The Computer Science + Writing and Rhetoric (BS) is a multidisciplinary degree that enables students to combine training in computer science with writing and rhetoric to become:
- Software developers with value-added capacity to write persuasively and precisely across a range of genres and contexts
- Writers who understand and contribute to technological applications, and who can communicate complex systems in accessible ways
A Computer Science + Writing and Rhetoric (BS) graduate will be ideally suited for many positions in writing and computer science. A richly interdisciplinary field drawing on humanistic and social science methodologies, rhetoric and writing studies will complement technical training in Computer Science with the capacity to assess and communicate in writing the ethical, cultural, and political affordances and constraints of social computing. With the ongoing intersection of social behaviors and computational systems, professionals with theoretical and practical capacity in both computer science and rhetoric and writing are well positioned to keep pace with technical developments in both computing and society.
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| Liberal Studies Requirements | 72 |
| CS ICRS Requirements | 48 |
| W&R ICRS Requirements | 44 |
| Open Electives | 28 |
| Total hours required | 192 |
- Model a computational problem, select appropriate algorithms and data structures for a solution, justify the correctness of the algorithm, and implement an application solving the problem.
- Analyze and select an algorithm based on system effects.
- Analyze the efficiency of a computational solution mathematically and validate the analysis experimentally.
- Criticize a program on the basis of its maintainability and suggest improvements.
- Describe concepts, theories, and historical periods related to writing, rhetoric, and literacies.
- Compose audience-centered texts in a variety of public and professional genres.
- Design persuasive multimodal texts.
- Assess the ethical, cultural, or political dimensions of rhetoric, language, or writing technologies.
Liberal Studies Requirements
Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.
| First Year Program | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Quarter | ||
| LSP 110 or LSP 111 | DISCOVER CHICAGO or EXPLORE CHICAGO | 4 |
| Focal Point | ||
| LSP 112 | FOCAL POINT SEMINAR | 4 |
| Writing | ||
| WRD 103 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 | 4 |
| WRD 104 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 | 4 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| Not Required | ||
| Sophomore Year | ||
| Race, Power, and Resistance | ||
| LSP 200 | SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE | 4 |
| Junior Year | ||
| Experiential Learning | ||
| Required 1 | 4 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Capstone | ||
| Required 2 | 4 | |
- 1
All Writing and Rhetoric including CS + W&R majors are required to take one EL-designated course within the major. WRD courses designated both EL and LSP EL will fulfill the major’s EL requirement and the Liberal Studies Experiential Learning requirement simultaneously. An LSP EL course taken outside of WRD will not count toward the EL major requirement.
- 2
Students must earn a C- or better in this course.
Learning Domains
Arts and Literature (AL)
- 3 Courses Required
Historical Inquiry (HI)
- 2 Course Required
Math and Computing (MC)
- Not Required
Philosophical Inquiry (PI)
- 2 Courses Required
Religious Dimensions (RD)
- 2 Courses Required
Scientific Inquiry (SI)
- 1 Lab Course Required
Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)
- 1 Course Required
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Modern Language Requirement | ||
| All students will be required to demonstrate competence in a modern language (i.e., a language other than English) equivalent to the proficiency attained from one year of college-level language study. This Modern Language Requirement (MLR) may be demonstrated by: | ||
placing into 104 or above on the DePaul language placement exam | ||
completing the last course or earning AP or BI credit for the last course in the first-year college sequence of any language (e.g., 103 for DePaul language classes) | ||
completing a college course or earning AP or IB credit for a college course beyond the first-year level in any language (e.g., 104 or above for DePaul language classes) | ||
completing the final course of a four-year sequence of the same modern language in high school * | ||
completing a proctored exam by BYU and passing the exam (see the Department of Modern Languages website for registration details) | ||
completing a proctored Written Proficiency Test (WPT) by Language Testing International (LTI) and achieving a score of Beginner High or above (see the Department of Modern Languages website for registration details) | ||
| *Students are strongly encouraged to take the DePaul language placement exam even if they have met the MLR via study of a language in high school. This will ensure continuation of language at the proper level. | ||
| Please note: Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Langague Requirement. | ||
