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CSTW Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing

College of Humanities

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Course Requirements

The Professional Writing Minor's 25 hours include a variety of writing courses that can be drawn from across several departments. Its capstone is the Professional Writing Internship, which gives students hands-on writing experience at a Columbus-area business, nonprofit organization, government agency, or academic unit.

Prerequisite

English 110 (or equivalent)

Required Courses (15 hours)

367 (5 cr., any version)

HUM COL 450: Cultures of Professional Writing (5 cr.) Choose from three versions.
  • 450.01 Writing and Its Places
  • 450.02 Writing in Organizations
  • 450.03 Writing and the New Media

HUM COL 589: Internship in Professional Writing (5cr.).

Electives (10 hours)

Two or more courses, at least one of which must come from Group A.

Group A. At least one elective must come from this group.
  • English 304: Business and Professional Writing (5 cr.)
  • English 405: Studies in Technical Communication (5 cr., repeatable with different topics)
  • English 467: Writing and Learning (5 cr.)
  • English 567: Rhetoric and Community Service (5 cr.)

Group B. (Other courses may be substituted with the permission of a coordinator of the Minor in Professional Writing.) Some of the courses on this list have extensive prerequisites and/or are required for majors. If a student is required to take one of the following courses as part of the major, the minor defaults to 20 hours.

  • Agricultural Systems Management 305: Professional Development (4 cr.)
  • Aviation 520: Aviation Communication (5 cr.)
  • Construction Systems Management 305: Professional Development (4 cr.)
  • Education: Teaching and Learning 607: Writing Course in the Elementary Education Major (5 cr.)
  • Engineering 400: The Ohio State Engineer Magazine (1-3 cr.)
  • English 271: Introduction to English Language Study (5 cr.)
  • English 276: Introduction to Rhetoric (5 cr.)
  • English 570: Introduction to the History of English (5 cr.)
  • English 572: Traditional Grammar and Usage (5 cr.)
  • English 574: History and Theories of Writing (5cr.)
  • History of Art 415: Writing Seminar in the History of Art (5 cr.)
  • History 598.01: Senior Colloquium (5 cr.)
  • IBGP 707: Fundamentals of Grant Writing (2 cr.)
  • Communication 221: Reporting and Editing for the News Media (5 cr.)
  • Communication 602: Magazine Writing (5 cr.)
  • Communication 604: Ethics of Communication (5 cr.)
  • Communication 629: Theory and Methods of Discourse Analysis (5 cr.)
  • Communication 634: Writing for Public Relations Projects (5 cr.)
  • Communication 711: Design of Online Media Environments (5 cr.)
  • Natural Resources 567: Communicating Environmental and Natural Resources Information (5 cr.)
  • Physics 596: Senior Seminar: Writing and Speaking about Physics and Astronomy (5 cr.)
  • Theatre 636: Screenwriting (5 cr.)
  • Theatre 660: Playwriting (5 cr.)
  • Any course from Group A above.

Other courses, such as English 573: Rhetorical Theory and the Analysis of Discourse, English 575: Special Topics in Literary Forms and Themes, English 579: Special Topics in Nonfiction, or English 694: Group Studies may also be acceptable, depending on content for a specific quarter. Students interested in counting such courses should request permission from a coordinator for the minor.

For more information, contact Professor Trish Houston, Internship Coordinator, Mendenhall Lab 419, (614) 688-4652, e-mail houston.61@osu.edu.