The New Writing and Rhetoric Major at URI

Would you like a career as a writer?  Consider majoring in Writing & Rhetoric at URI. Effective writers are always in demand in organizations and businesses of all sizes and styles, including the publishing industry, financial services, cultural centers, public service, technical industries, governmental and non-governmental organizations, software and game developers, performing arts, commercial and non-commercial publications offices. Freelance writers can chart their own course.

As a Writing & Rhetoric major at URI, you will practice writing in a wide range of settings.  Our small classes are designed with active participation in multiple writing situations, from working with real-world clients to composing descriptive informational cards for museum exhibits. You will learn to collect information, conduct research, compose, analyze, and revise texts of many kinds. You will learn how to design brochures and web pages and present visual information effectively.  Throughout the major, you will work alone, with a partner, and in teams to produce documents for a number of different audiences.  In our exciting elective courses, you will have the opportunity to write for clients or organizations, to work with other writers, and to experiment creatively in many more genres.  When you graduate, you will have an electronic portfolio of your work that will showcase your accomplishments and demonstrate your abilities as a professional writer.

In addition to intensive practice with written communication, Writing & Rhetoric majors will explore the discipline's intellectual challenges. Our core courses probe key questions in rhetoric, balancing practice in the craft of writing with historical, theoretical, and research-based knowledge about writing and its effects on audiences. Writing & Rhetoric majors will develop cutting edge knowledge about writing as a discipline. By the time you graduate, you will have the tools and the confidence to create appropriate responses to almost any situation--in school, at work, throughout the community.

Writing & Rhetoric majors at URI have ample opportunities to work with a nationally-respected faculty, teacher-scholars as active in the discipline as we are in our classrooms.

Consider combining your Writing & Rhetoric major with another area of expertise, either as a double-major or as a minor, for even greater flexibility after graduation.

Courses Required for the B.A. in Writing and Rhetoric

Students will take 15 credits in the required courses and an additional 15 credit hours of departmental offerings in WRT at the 300-level or above.

To see the outcomes for the B.A. in Writing and Rhetoric, click here. For the outcomes map click here.