| Students who complete an Inter-College Transfer (ICT) to the College will abide by the MLR in place on the effective date of the ICT, regarless of when they first matriculated at DePaul. | ||
| MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (CS ICRS) | ||
| MAT 140 | DISCRETE MATHEMATICS I | 4 |
| MAT 141 | DISCRETE MATHEMATICS II | 4 |
| CSC 241 | INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE I | 4 |
| CSC 242 | INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE II | 4 |
| CSC 300 | DATA STRUCTURES I | 4 |
| CSC 301 | DATA STRUCTURES II | 4 |
| CSC 321 | DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS | 4 |
| CSC 373 | COMPUTER SYSTEMS I | 4 |
| CSC 374 | COMPUTER SYSTEMS II | 4 |
| One course from the following: | 4 | |
| CONCEPTS OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES | ||
| DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS | ||
| OBJECT-ORIENTED SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT | ||
| Eight (8) additional credit hours, can be any 300-level CSC, CSEC, DSC or SE. | 8 | |
| MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (W&R ICRS) | ||
| Foundations Core | ||
| WRD 203 | STYLE FOR WRITERS | 4 |
| WRD 210 | CULTURAL RHETORICS | 4 |
| WRD 261 | DIGITAL CULTURE | 4 |
| WRD 264 | LANGUAGE, SELF AND SOCIETY | 4 |
| Applications Core | ||
| WRD 201 | DIGITAL WRITING | 4 |
| WRD 204 | TECHNICAL WRITING | 4 |
| Writing in Communities and Professions | 4 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| HISTORY OF LITERACIES AND WRITING | ||
| PROFESSIONAL WRITING | ||
| ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING | ||
| THE ESSAY FROM PRINT TO NEW MEDIA | ||
| WRITING WITH AI | ||
| WRITING IN THE SCIENCES | ||
| ETHICS OF PUBLIC AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING | ||
| SPORTS WRITING IN AMERICA: MYTHS, MEMORIES, HEROES AND VILLAINS | ||
| WRITING WITH PHOTOGRAPHS | ||
| COMPOSITION AND STYLE | ||
| WORKPLACE WRITING: THEORY AND PRACTICE | ||
| TOPICS IN WRITING, RHETORIC AND DISCOURSE | ||
| TOPICS IN PROFESSIONAL WRITING * | ||
| WRITING IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION | ||
| WRITING AND METADATA | ||
| EDITING | ||
| WRITING FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE | ||
| RHETORIC IN CRISIS CONTEXTS | ||
| GRANT AND PROPOSAL WRITING | ||
| CONTENT WRITING | ||
| WRITING AND REVISING | ||
| GHOSTWRITING | ||
| MENTORING YOUTH IN COMMUNITY WRITING GROUPS | ||
| DIGITAL STORYTELLING | ||
| FIELDWORK IN ARTS WRITING | ||
| WRITING AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT | ||
| WRITING CENTER THEORY & PEDAGOGY | ||
| WRITING FELLOWS THEORY AND PRACTICE | ||
| *May be repeated for credit when the topic is different | ||
| Rhetorical History, Theory, and Analysis | 4 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO REASONED DISCOURSE | ||
| GENRE AND DISCOURSE | ||
| HOW LANGUAGE WORKS | ||
| GOOGLING GOD: RELIGIOUS PRACTICES IN DIGITAL CULTURE | ||
| THE LANGUAGE OF DISABILITY | ||
| RHETORICAL ANALYSIS | ||
| THE RHETORIC OF EVERYDAY TEXTS | ||
| READING BETWEEN THE GROOVES: THE RHETORICAL POWER OF POPULAR MUSIC | ||
| SOCIAL MOVEMENT, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND AMERICAN IDENTITIES | ||
| LEVELING UP: THE SOCIAL RHETORIC OF VIDEO GAMES | ||
| WRITING CENSORSHIP | ||
| TRUTH IN DISGUISE: THE RHETORIC OF SATIRE | ||
| THE COMIC BOOK AS VISUAL ARGUMENT | ||
| RHETORIC AND POPULAR CULTURE | ||
| WRITING ABOUT RIGHTS | ||
| RHETORICAL TRADITIONS | ||
| LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS | ||
| TOPICS IN RHETORIC | ||
| TOPICS IN ALTERNATIVE RHETORICS | ||
| SEMIOTICS | ||
| VISUAL RHETORIC | ||
| CHICAGO WOMEN RHETORS | ||
| MIGRATION & STORYTELLING | ||
| GLOBAL ENGLISHES | ||
| TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN CHICAGO | ||
| RHETORIC AND PUBLIC WRITING | ||
| Major Field Electives | 12 | |
| The equivalent of three additional 4-hour electives may be drawn from the two elective categories above or from the following: | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO WRITING AND RHETORIC | ||
| WRITER'S TOOLS WORKSHOP | ||
| THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH POSTER | ||
| INTERNSHIP | ||
| INDEPENDENT STUDY | ||
Note: CSC 243 Python for Programmers and a CS elective can take the place of CSC 241 & CSC 242
Experiential Learning (EL) Requirement
All Writing and Rhetoric majors are required to take one EL-designated course within the major. WRD courses designated both EL and LSP EL will fulfill the major’s EL requirement and the Liberal Studies Experiential Learning requirement simultaneously. An LSP EL course taken outside of WRD will not count toward the EL major requirement.
Senior Capstone Options
Students in the CS+W&R BS program have a choice of two Senior Capstone options, each of which is a course that fulfills the Liberal Studies Senior Capstone requirement.
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| One course from the following | 4 | |
| SOFTWARE PROJECTS | ||
| RHETORIC AND PUBLIC WRITING | ||
Open Electives
Open elective credits are also required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 quarter-credit hours.