experiences in the context of scholarship.
 
038 - Writing about Culture/Society - Wildlife and the Human Animal
TR 08:00AM-09:15AM (CAB 415)
Danny Eisenberg
 
039 - Writing about Culture/Society - Argument and Civic Participation
MW 08:00AM-09:15AM (CAB 068)
George Abry
 
040 - Writing about Culture/Society
MWF 11:00AM-11:50AM (CAB 068)
Gabriel Costello
 
041 - Writing about the Arts - Sci-fi and Its Present
TR 02:00PM-03:15PM (CAB 036)
Hodges Adams

In the introduction to The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin declares that “Science fiction is not predictive; it is descriptive.” What, then, can a work of science fiction tell us about the time in which it was written? Students in this course should expect to read and watch works of science fiction across a variety of genres and forms, including novels, short stories, essays, poetry, television episodes, and movies, and then generate critical written responses. This class focuses on reading, writing, researching, and revising carefully and with intention. Student papers will be peer reviewed and revised multiple times during class.
 
042 - Writing about Culture/Society
MW 02:00PM-03:15PM (BRN 332)
Kaitlyn Airy
 
043 - Writing about Digital Media - Did the Camera Ever Tell the Truth?
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (CAB 283)
Jodie Childers 

In this class, we will build upon this provocative question posed by documentary filmmakers Maximilien Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson to explore what it means to be a discerning content consumer in the age of digital media. As we become active readers, viewers, and listeners, we will analyze the ways in which content creators attempt to shape our perception, from the Kuleshov effect in a video to the pathos of the sound design in a podcast. We will also apply the tricks of the trade as we make our own digital projects. With the rise of AI-generated media, it’s more important now than ever to grapple with the ethics of digital content creation and consumption.
 
044 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing and the News
TR 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 064)
Nina Copeland
 
045 - Writing about the Arts - Writing about Television
TR 09:30AM-10:45AM (CAB 036)
Cristina Griffin

046 - Writing about Science & Tech - Writing about Medicine
MW 05:00PM-06:15PM (KER 317)
Rhiannon Goad
 
047 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing about Culture and Place
TR 03:30PM-04:45PM (CAB 056)
Desiree Santana
 
048 - Writing about Culture/Society
TR 09:30AM-10:45AM (CAB 287)
Kate Natishan
 
049 - Writing about Culture/Society
MWF 10:00AM-10:50AM (CAB 064)
Gabriel Costello
 
050 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing about the Afterlife
MWF 12:00PM-12:50PM (BRN 330)
Geoff Chaplin
 
051 - Writing about Identities
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (BRN 334)
Charity Fowler
 
052 - Writing & Community Engagement
TR 02:00PM-03:15PM (CAB 283)
Kevin Smith
  
053 - Writing about the Arts - Writing about Comedy (as a Survival Skill)
MWF 11:00AM-11:50AM (KER 317)
Derek Cavens
 
054 - Writing about the Arts - Writing about Learning
TR 08:00AM-09:15AM (CAB 211)
Mozer Zhao

055 - Writing about Culture/Society - Aesthetics of Urban Belonging
TR 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 211)
Tochi Eze
 
056 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing about Homes
MW 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 068)
Raginee Sarmah
 
057 - Writing about the Arts - Music, Albums, and Reviews
TR 08:00AM-09:15AM (CAB 283)
Ki Bailey
 
058 - Writing about Digital Media - The Art of the Post: Performance in Social Media Spaces
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (CAB 068)
Dana Little

In the digital era, social media platforms have become integral spaces for self-expression, communication, and cultural production. This course investigates how individuals and communities perform identities, narratives, and micro-cultures through various forms of digital expression. Beyond merely observing, we will critically examine how social media platforms serve as stages for creative expression, social interaction, and civil discourse, using theoretical frameworks drawn from media studies, cultural theory, performance studies, and digital humanities.
 
059 - Writing about the Arts - Writing about Graphic Novels
TR 08:00AM-09:15AM (CAB 064)
Maxwell Cairo
 
060 - Writing about Identities - Writing a Living World
MW 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 056)
Marley Hays
 
061 - Writing about Science & Tech - Writing about Animals
TR 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 056)
Jo Gao
 
062 - Writing about the Arts - Writing about Visual Narratives
MWF 10:00AM-10:50AM (CAB 056)
Rory Sullivan

In this course, we will examine what it means to read, experience, write about, and create visual narratives. By looking at a variety of media objects, including comics, graphic novels, archival materials, and video games, we will explore what makes these narratives unique as a genre.

