Writing and Communication Courses

This course introduces principles and theories of communication applied in various contexts. Students will examine human communication, media studies, rhetoric, and professional communication through the lens of communication theory. They will develop their ability to use communication theory to analyze examples of effective public communication, such as persuasive advertising, powerful speeches, and objective journalism.

• Prerequisite: N/A
• This course counts as a Humanities or a Social Science course.

This course provides students with a practical introduction to visual communication. The course includes genres across print, audio, visual and video materials. Media-rich lectures examine visual genres including advertisements, packaging, video game worlds, pop videos, movies, comics, manga, anime and short pieces from YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Through these materials, students are introduced to the terminology and basic principles of contemporary multimodal design, and of procedural narrative mechanics. The course surveys a diversity of uses and applications of these visual communication techniques in media, business and also in research. Students use the theory and methods of multimodal analysis to assess Kazakh and other cultural content in Kazakh videos.

• Prerequisite: N/A
• This course counts as a Humanities or a Social Science course.

This course builds upon communication principles and theories introduced in WCS 101, Communication and Society, and WCS 150, Rhetoric and Composition. The course introduces students to the fundamentals of news writing, photojournalism, media literacy, and media ethics. Students will engage with various readings and research findings in journalism. Activities will include group discussions, writing, evaluating, revising, and publishing. Students will also learn how to identify different journalism genres while becoming conscientious content creators and critical consumers of the media.

• Prerequisite: WCS 101 (C- or higher) OR WCS 150 (C- or higher)
• This course counts as a Humanities or Social Sciences Course

This course builds upon communication principles and theories introduced in WCS 101, Communication and Society; WCS 150, Rhetoric and Composition; and WCS 200, Introduction to Public Speaking. Interpersonal communication is an interdisciplinary subject that synthesizes research in linguistics, psychology, biology, neuroscience, and communication. Students will examine how cultural perspectives and rhetorical situations influence the way we communicate and how we interpret the communication of others in personal and professional settings.

• Prerequisite: WCS 101 (C- or higher) OR WCS 200 (C- or higher)
• This course counts as a Humanities or a Social Science course.

Students in this course will learn how to identify and analyze the forms of communication that enable and determine the construction of gender. Applying the tools of rhetoric introduced in WCS 150, students will examine theories about how gender is communicated verbally and non-verbally in the everyday and virtual worlds. Students will work in groups to analyze artifacts and present their analyses. Students will also work individually to research and select sources relevant to a chosen aspect of gender communication. At the end of the semester, each student will write and present grounded research of the relevance of the course materials to their own experience of gender communication.

• Prerequisite: WCS 101 (C- or higher)
• This course counts as a Humanities or a Social Science course.

This course explores intercultural communication from cognitive, affective, linguistic and behavioral perspectives. Students will examine the barriers impeding successful communication between people with different cultural backgrounds, explore the relationship between culture and communication in various professional and personal contexts, and develop their abilities to engage in self-reflection while exercising flexibility and sensitivity in intercultural encounters. Students will have opportunities to acquire knowledge of theories of intercultural communication, engage in intercultural encounters in both domestic and international contexts, and reflect on their own intercultural communication skills and to assess their own development in this area. The course is designed for students majoring in any subject.

• This course counts as a Humanities or a Social Science course.

In this course, students will learn through a survey of theory and research in health communication. The course provides an overview of the interactions of people involved in the health-care process, communication in health care organizations, the public dissemination and interpretation of health-related messages, and cultural meanings of health and illness as they relate to physical, mental, and social health issues.

• Prerequisite: WCS 101 (C- or higher)
• This course counts as a Humanities or a Social Science course.

Students in this course will be introduced to argumentation theory in order to develop and hone skills in persuasion, debate, and advocacy. The course focuses on the oral construction of factual, value-based, and civic argumentation. Students will gain experience in formal debate, train in policy advocacy, and practice applying research techniques and skills in argumentation analysis.

• Prerequisite: WCS 200 (C- or higher)
• This course counts as a Humanities course.

This course introduces the practical and theoretical issues associated with the role of computer technology in human communication. Students will examine technologies such as new and social media, 3D virtual worlds, email, newsgroups, and chats. Students will analyze computer-mediated communication practices and the long-term implications of CMC such as the social structures that emerge among people communicating through these technologies. Students will also examine the design and implementation issues associated with the construction CMC technologies.

• Prerequisite: WCS 101 (C- or higher)

This workshop-oriented seminar builds on the rhetorical and analytical skills introduced in 100- and 200-level writing courses. Students will create, workshop, and revise an original poetry collection. They will analyze each other’s writing as well as the writing of contemporary Anglophone poets. Doing so will refine their close reading skills. Students will conduct research to enrich their creative work, collaborate with their peers, and reflect on how their rhetorical and creative choices operate in the context of contemporary Anglophone poetry. Each student will finish the semester with a polished portfolio of 10 original poems as well as a collection of exercises and critical responses.

• Prerequisite: B or higher in any of the following: WCS 210, WCS 220, WCS 230, WCS 240, WCS 250, WCS 260 AND successful application to the course.
• This course is offered in Spring semesters.
• This course counts as a Humanities course.

