This academic year, the Department of Writing & Rhetoric was approved to offer a Minor in Professional Writing, and the minor has been enthusiastically received by students from various disciplines and programs.

As the first semester for declaring the minor draws to a close, students from majors in Communication Sciences/Disorders, Exercise Science, General Studies, Political Science, Journalism, Linguistics, English, Paralegal Studies, and Integrated Marketing Communication have formally declared the minor.

Students interested in learning more about the minor are invited to send inquiries to the department by email (rhetoric@olemiss.edu) or calling 662-915-2121. Information about the minor is available on the W&R website at rhetoric.olemiss.edu/minor and in the University of Mississippi Undergraduate Catalog.

The Department of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi is excited to announce the annual Mississippi Writing Centers Association (MSWCA) conference held in conjunction with UM’s own fourth annual TutorCon in Oxford, MS, on January 29-30, 2015.
This year’s theme, “Lines of Connection, Lines of Communication,” seeks to capture/explore the ways in which writing centers communicate and connect across communities, institutions, campuses, and digital/technological pathways. These lines of communication and connection loop, echo, and build on each other in important and complex ways. As the writing center model expands in Mississippi at the university, community college, and secondary school levels, our collaborations throughout our communities warrant consideration and celebration. Additionally, the incorporation of more and more technology into writing center practices presents both exciting opportunities and complicated challenges for our relationships with the groups we serve.
By staging TutorCon alongside MSWCA, we aim for a conference where administrators, tutors, and students are able to explore these issues together by sharing strategies and experiences, challenging norms, and drawing attention to key areas for improvement.
For more information about this year’s conference, including how to submit a proposal and to register, visit the TutorCon/MSWCA page on our website.

Instructors and writing center directors and consultants from The Department of Writing and Rhetoric recently presented papers and participated in round table discussions at the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing and the International Writing Centers Association’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida. Attendees included Ms. Taylor Brack, Ole Miss senior and an undergraduate writing consultant in the University’s Oxford campus writing center; Ms. Jeanine Rauch, Director of the DeSoto Campus’s writing center; Mr. Ben Lowery, W&R adjunct instructor and past assistant director of the Oxford writing center; Mr. Brad Campbell, director of the Oxford campus writing center; and Dr. Alice Johnston Myatt, W&R associate director.

Presentations included papers on the best practices of collaborative work, online tutoring of writing, and the development of TutorCon, an annual event that is planned by the University’s writing center consultants and administrators. TutorCon brings writing center tutors and directors from across Mississippi to the beautiful Oxford campus for a day of professional development, giving them an opportunity to share experiences and strategies about the way in which writing centers work with student writers, helping them to become more confident and flexible in their writing skills.

W&R Representation at NCPTW

Brad Campbell, Ben Lowery, and Taylor Brack Present