As a university student, maybe you’ve come across what people say are good and bad ideas about writing. “Watch what you post online.” “TikTok doesn’t count as a source.” How do we feel about those ideas?

Whether it’s in the form or social media posts or handmade signs at public protests, professional writing is an incredible result of research in addition to working with/against cultural assumptions and barriers related to writing.

This course is a practical introduction to research strategies for understanding today’s digital professional writing environment. We’ll focus on observations, surveys, and interview methods for understanding the resources and barriers that shape writing. In a digital writing project about writers who compose public arguments, students will formulate research plans; gather relevant and reliable information through appropriate research methods, and craft ethical, compelling texts. 

Fun facts about writing and research!

• Numerous research articles have been based on observing the work of writers on public social media. If you want to study “BookTok” or “AuthorTube,” you can!
• Writing research can be enhanced with free digital tools such as Audacity (audio editing) and screen-recordings (Screencastify)
• The field of writing studies has several publications just for undergraduate researchers. Dr. Shivener was once an editor for Queen City Writers.

Select Course Materials

All readings will be open-access! In addition to reading about today’s public issues, here are a few texts we will work with.

• Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 2

• Bad Ideas About Writing

• Newspapers & magazines (behind paywalls) through the YorkU library

Meet the Professor

Check out the Writing Department's suite of amazing courses. The Writing Department's faculty is committed to your development as an effective writer.