The Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures has a long history that testifies to Michigan State University’s commitment to the importance of writing in undergraduate education. From its founding in the 1940s as the Department of American Thought and Language, it has been an independent department of writing with a mission committed to instruction of first-year students in a variety of writing courses each focused on aspects of American experience.

The renaming of the department in 2003 to Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures coincided with an expansion of its mission and the inauguration of an undergraduate major in professional writing. That same year, department faculty had a central role in establishing the Rhetoric & Writing Graduate Program, which offers three graduate degrees and was housed within the College of Arts and Letters.

In April 2010, the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures and the graduate program in Rhetoric & Writing merged, creating for the first time at Michigan State University a writing program that provides instruction for students at every level, from general education courses through doctoral study.

These three distinctive programs—First-Year Writing, Professional Writing, and Rhetoric & Writing—share a set of core understandings about the nature and practice of writing, including the following:

• Writing and literacies are embedded in cultures.
• Writing involves purposeful rhetorical action in the varied cultures and situations in which one participates.
• Writing in the 21^st century takes place in digital environments.
• Writing in the 21^st century is increasingly multimodal, including visual and auditory elements as well as printed language.

In each of the three programs, these core understandings shape instruction, provide focus for inquiry and research, and animate engagement and outreach.

The joining of these three programs in one department sets the stage for renewed attention to their intersections. Stay tuned as we embark this year on a self-study that will set our path for the future.

WRAC departmental bylaws (PDF; last revised 10-28-11).