063 - Writing about Culture/Society
MWF 11:00AM-11:50AM (CAB 287)
Kamau Walker
 
064 - Writing about Digital Media - Writing about Visual Media
MW 05:00PM-06:15PM (CAB 064)
Momiji Barlow
 
065 - Writing about Culture/Society - Food/Writing
MWF 01:00PM-01:50PM (BRN 310)
Vinayak Dewan
 
066 - Writing about Culture/Society
TR 08:00AM-09:15AM (CAB 407)
Eli Gregory
 
067 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing about Sports
MWF 11:00AM-11:50AM (CAB 283)
Rory Sullivan

In this course, we will discover the various ways that sports reflect and shape culture. Writing projects will include game summaries, audio and visual podcasts, and research projects.
 
068 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing about Writing and Literacy
TR 03:30PM-04:45PM (CAB 036)
Kate Kostelnik

Writing is a tool that allows us to discover new ideas and communicate our ideas to others. In this class, we will inquire into writing itself and education—specifically what academic literacy means in the twenty-first century. We will investigate what writing means for us as individuals and what factors influence how we write. Throughout the course we will be considering different genres (personal essays, academic arguments, and fiction) and trying different writing strategies (invention, reflection, critical analysis, drafting, revision, and final editing). Particular attention will be paid to developing a working knowledge of rhetorical concepts such as audience, purpose, and context for writing. In the final month of the course, we’ll consider arguments about academic discourse and how college writers progress; our final projects will allow us to enter these ongoing academic conversations and articulate our own ideas and experiences in the context of scholarship.

069 - Writing about Culture/Society - On the American University
TR 08:00AM-09:15AM (KER 317)
Tracey Wang

070 - Writing about Culture/Society - Writing about Food
MWF 01:00PM-01:50PM (CAB 415)
Elizabeth Holup

072 - Writing about Identities
TR 09:30AM-10:45AM (BRN 334)
Charity Fowler

073 - Writing about Digital Media - Decoding Digital Writing
TR 05:00PM-05:15PM (KER 317)
Samantha Stephens

074 - Writing about Culture/Society
TR 08:00AM-09:15AM (CAB 036)
Annie Wisz

075 - Writing About the Arts - Dreams as Critical Inquiry
MWF 09:00AM-09:50AM (CAB 036)
Seonah Kim

ENWR 1520 - Writing and Community Engagement (5 sections)

ENWR 1520 shares the same writing goals and approaches as ENWR 1510, but focuses on community engagement in pursuit of those goals. In ENWR 1520, students contribute to a conversation and learn to position their ideas, research, and experiential learning in community engaged projects. Students should expect to spend time outside the classroom interacting with community partners, either in person or virtually.

002 - Writing and Community Engagement - You and A.I.
TR 09:30AM-10:45AM (BRN 332)
Piers Gelly

In this course, we will practice the skills associated with college-level writing by asking a provocative question of one another: in the age of ChatGPT, do we still need writing courses like this one? 

003 - Writing and Community Engagement - Writing about Native American Rhetoric
TR 09:30AM-10:45AM (RTN 150)
Sarah Richardson

Who writes history and how do we know if it is accurate? This course will focus on how Native American histories are written and analyze the impacts of the rhetorical choices made in writing Native histories. Students will learn concepts such as: colonization, rhetoric, dominant and counter narratives, and current and past representations in memory. Students will also learn how to research, compose, and revise ethical and effective arguments to address specific audiences.

004 - Writing and Community Engagement - Writing about Native American Rhetoric
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (RTN 150)
Sarah Richardson

Who writes history and how do we know if it is accurate? This course will focus on how Native American histories are written and analyze the impacts of the rhetorical choices made in writing Native histories. Students will learn concepts such as: colonization, rhetoric, dominant and counter narratives, and current and past representations in memory. Students will also learn how to research, compose, and revise ethical and effective arguments to address specific audiences.

ENWR 2510 - Advanced Writing Seminar

The course in highest demand for students on the FWR+ track is ENWR 2510, an Advanced Writing Seminar. Like ENWR 1510, ENWR 2510 approaches writing as a way of generating, representing, and reflecting on critical inquiry. Students contribute to an academic conversation about a specific subject of inquiry and learn to position their ideas and research in relation to the ideas and research of others.  Instructors place student writing at the center of course, encourage students to think on the page, and prepare them to reflect on contemporary forms of expression.  Students read and respond to each other’s writing in class regularly, and they engage in thoughtful reflection on their own rhetorical choices as well as those of peers and published writers.  Additionally, the course requires students to give an oral presentation on their research and to assemble a digital portfolio of their writing. While ENWR 2510 and ENWR 1510 share the same goals and practices, ENWR 2510 offers added rigor, often in the form of denser course texts and longer, more self-directed writing assignments.

