Program for Writing & Rhetoric
The Program for Writing and Rhetoric (PWR) at the University of Colorado Boulder is an active community of teachers and scholars committed to making writing central to the undergraduate education of ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder students. The department trains students to think critically about reading and guides them to produce writing that effectively shapes and expresses ideas in any context, whether it is academic, civic, professional or personal. Through small class sizes and intensive workshops that focus on substantive revision, PWR students refine and advance compositional and rhetorical skills that they will use inside and outside the classroom.
PWR also offers a broad array of upperÂ-division writing courses that build on the rhetorical skills of the first-Âyear course. These advanced courses address writing in various disciplines, writing on interdisciplinary topics of special interest and professional and technical writing. PWR upperÂ-division courses help students link the disciplinary knowledge acquired in their majors to issues of broad public importance. These courses stress the advanced rhetorical skills needed to address specific disciplinary, professional and civic audiences.
The PWR currently has five tenured or tenureÂ-track faculty permanently rostered in the program, with their tenure homes in the Departments of English and Communication. The faculty include nationally recognized scholars and writers whose research and writing enhances the courses they teach and the growth and development of the program. Senior instructors and instructors teach and contribute substantive service to the program and the campus, as evidenced by their work on curriculum, assessment, professional development, scholarly research and various PWR projects.
The ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder offers writers from all academic disciplines and skill levels the opportunity to work one-on-one with professionally trained writing consultants. We help writers at all stages of the writing process from brainstorming through revision. Writing Center sessions strive to address writers' stated needs while attending to relevant disciplinary, rhetorical, grammatical and stylistic concerns. Consultants provide feedback and advice that promote writers' abilities to communicate successfully and think critically in response to complex, evolving expectations of readers in academia, the workplace and society.
Employment of writers and authors is projected to grow 8 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Online publications and services are growing in number and sophistication, spurring demand for writers and authors with web and multimedia experience. Some experienced writers should find work in the public relations departments of corporations and nonprofit organizations. Self-employed or freelance writers and authors may find work with newspaper, magazine or journal publishers, and some will write books.
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, strong competition is expected for most job openings, given that many people are attracted to this occupation. Competition for jobs with established newspapers and magazines will be particularly strong because employment in the publishing industry is projected to decline.
Careers can include:
- Announcers
- Editors
- PR and Fundraising Managers
- Public Relations Specialists
- Reporters, Correspondents and Broadcast News Analysts
- Technical Writers
offers free services for all ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder degree-seeking students, and alumni up to one year after graduation, to help students discover who they are, what they want to do, and how to get there. They are the bridge between academics and the world of work by discussing major and career exploration, internship or job searching, and graduate school preparation.