About the Department of Writing & Rhetoric

Department of Writing & Rhetoric

The Department of Writing & Rhetoric is the institutional home of first-year writing, speech communication, and the writing centers community at the University of Mississippi. Officially classified as a department in 2014, the DWR continues expand with new upper-division course offerings in Writing and Speech, a B.A. in Rhetoric, a professional writing minor, and a maturing writing enriched curriculum program.

Who We Are

The University of Mississippi is categorized as an R1 research institution, which means that our faculty are at the top of their fields and actively conducting groundbreaking research. It also means students work and study alongside some of the best.

The DWR has a longstanding commitment to innovative teaching and outreach, and much of our work has been funded by grants. For example, the department has been a state and national leader in the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement. Bob Cummings, former chair, and Stephen Monroe, current chair, won a multi-year grant from the Hewlett Foundation to promote the use of OER at community colleges and universities across Mississippi. Called Z-Degree Mississippi, this program has resulted in student textbook savings of more than seven million dollars.

Many DWR faculty have incorporated OER and other technology into their courses. Guy Krueger, Karen Forgette, and Andrew Davis have led an effort to develop adaptive learning modules for Writing 100 and 101. This project was undertaken in partnership with Lumen Learning of Portland and was supported by grant funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Association of Public Land Grant Universities.

Most recently, the DWR has become a national leader in applied artificial intelligence, developing new methods for teaching AI literacy. Marc Watkins and other DWR faculty and students were featured in the Washington Post for their innovative efforts.

What We Do

The Department of Writing and Rhetoric supports UM students’ rhetorical development at every stage. First- and second-year courses cover the fundamental writing, speaking, and analytic skills college demands. Upper-division courses focus on specific rhetorical contexts, media, theories, and audiences to develop skills in hearing, reading, composing, and delivering effective messages.

In addition to its innovative curriculum, the Department of Writing and Rhetoric offers a range of programs and resources that support students beyond the classroom. These include the Writing Centers and Speaking Center, which provide individualized support for writing and oral communication; the TEDx University of Mississippi program, where students help produce a major public speaking event; and competitive opportunities like the Warren Debate Union and Speaker’s Edge. The department also celebrates excellence in storytelling through the prestigious Willie Morris Awards for Southern Writing.