001 - Writing about Digital Media - Writing in the Age of Generative AI
TR 3:30PM-04:45PM (CAB 183)
Ethan King

In this humanities-based writing seminar, we will explore generative AI as a rhetorical and cultural force reshaping how we read, write, and think. Rather than treating AI simply as a professional tool or as a looming threat, we’ll approach it as a site of inquiry: asking who we become when we write with, through, or against machines that can simulate language. Our work will build layered AI awareness, including a functional understanding of how these systems operate, rhetorical insight into how they shape meaning, and ethical attention to their social and environmental impacts. Readings will span a range of perspectives, from those who see AI as a creative collaborator to its most critical opponents. Through a variety of writing projects, we will enter current debates about writing and technology and practice what it means to write deliberately in a world increasingly shaped by automated language.

002 - Writing about Identities - The Cultural Work of Life Writing
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (COC 101)
Tamika Carey

From posting on social media to writing memoirs, people are constantly documenting their lives for the public. This class will explore these acts of disclosure to understand what they reveal about how members from different cultural groups use writing to form, reform, and share their identities. In addition to reading theoretical works, popular critiques, and primary texts by a variety of memoirists, scholars, and journalists, students will collect, analyze, and compose brief life writings, and complete a final critical or creative project.

003 - Writing about Culture/Society
MWF 11:00AM-11:50AM (BRN 310)
Heidi Nobles

004 - Writing about Culture/Society - Exploratory Writing
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (BRN 312)
James Seitz

005 - Writing about Culture/Society - Cinematic Cities: Global Perspectives
MW 02:00PM-03:15PM (Fayerweather 215)
Rolando Vargas

This course explores the relationship between cinema and urban environments worldwide. By analyzing iconic films from different cultural and historical backgrounds, students will examine how cities influence cinematic storytelling, aesthetics, and production, shaping cultural perceptions and identities of urban spaces.

Cross-listed with ARTH 1500

006 - Writing about Culture/Society - Culture and Society of Contemporary Arab Middle East
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (GIB 142)
Hanadi Al-Samman

This course aims to introduce students to Modern Arab society and culture with a nuanced understanding of its simultaneous unity and diversity. It addresses some religious, socio-political, and historical factors that have contributed to the shaping of Arab identity in the modern age. Special attention will be given to issues of gender, social, and political change in the contemporary Arab world, particularly, as represented in the Arab Spring and subsequent revolutions. By examining travelogues, literary and visual works we study the question of Palestine and its impact on modern Arab politics and self-image, the Arab image in the West, particularly after 9/11, and the advent of modernity/postmodernity vis-á-vis history and national narrative.

Cross-listed with MEST 2270
 

ENWR 2520 - Special Topics in Writing (8 sections)

001 - Queer Writing: Theory and Practice
TR 05:00PM-06:15PM (BRN 330)
John Modica

This course is designed to transform your relationship to writing by introducing you to queer theories and practices of writing. We will consider what it means to enact a ‘queer’ approach to writing today, and put our theories to the test in our own writing and classroom activities.  

002 - Listening to Horror
TR 12:30PM-01:45PM (CAB 207)
Kate Natishan
ECHOLS STUDENTS ONLY

Are there aspects of fear and horror that are cross-cultural? How do creators use larger sociological anxieties to scare or unnerve their audiences? This class explores the genre of cosmic horror: we begin with an overview of the history of cosmic horror and its place in society, then take deep dives into two horror podcasts. Throughout the semester, we will examine how sound design enhances written scripts. 

004 - Audible Writing
MWF 01:00PM-01:50PM (BRN 330)
Jon D'Errico

Text meets audio. As a class, we'll explore, analyze, and produce audible writing about UVa and Charlottesville in a range of genres, from podcast-style scripts to hybrid multi-modal documents. Appropriate for students who combine strong writing with a lively and engaged intellectual curiosity.

