Course code: WRIT 2040

Professor: Dr. Russell Brakefield

Assignments:  "The First Law of Thermodynamics"

Term enrolled: Fall 2024 - Junior

Description: The Memoir and Creative Writing courses shared a lot of similarities, but this course focused on memory and the lines between truth and fiction. We examined the essays and containers that artists used and discovered the value of personal writing for a universal audience. We had daily writing and discussions of essays on effective storytelling and meaning. This was the first time I had seriously analyzed my experiences and memories to contribute to writing. I draw on common themes in my life, beliefs, and changing perspectives to invent a narrative and weave that throughout my essay. 

Course code: ENGL 1000

Professor: Xavier Prince

Assignments: "The Second Law of Thermodynamics"

Term enrolled: Winter 2026- Senior

Description: We focused on poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. We discussed many pieces that challenged me to analyze effective use of tone, opacity, and containers in the three main forms of creative writing. "The Second Law of Thermodynamics" was a personal challenge to me to apply my knowledge from this class and the rest of my writing minor to write a CNF piece that was personal and utilized effective writing theory. Our in-class discussions of creative literature proved that a combination of these leads to a well-written and impactful piece for my audience. 

Course code: WRIT 2000

Professor: Dr. Richard Colby

Assignments: "Fragmented Selves and Shattered Worlds" and "Bullet Proof Campus Art"

Term enrolled: Spring 2025 - Junior

Description: This course educated me on the history of writing, from where the study of writing is today. It used various texts and readings to define how writing developed through cultures. We looked at various media to analyze writing, such as images and audiocasts. From this knowledge, we drew on what we learned to create pieces that reflect on what writing is and what it does. We were challenged by various forms of writing from creative nonfiction to analysis of writing though a IMRAD format. 

Course code: WRIT 2650

Professor: Dr. Jesse Stommel

Assignments: "What is the Internet?"

Term enrolled: Winter 2025- Junior

Description: Digital media and online spaces have changed the way we write and interact. How is this change measured? We studied the internet and how online spaces have changed writing. We developed our own theories from our experiences and previous classes to define what the internet is and what it does for us. We speculated on how the internet's meaning differed between our classmates. We held a physical presentation of our defining the internet project that was to be created in analog format only. 

Course code: BIOL 3009

Professor: Dr. Shannon Murphy

Assignments: Undergraduate Thesis

Term enrolled: Winter 2026- Senior

Description: This course is meant for undergraduate students in their final two quarters of their degree who are composing a sc ientific thesis. We used a textbook to analyze our writing and how it can be improved to fit into the scientific format, with a large focus on brevity. This technical work identified and reduced common writing patterns such as nominalization and metadiscourse in our scientific writing. We often conducted peer reviews on individual sections of an IMRAD-formatted thesis to improve clarity and sentence structure. Another broad goal of this course was to practice effective science communication to those outside of the field. 

Course code: WRIT 3500 Capstone

Professor: Dr. Richard Colby

Assignments: This website, "Thesis Revision", and "Deconstruction of 'The First Law of Thermodynamics'"

Term enrolled: Winter 2026- Senior

Description: As the capstone and last class of the DU writing minor, this course worked to revise previous works from class and change them to be publishable and accessible to our audience. We worked on design theory and components that make effective designs and displays of writing, primarily on website format. Our capstone project is this website that showcases our writing, identity as a writer, and how this connects to our degree.