WASHINGTON, Pa. (Sept. 16, 2011)—Professional writers, students and scholars from the Pittsburgh region will converge on the Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) campus Saturday, Oct. 1, for a first-of-its-kind writing symposium.
Titled “Engaging the Public: Rhetoric and Professional Writing in the 21st Century,” the event will be held in the Rossin Campus Center media room and ballroom from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. A keynote address will be given by Linda Flower, professor of rhetoric at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).
Additional panelists include Ann Gibbons, contributing correspondent for Science magazine, Jeri Spann, principal and senior policy writer for Spann Communications, and professors of English, communication and rhetoric from CMU, the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University.
“I'm excited that so many area colleges and universities will be participating,” Jennifer Harding, assistant professor of English at W&J, said. “We have such strong rhetoric and professional writing programs in the Pittsburgh region, and we've never done anything like this before.”
Harding, who will be giving a presentation titled “Toughening up the Millennials” with a W&J student, will be part of a panel addressing a range of 21st-century issues, from the integration of design and text to the role of social media in the workplace.
The symposium is sponsored by W&J and the Pittsburgh Consortium for Rhetoric and Discourse Studies.
For a detailed schedule and information on how to register, visit http://wiki.washjeff.edu/display/JHS/Home or contact Harding at jharding@washjeff.edu
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