Writing Portfolio

Writing Design and Circulation:

      This is the capstone class for the Minor in Writing Practices. A capstone class is a culmination of an academic program, and in this case, it is meant to capture the writing experiences and instruction that you have been a part of thus far at the University of Denver. The major project that you will be completing for this class is an online Portfolio, and you will be composing, producing, and designing activities along the way to contribute to that Portfolio as well as your own learning. As part of the path to creating this portfolio, you will do a substantive revision of a previous writing assignment, learn about curation and circulation of writing, and conduct some analyses of your writing and writing process. The course culminates with a public showcase of your portfolio. Furthermore, in putting together your portfolio, you will reflect on your writing experiences throughout college, specifically how you have developed as a writer and learned more about writing. You will reflect on how your writing has helped you develop as a person. Finally, you will reflect on what your portfolio says about your future professional goals and how you will revise your portfolio further after this class to further reach your professional and personal goals after you graduate. 

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Constitutional Law I: Governmental Structures and Powers: 

      This course addresses major ideas and principles of U.S. constitutional law, with a focus on federalism, the growth of national power, and separation of powers. Within each of these areas, we will consider the development of court rulings over time, economic and political influences on court decision-making, and policy implications of these rulings. 

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Newswriting and Reporting:

      In today's new media age, news reporters and writers need two basic things: Practical, on-the-job skills and critical thinking skills. You will learn and develop hands-on skills by reporting and writing stories on national issues of importance, by covering local speeches and meetings, and by interviewing people and professionals in the area you are located when you take this online course. You will be pushed to develop and expand your reporting and writing skills for a variety of media formats, including print, broadcast, online and public relations media by writing a lot, in and out of class. You will also be encouraged to expand your reporting and writing skills by reading as much good reporting and writing as possible. Mastering news writing and reporting is like mastering a sport or a musical instrument. You wouldn’t expect to get any better at any of these without practice would you? Similarly, you simply cannot become a better writer without doing a lot of reading and writing. You will be doing a lot of reading and writing in this class – both formal informal. The future – and present – of news is clearly online news. You will be required to write and post all of your four formal stories for and to an online publication context, https://mfjsreportersummer2022.wordpress.com/. We will go over how to write and edit for an online publication context early in our 4-week course. I will also push you to build and hone your critical thinking skills by posing provocative and important questions in lecture, in in-class writing prompts, on the class Discussion Board and in formal story assignments. 

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Fundamentals of Argumentation: 

      The purpose of this course is to assist students in becoming more competent and comfortable when speaking about their opinions. Students learn how to develop and analyze rhetorical arguments, including the full range of the speech-making process, but especially how to support those opinions they assert. Assignments, class discussions and course materials provide students with a foundation of knowledge and practical application of speaking skills, which will prove useful in a variety of personal, professional, and public contexts. 

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Theories of Writing:

      In Theories of Writing, you will learn how theories of writing have developed from ancient to contemporary times. We will explore how and why Plato and Socrates distrusted writing because it displaced the present moment and the immediacy of the audience and how that distrust has affected theories of writing historically as well as how the immediacy of online writing complicates this distrust. We will explore how the ancients viewed writing as a process and how and why this view has evolved currently. Furthermore, we will explore how writing works rhetorically and socially to create knowledge by responding to the specific needs and purposes of its audience and how knowledge changes as the needs and purposes of audiences change. We will explore where creativity comes from and how creative writers work. Finally, we will explore how and why the visual and aural nature of online writing is changing how we write. 

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Conflict and the Law:

      Conflict pervades social life. People often define one another’s behavior as wrong – rude, disrespectful, inconsiderate, inappropriate, immoral, or even illegal. This course examines four related questions: (1) What is the cause of human conflict? (2) When do aggrieved parties turn to the legal system to handle a conflict? (3) If aggrieved parties turn to the legal system to handle a conflict, how does the social geometry of the case influence the outcome? (4) How can sociological theory be used to improve the practice of law? To answer such questions, the course focuses on sociologist Donald Black’s theoretical corpus.

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Legal Actors and Institutions:

      This course examines the legal system from the points of view of those who work within it. It considers the social characteristics of lawyers, judges, regulators, elected officials and non-state actors, and how they matter to the social construction of law. The emphasis is on the social organization of law and the everyday interactions that bring meaning to the legal system. It considers and seeks to understand how legal roles, legal institutions and power relations within the law influence its development and practice. Throughout the course, students are required to think critically about how society and the social relationships of law influence law's outcomes.