This workshop-oriented seminar is devoted to reading, analyzing, composing, and revising creative writing and to the study of the creative process. The course is designed for advanced students who want to learn to refine their writing through a process of repeated editing and analysis. Each student will finish the semester by submitting an edited piece of writing for publication.

• Prerequisite: WCS 260 (C- or higher)
• This course counts as a Humanities course.

This is an advanced creative writing seminar. The primary focus is on reading, writing and discussing speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, magical realism and horror) with the understanding of the unique advantages and tools these genres offer a creative writer. In addition, there will be an emphasis on using tools and narrative techniques that diverge from the traditional short story format. Students can expect to read and analyze a variety of contemporary authors; connect their writing to their primary discipline of study to enrich their creative work; work with peers on collaboration and revision; and gain experience in flash fiction, interactive narrative, collaborative fiction and hybrid fiction. By the end of this course students will assemble a portfolio of polished exercises as well as create a longer, finished work in the writing medium and genre of their choice.

• Prerequisite: WCS 260/WLL 235 (C or higher)
• This course counts as a Humanities course.

This workshop-oriented seminar is devoted to reading, analyzing, composing, and revising original and previously published creative nonfiction and to the study of the creative process. The course is designed for students interested in exploring narrative elements within factual stories that they have experienced, witnessed, or researched. Students will also refine their writing through a process of oral workshop and repeated revision. Each student will finish the semester with a portfolio of nonfiction short exercises and an extensive, researched longform manuscript.

• Prerequisite: WCS 260/WLL 235 (C or higher).
• This course counts as a Humanities course.

This workshop-oriented seminar is devoted to reading, analyzing, composing, and revising original and previously published longform autofiction and to the study of the creative process. The course is designed for students already familiar with creative writing techniques who want to explore longer narrative elements within personal stories. Each student will finish the semester with a portfolio containing a students’ analysis of their writing as well as an edited and extended manuscript.

• Prerequisite: WCS 260 (C- or higher) and Instructor approval
• This course counts as a Humanities course.

Students in this course will receive theoretical and practical training to become successful Writing Fellows at Nazarbayev University. Students will explore topics related to becoming an effective writing tutor through critical inquiry of contemporary writing theories, application of pedagogical best practices, and reflection on praxis. Students will engage in peer tutoring to develop practical strategies to help them better understand the role of a tutor in a writing center. Students will cultivate an understanding of how collaborative learning enriches the writing process, shapes a writers’ identity, and helps to create a writer’s voice. The course also prepares students to investigate a research topic in preparation for conducting original research in WCS 391 and WCS 392.

• Prerequisite: WCS 150 (B or higher) AND one of the following Core 2 Writing Courses with a B+ or higher: WCS 220, WCS 230, WCS 250.
• This course counts as a Humanities or a Social Science course.

In this second course in the Writing Fellows sequence, students will apply the knowledge they have gained in WCS 390 to support student writers in the Nazarbayev University community. They will serve as peer writing tutors for specific courses, participate in weekly seminar meetings to discuss their tutoring and learning, and stay current on writing center research. In addition to tutoring, students will design and conduct original research. They will be assessed based on portfolios that include documents related to peer tutoring consultations, critical self-reflections of tutoring practices, and a research project.

• Prerequisite: WCS 390 (B or higher).
• This course counts as a Humanities or a Social Science course.

In this third and optional course in the Writing Fellows sequence, students will continue to explore topics in critical Writing Center pedagogy and theory. They will have the opportunity to continue working as writing tutors embedded in specific courses. They will also continue to develop their collaborative identities by mentoring new Writing Fellows in their first year of study and practice. Finally, students will continue to conduct original research on specific topics in Writing Center research, which they may present at specialized conferences or submit for publication in a specialized journal.

• Prerequisite: WCS 391 (B or higher).
• This course counts as a Humanities or a Social Science course.

Undergraduate tutors in the SSH Writing Center will serve as peer writing tutors to support NU students. Undergraduate tutors will be NU students in good standing who have successfully completed WCS 392 and are committed to continued development of their tutoring skills through tutoring, collaboration, and reflective practice. Undergraduate tutors have the option of balancing their tutoring work with continued work on their Writing Fellows research projects toward the goal of publication.

• Prerequisite: WCS 392 (B or higher).
• Recommendation from a faculty member who has evaluated the applicant’s work in Writing Fellows courses
• This course counts as a Humanities or a Social Science course.

Undergraduate tutors in the SSH Writing Center will serve as peer writing tutors to support NU students. Undergraduate tutors will be NU students in good standing who have successfully completed WCS 393 and are committed to continued development of their tutoring skills through tutoring, collaboration, and reflective practice. Undergraduate tutors have the option of balancing their tutoring work with continued work on their Writing Fellows research projects toward the goal of publication.

• Prerequisite: WCS 393 (with a Pass).
• Recommendation from a faculty member who has evaluated the applicant’s work in Writing Fellows courses
• This course counts as a Humanities or a Social Science course.