OBrien 1 Christine OBrien Wendy Grosskopf WRT 201 December 5, 2013 Writing Your Way to Success Having the

ability to write well is highly commended in todays professional workforce. However, in todays society it is becoming increasingly apparent that overall, the writing of many people is of poorer quality due to technological innovations that promote the usage of slang or automatically correct errors in spelling and grammar. As a result, people are becoming more dependent on technology and focusing less on learning how to write properly. Unfortunately, the implications of this are errors in the work place and missed opportunities for employment. In order to avoid this, people must become more educated in writing. The University of Rhode Island has an outstanding Writing and Rhetoric program that not only thoroughly educates students in writing but also prepares them for high achievements in their prospective careers. My proposal is the students at URI should adopt Writing and Rhetoric as a major or minor along with their other field of study to enhance their writing skills and increase their chances of succeeding after graduation. I proposed that students add Writing and Rhetoric as a major or minor for a variety of reasons. The students at the University of Rhode Island should highly consider adding Writing and Rhetoric as either a major or a minor because it will improve the quality of their education at URI. Although students have interests in other fields of study, if they study writing, it will still be useful since it is applicable to virtually any subject. Not only will Writing and Rhetoric aid a student in their major, but it will also improve their thinking skills while remaining a flexible

OBrien 2 major or minor. Also, graduates who have studied Writing and Rhetoric will ultimately have better career options than those who have not. Since many employees have poor writing skills in the workforce today, employers are looking for applicants who know how to write well. By studying Writing and Rhetoric, a student will improve his writing skills that he must possess in order to be successful in his prospective career. Students at the University of Rhode Island should study Writing and Rhetoric because the benefits of studying the subject will be useful to them for the rest of their lives. My target audience for this proposal was the students in my Writing Persuasive and Argumentative Texts (Writing 201) class. The students in my class have already taken a course in writing at URI and witnessed how it can apply to their major. Since these students have begun studying writing for either a general education or major requirement, it would be extremely feasible for them to continue studying it and add it as a major or minor. These students have been exposed to the Writing and Rhetoric major by taking a writing course and therefore can decide if they feel that the major or minor would be of interest to them. I conducted an expert interview with Nedra Reynolds, Professor and Department Chair of Writing and Rhetoric about how the major and minor is beneficial to a variety of students. Interviewing Professor Reynolds allowed me to gather information about the program and learn how it is applicable to the workforce and academic success. I asked Professor Reynolds questions concerning the benefits of the major, how it can be applied to other areas of study, the career options available for those who major or minor in Writing and Rhetoric, the importance of studying it, and how it has enhanced Professor Reynolds career. Professor Reynolds is a great source of expertise on the subject because she teaches, advises, and makes many decisions within the Writing and Rhetoric Department here at URI. By speaking with Professor Reynolds, I was

OBrien 3 able to gather important information concerning the Writing and Rhetoric field of study that made my proposal more effective. I conducted a face-to-face presentation in front of the students in my WRT 201 class in order to propose why they should study Writing and Rhetoric. In my presentation, I described the benefits of adding Writing and Rhetoric as a major or minor. I explained to the class how Writing and Rhetoric could help them specifically in their academics and prospective careers. When presenting my proposal in front of the class, I discussed my interview with Professor Reynolds in order to enhance my credibility on the subject and to help students make a more informed decision about whether studying Writing and Rhetoric would be right for them. I talked about my experience as a student employee in the Writing and Rhetoric Office and as a double major in Communication Studies and Writing and Rhetoric. In my presentation, I thoroughly explained to the class the process of adding Writing and Rhetoric as a major or minor and gave an overview of the program. My presentation was successful in relaying the information about the Writing and Rhetoric field of study to the students in my WRT 201 class. The sources I found for my proposal helped me show my audience why my proposal is worthy of consideration. I gathered information from pamphlets that I found in the Writing and Rhetoric Department and websites that discuss the importance of writing in the work place. These sources were helpful in showing why my audience should consider adopting Writing and Rhetoric as a major because they exemplify the necessity for skilled writers in the workforce and explain how beneficial it is for students to study Writing and Rhetoric. I presented statistics about unemployment post graduation and the employment rate of writers to demonstrate to my audience how necessary it is to know how to write effectively in the professional work force. By

OBrien 4 applying the information I found to my audience, I effectively described how my proposal would affect them positively. Although the presentation of my proposal was successful, writing a proposal was initially very challenging. I originally planned to propose a sober driving service for URI students but found it would be difficult to enact. After deciding that this was not what I wanted to propose, I realized that I should propose that students join the Writing and Rhetoric major since I am so happy with it and know the benefits of studying the subject. I enjoyed interviewing Professor Reynolds because she is passionate about writing and clearly explained her attitudes toward students choosing to study Writing and Rhetoric at URI. Despite the challenges I faced when I began this assignment, I am ultimately pleased with my class presentation of my proposal and the information I gathered in hopes of demonstrating why students should study Writing and Rhetoric at URI.

OBrien 5 Works Cited Reynolds, Nedra. Personal interview. 18 Nov. 2013. "Harrington schoolof communication and media." Harrington School of Communication and Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://harrington.uri.edu/undergraduateprogram/writing-rhetoric/undergraduate/course-listings/>. Kingkade, Tyler. "Unemployment For Recent College Graduates By Major." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 June 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/unemployment-college-graduatesmajors_n_3462712.html>. "What is the Unemployment rate of Authors, Writers, and Editors?." StudentScholarshopsorg Career Questions RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://www.studentscholarships.org/professions/585/unemployment/authors_writers_and_editor s.php>.