005 - Writing Within the Archive
MW 02:00PM-03:15PM (BRN 334)
Rory Sullivan

This course explores how to research and write about archival material. Working closely with UVA Special Collections, we will identify materials to study, conduct research, develop arguments, and practice different modes of sharing our findings, including born-digital compositions. We will also consider theoretical understandings of archival practices.

006 - Writing about Virginia's Native Community
TR 02:00PM-03:15PM (RDL 123)
Sarah Richardson

In this course, students will employ research skills, focus on critical engagement, reflect on how information is presented and written to craft effective arguments to address a public facing audience.  In particular, students will work with Virginia’s Tribal Nations to create a document that discusses the similarities and differences between the Tribal Nations socially, historically, and culturally.

007 - Writing about Medicine
MW 03:30PM-04:45PM (CAB 044)
Rhiannon Goad
ECHOLS STUDENTS ONLY

This course dives into the art and ethics of communicating about health. You'll dissect everything from dense medical studies to viral news, learning to translate complex science into clear, compelling language. With short essays, you will develop skills to evaluate diverse sources, including medical literature, health journalism, and patient narratives, and apply responsible communication principles in contexts such as reporting research findings without hype and explaining public health issues effectively. You'll practice these communication skills throughout the semester, culminating in a final project: the creation of a zine about medicine.

008 - You and A.I.
TR 11:00AM-12:15PM (BRN 332)
Piers Gelly
ECHOLS STUDENTS ONLY

In this course, we will practice the skills associated with college-level writing by asking a provocative question of one another: in the age of ChatGPT, do we still need writing courses like this one? 

100 - Writing (and creating) Democratic Spaces
T 06:00PM-08:30PM (BRN 312)
Steve Parks
ECHOLS STUDENTS ONLY

Students will study theories of democracy and work with global democratic advocates, as well as students located in international contexts. This course will involve all-day workshops on February 15th, 16th, 22nd, and 23rd. This course will also end on March 9th.

ENWR 2700 - News Writing

TR 09:30AM-10:45AM (SHN 109)
Kate Sweeney

No fake news here, but rather progressive exercises in developing the news-writing style of writing from straight hard news to "soft" features. Satisfies Second Writing Requirement.

ENWR 2800 - Public Speaking

MW 03:30PM-04:45PM (CAB 056)
devin donovan

An inquiry-based approach to the development of a confident, engaging, and ethical public speaking style. Beyond practical skills, this course emphasizes rhetorical thinking: what are the conventions of public speaking? Where are there opportunities to deviate from convention in ways that might serve a speech’s purpose? How might we construct an audience through the ways we craft language and plan the delivery of our speech?

ENWR 3500 - Topics in Advanced Writing & Rhetoric

001 - Environmental Justice Writing
TR 02:00PM-03:15PM (PV8 102)
Cory Shaman

Designed to offer students practice in engaged environmental writing, this course will focus on environmental justice (EJ) discourse in US and international contexts. While the class will be grounded in a study of established forms of EJ theory, special attention will be given to advancing an understanding of the entangled claims and interests of humans and non-humans together as a method to enable students to develop more expansive conceptions of justice and produce just forms of writing.

Course materials will draw heavily on texts associated with historical and contemporary environmental justice efforts at the grassroots level, but also in academic, governmental, and commercial contexts. Case studies in local EJ campaigns in Virginia may form a significant portion of the class. Students will gain experience as readers of these texts and apply insights to a variety of writing tasks shaped by their specific interests within the framework of environmental justice.

002 - Rhetoric of Crime
MW 02:00PM-03:15PM (BRK 103)
Rhiannon Goad

Sensational news headlines, tough-on-crime political campaigns, and gripping true crime narratives: how we talk about crime profoundly shapes our understanding of criminals, victims, justice, and social order. This course explores the rhetorical dimension of crime, examining the persuasive strategies used to define crime, influence public perception, and shape policy in contemporary culture. Together, we will critically analyze how language constructs our reality of crime and punishment. Through a series of analytic papers and a podcast, students will use rhetorical analysis to identify significant trends in crime discourse, identify agents shaping these narratives, and develop a critical perspective on the power of language in matters of law, order, and justice.

ENWR 3550 - Advanced Topics in Digital Writing & Rhetoric

001 - Digital Public Writing
TR 12:30PM-01:45PM (CAB 283)
Kevin Smith

ENWR 3550: Digital Public Writing examines the rhetorical, technological, and cultural dimensions of writing for public audiences with an emphasis on digital communities. Students will analyze and produce multimodal compositions meant to circulate beyond the classroom, developing rhetorical frameworks for understanding how (digital) texts address audiences and perform work in the world.

