Coursework
Read on for course descriptions of the classes I wrote these stories for!
Theories of Writing: WRIT-2000
Fall of 2018
This class taught me how theories of writing have developed from ancient to contemporary times. It was really interesting to see how language evolved from hieroglyphs to complete alphabets. One theme I found myself fascinated by was how some languages work best orally, without a written language. Some Native American languages from certain tribes fall into this category, which is what I researched in my piece for this class. The distinction between oral and written languages is further accentuated by the development of the Internet and online writing platforms, which has continued to privilege written language. To learn more, read my piece “A Culture of Orality, Missing Their Voice.”
Rhetoric & Composition Theory for Political Crisis: WRIT-2500
Winter of 2020
This course addressed how writing and rhetoric respond to – and potentially create conditions of – political crisis, as well as how these moments of crisis transform and challenge our theories of expression. The class also uncovered investigations of rhetoric’s role in the civic sphere, problems of truthfulness and/or post-truth, and demagoguery, and introduce us to alternative frameworks involving inclusivity, invitationality, and listening. As a public policy and socio-legal studies major, I was excited to take a class that intersected those topics with my writing minor. The rhetorical movement I investigated was the #MeToo Movement—check it out here: “The Rhetoric of the #MeToo Movement: Will It Survive?”
Evidence & Logic in Public Policy: PPOL-3250
Winter of 2020
Why do talented and intelligent decision makers frequently make poor public policy decisions, decisions that lead to disastrous results that are obvious from subsequent analysis, but which should have been clear at the time of the making of the decision? This required course for my public policy major focused on policymaker’s decision-making process, which we analyzed by looking at historical events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War. The policy decision I looked at in my final assignment was the passing of the Dawes Act, a policy that greatly impacted Native American reservation land. Here’s what I learned: “A Revisionist’s History of the Dawes Act & Native American Success.”
Memoir & Personal Writing: WRIT-2040
Spring of 2020
This course invited us to write aesthetically about our own memories and experiences. We focused on two broad genres, both of which rely on narrative—memories and personal essays. This class really challenged me to break out of my comfort zone with academic writing and research essays and hone in on my creative writing. It is definitely a genre I have less comfort with, but I thought it important to include a piece from it so my portfolio would be more diverse. To hear more about my experience with the infamous Balloon Boy, read my personal essay “What Goes Up Must Come Down.”
Human Sexuality: PSYC-2090
Spring of 2020
This course I took for my psychology minor taught me about human sexual functioning and conduct, psychological methods that are used to understand human sexuality, how the brain and environment contribute to sexual behaviors, attitudes, and development and about current social and cultural controversies related to human sexual functioning and conduct. I really enjoyed this class because it involved a lot of debate about different current topics in sexual health. As many things are, sexual practices are incredibly embedded in culture, which is why we spent a lot of time talking about cultural relativism. I looked at the difference between Czech and Romani cultures when it comes to contraception habits. The comparative essay is linked here: "A Tale of Two Cultures: Contraception Habits of Czech and Roma People."
Writing Capstone: WRIT-2500
Spring of 2021
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 my writing experiences and instruction at the University of Denver. The major project for this class is creating this online Portfolio. As part of the path to creating this portfolio, I completed a substantive revision of a previous writing assignment. I chose the piece from Human Sexuality class to revise for my portfolio into a Canva infographic meant for an Instagram post. Click here to see the infographic, “Differences in Contraception Practices: Roma Womxn vs. Czech Womxn.”