Institution Submitting Proposal:
UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY
College:
Humanities and Social Sciences
Department or Area in Which Program
Will Be Located:
English and Literature
Program Title:
BA/BS English with an emphasis in Writing
Studies
Recommended Classification of Instructional
Programs (CIP) Code:
23.0101
Proposed Beginning Date:
Fall, 2011
Institutional Signatures:
_____________________________________________
Matthew S. Holland, University President
Utah Valley University
______________________________________________
Ian Wilson
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs
_______________________________________________
David Yells
Dean
_______________________________________________
Robert Cousins
Department Chair
Date: 10/15/2010
Section I: Request
The English and Literature department at Utah Valley University requests authorization to add a new
emphasis in Writing Studies to the BA and BS in English degrees effective Fall, 2011. By adding four new
courses to the curriculum, the department will be able to organize the existing writing, rhetoric, and
technical communication courses into a new emphasis that will enable students to earn the knowledge,
skills, and experiences of professional writers. This action was approved by the UVU Board of Trustees on
October 28, 2010.
Section II: Need
Currently, English majors at UVU have the option of getting an emphasis in Literary Studies or Creative
Writing. Students who aspire to careers as technical or professional writers can cobble together some fairly
solid preparation through a careful selection of elective courses or by adding a Technical Communication
minor to their BA/BS degree. However, given the widespread demand for expert thinkers, researchers, and
communicators—for professional writers—the lack of a bachelor degree emphasis that focuses
systematically on the study of written communication and the cultivation of professional writers leaves a
significant void in our program curriculum.
We propose to fill this void with a new emphasis. The Writing Studies emphasis will provide expertise in the
analysis and production of written texts in professional, academic, and civic contexts. We anticipate that
graduates of this program will take professional positions as writers and editors in fields such as business,
publishing, technical writing, and others. The emphasis will also prepare students for graduate-level work in
law, business, professional writing, rhetoric, composition studies, and related fields.
The Writing Studies emphasis will round out UVU’s English degree offerings and give students access to
the kind of curriculum that is becoming a core component of English programs across the nation as well as
in Utah. Currently, 48% of English departments nationwide offer a major and/or minor in Writing or
Professional Writing, and that percentage is “growing at an impressive rate,” according to the February
2010 issue of College Composition and Communication. In Utah, Dixie College, Weber State, and Utah
State all offer a BA/BS emphasis in Professional and Technical Writing, while Salt Lake CC has a new
Writing Certificate of Completion. The new emphasis will fit very well within the specific educational mission
of UVU: by requiring internships and offering a curriculum that is arguably more explicitly linked to a
designated career path than Literary Studies or Creative Writing, Writing Studies clearly will “foster
engaged learning” and “prepare professionally competent people.”
Section III: Institutional Impact
We do not anticipate any need for new resources, faculty, physical facilities, or equipment as a result of the
addition of a Writing Studies emphasis. The new emphasis will be administered using the existing structure
of the English & Literature department. Of the fourteen courses that constitute the proposed curriculum,
only four are new courses. Thus the instructional load of the new emphasis will be readily manageable with
existing faculty resources, particularly given the new lines in Rhetoric and Composition the department was
allocated in the 2009-2010 PBA cycle. We do anticipate a modest increase in the number of English majors
and in the enrollments of our technical communication and other professional writing courses, as this new
emphasis option will appeal to some students that our current emphases do not directly address. But again,
given the two faculty lines the department was recently given, any such enrollment increases will be
manageable. Finally, we anticipate a campus-wide benefit in the form of improved tutoring in the UVU
Writing Center, as many students in the Writing Studies emphasis will pursue internship credit by working in
the Writing Center.
Section IV: Finances
Because all necessary faculty and all but four courses of the proposed curriculum are already in place,
there will be no additional costs or other financial repercussions resulting from the addition of the Writing
Studies emphasis.
Appendix A: New Courses
Prefix &
Number
ENGL 2040
ENGL 3060
ENGL 3070
ENGL 4340
Title
Introduction to Writing Studies
Visual Rhetoric
Public Rhetorics and Popular Media
Advanced Document Design
Credit
Hours
3
3
3
3
ENGL 2040 Introduction to Writing Studies
3:3:0
Introduces the academic discipline of Writing Studies by surveying the major historical developments in the
field since its inception. Discusses contemporary concepts and methods available for study of the
composing process. Examines the importance of writing as a social and communicative skill. Emphasizes
the teaching of writing as a skill that may increase a student's opportunities for employment. Includes
workshops, presentations, portfolios, and researching and composing a substantive semester project.
ENGL 3060 Visual Rhetoric
3:3:0
Investigates the growing academic and cultural interest in the rhetorical nature of visual texts. Teaches
critical thinking about the consumption and productions of images and multimodal texts. Explores visual
grammars and other theories of visual rhetoric as articulated by contemporary image, language, and
rhetoric scholars. Encourages the development of theoretical and practical knowledge through reading,
discussion and analysis as well as through the production of visual texts and written work.
ENGL 3070 Public Rhetorics and Popular Media
3:3:0
Investigates the structure and nature of rhetorical arguments present in popular and public discourse.
Studies texts in mediums such as advertising, blogs, film, social networking venues (i.e. Facebook, Twitter),
television, websites, and YouTube through specific rhetorical theories of public communication. Examines
arguments regarding the complex nature of public ethos, particularly in the contexts of existing, emergent,
and future digital identities. Teaches critical thinking about public rhetorics and popular media to inform
consumption and production of public texts in multiple disciplines and contexts. Includes reading,
discussion, analysis and production of public rhetorics through conventional and new media methods.
ENGL 4340 Advanced Document Design
3:3:0
Continues work begun in ENGL 2310. Teaches user-centered document design. Involves the creation of a
full-length project, including initial proposals and research, drafting, collaboration, usability testing, and
document management. Emphasizes building a professional portfolio and preparing job search materials.