Professional Writing and Rhetoric

A Classical Liberal Arts Education for the 21st Century

Rhetoric, one of the oldest liberal arts developed in both ancient Greece and non-Western cultures to prepare citizens for active participation in democratic society, has long been focused on connecting itself to “the life of the polis.” As a 21st century embodiment of this grounding liberal art, the B.A. in Professional Writing and Rhetoric (PWR) major reflects a national trend in higher education to more clearly connect the liberal arts to worlds beyond the walls of academia. With a curriculum that is process-oriented rather than product-oriented, PWR prepares students to be more critically reflective communicators in their daily lives and, primarily, workplace contexts. PWR majors connect course content to hands-on practice in internships, undergraduate research, and a capstone project, and they showcase their developing professional identity in an ePortfolio.

PWR alumni are ethically oriented and civically responsible communicators, attentive to unequal power dynamics, actively addressing  issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity in their daily writing lives. Alumni pursue careers as writers, editors, and information designers in the non-profit and government sectors, publishing, science writing, law, marketing, and many other industries.

*Elon also offers an interdisciplinary Professional Writing Studies minor.