002 - Digital Maker Studio
TR 02:00PM-03:15PM (CLM 320)
Jodie Childers

In this hands-on maker workshop, students will explore the craft of digital making. Students will engage in independent and collaborative projects, creating audio narratives, videos, and digital stories. Experimentation, invention, and design will be emphasized as students learn how to use digital tools; compose with still and moving images, sound, and text; and consider the ethics and aesthetics of citation. 

ENWR 3559 - New Course in Writing & Rhetoric

001 - Rebuilding (and Expanding) Democracy
M 06:00PM-08:30PM (CAB 211)
Steve Parks

This course will enable students to gain fluency in linking their academic writing to public debates. In particular, the course will investigate the status of democracy as both a concept and set of participatory practices, asking students to consider how their education might support a robust democratic sphere. Students will engage with global democratic advocates (via Zoom) as well as a democratic organizing skills workshop.

ENWR 3640 - Writing with Sound

TR 03:30PM-04:45PM (FHL 215)
Piers Gelly

Trains students to become attuned, thoughtful listeners and sonic composers. In addition to discussing key works on sound from fields such as rhetoric and composition, sound studies, and journalism, we will experiment with the possibilities of sound as a valuable form of writing and storytelling. Students will learn how to use digital audio editing tools, platforms, and techniques for designing and producing sonic projects. (Meets second writing requirement.)

ENWR 3660 - Travel Writing

TR 09:30AM-10:45AM (CAB 056)
Kate Stephenson

Why is everyone suddenly going to Portugal? Why do we travel? What is the difference between a traveler and a tourist?  Using different types of writing, including journal entries, forum posts, peer reviews, and formal papers, we will explore the world of travel writing.  Since we all write best about ideas we are passionate about, we will work together to generate interesting questions about the role of travel in our culture, as well as about specific books and essays. We will also investigate the world of tourism and consider the many ethical issues that arise in the exploration of our modern world. Throughout the course, we will ponder questions like:  

• What is the relationship between travel writer, reader, and inhabitant?  
• How can we use writing to navigate the relationship between writer, reader, inhabitant, and place?  
• What is the role of “outsider” in travel writing?
• How does travel writing encourage us to see ourselves differently?  
• How can we use the very best of travel writing—the sense of discovery, voice, narrative suspense—in other forms of writing, including academic essays?  
• Can travel writing evoke political and social change? 

As the semester unfolds, I hope we will revise and refine our views, paying close attention to how we put words together to write powerfully and engagingly about travel. 

ENWR 3720 - Argumentation Across Disciplines

TR 03:30PM-4:45PM (CAB 411)
Tyler Carter

Argumentation Across Disciplines examines how the linguistic and rhetorical features of argument vary from discipline to discipline. The course will make two primary movements: The first is an examination of what argument is through the lens of classical and new rhetorical theory. Second, students will do comparative research on the linguistic and rhetorical features of texts in two different disciplines.

ENWR 3760 - Studies in Cultural Rhetoric

TR 02:00PM-03:15PM (FHL 215)
Tamika Carey

This course will explore how cultural groups develop, use, and remix stories to build and reshape their worlds. With special attention to the social concepts and communication techniques involved in this work – concepts that include master narratives, rhetorical listening, identification, testimony, and counterstory – we will deepen our understanding of how rhetoric influences the worlds in which we live. Projects will include a story collection project, an analysis presentation, and a final creative or critical project.

ENWR 3900 - The Forbes Seminar in Career-based Writing and Rhetoric

001 - Strategic Communication in the Age of AI and Social Media
TR 03:00PM-04:45PM (CAB 111)
Dana Little

Career-Based Writing & Rhetoric is a hands-on, workshop-style course designed to equip you with the advanced communication skills essential for thriving in the modern workplace. In this course, you’ll combine persuasive writing with practical strategies in social media marketing and Generative AI tools. Through self-designed projects, you’ll practice proposing, drafting, and editing content while exploring recent research, learning GenAI best practices, and integrating these materials into your writing process. Along the way, you’ll learn the foundations of effective communication, analyze real-world case studies, and discover how social media platforms—from TikTok to LinkedIn—shape modern branding, promotion, and engagement. As you master adapting your writing to various audiences and formats, you'll stay ahead of emerging trends, such as influencer marketing and short-form video, setting yourself up for success in today’s dynamic communication landscape and preparing you to write effectively for any career-focused goal.